Working Caregiver- Health Articles
Seniors might feel that their physical symptoms are a weakness, and by admitting that they're experiencing problems that may be age related, they are admitting defeat to age.
Older Adult Chronic Pain
Bettering the Lives of Seniors
Pain experienced in older adulthood isn't uncommon, but that doesn't mean that it should just be accepted. Experiencing chronic pain conditions can greatly alter a senior's quality of life for the worse; it lowers the immune system, creates fatigue and can result ill-temperament on a regular basis. However, often seniors believe that pain is a natural part of aging that they need to learn with cope with; some are also concerned about being bothersome to their doctors, that medical professionals will not be able to identify their pain, and many worry about the costs associated with having the root cause of their problem explored medically. Some seniors might even feel that their physical symptoms are a weakness, and by admitting that they're experiencing problems that may be age related, they are admitting defeat to age. However, a recent study demonstrates that while pain may prevail amongst the senior population, it doesn't have to overtake their lives.
Researchers from the University of Nottingham have reported that in the UK, almost 5 million older adults over the age of 65 experience some level of pain or physical discomfort. Dr. Nick Allcock, associate professor in the university's School of Nursing, Midwifery and Physiotherapy and co-director of the Nottingham Centre for Evidence Based Nursing and Midwifery and driving force behind this study, believes its crucial that seniors and their families work together to acknowledge the pain experienced by older adults, so that it can be identified and treated. While pain may signify any number of underlying medical problems, it always needs to be recognized as a signal that something is not right. So no matter how insignificant seniors may believe their pain symptoms to be, their experiences should always be discussed with a medical professional.
The complete study focuses both upon first person perspectives on how pain has affected the lives of seniors across the UK, including the ways that they communicate and cope with the trials and tribulations of living with pain. The report also goes onto address statistics relating to seniors and pain, the specific effects experienced by older adults, and pain management.
Dr. Allcock exemplifies the importance of seniors speaking up when pain is present, since self-reporting is one of the major methods for identifying and treating the causes of pain symptoms, which in itself creates its own unique challenges. The most important message to take away from the report is that living with pain is a choice that needn't be, since with diagnosis and treatment it may not be cured indefinitely, but it can be managed, bettering the lives of older adults across the UK and the world.
Read the complete report, titled "Pain in Older People" here: and learn about the options available so you can help an older adult in your life deal with pain effectively.
