It’s debilitating, isolating and can lead to severe depression—yet pain is widely accepted as something to be expected and regarded as ‘normal’ in later life.
A new study from The University of Nottingham, UK, examines older people’s experiences of pain and how best government, the National Health Service, and social care agencies can address the issue.
The report, Pain in older people: reflections and experiences from an older person’s perspective, aims to highlight the issue of pain in older people by exploring their experiences of living and coping with persistent pain. Researchers have interviewed older people about their experiences of pain and how it affected their lives physically and psychologically and iterature on pain in older people was reviewed.
The report reveals that nearly five million people over the age of 65 are in some degree of pain and discomfort in the UK.
The report raises points for discussion and recommends ways in which agencies dealing with pain in older people can help address the problem.
Click here to download a copy of the full report, Pain in older people: reflections and experiences from an older person’s perspective.
[Source: Medical News Today]
