• To understand that pain in people with dementia is often unrecognised and unrelieved
• To increase your knowledge of the causes, effects and presentation of pain in people with dementia
• To enhance your awareness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions used to manage pain in people with dementia
People with dementia commonly experience pain, but it is often unrecognised, unrelieved and remains an underlying issue as the condition progresses. As a result, pain management for people with dementia is inadequate. Community nurses have a fundamental role in the assessment and management of pain and in supporting family carers. This article details the causes and effects of pain in people with dementia, explains the components of a holistic approach to individualised pain assessment, and describes various pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions that can be used to manage pain in this population.
Nursing Standard. 38, 4, 64-68. doi: 10.7748/ns.2023.e12091
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Correspondenceanne-marie.coll@southwales.ac.uk
Conflict of interestNone declared
Coll AM, Jones R (2023) Pain assessment and management for people with dementia in the community. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2023.e12091
Published online: 27 February 2023
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