Ageing and pain are not natural allies

Pain is not a ‘normal’ part of the ageing process and should not be accepted as such, according to a new study from the University of Nottingham in the UK.

Funded by Help the Age and the British Pain Society, the report draws on interviews with older people and a comprehensive literature review. It reports that over five million Britons aged 65 and over experience some form of pain and discomfort.

Among the most common attitudes and response to pain were the ‘stiff upper lip’ approach, the fear of becoming a burden, a diminished capacity and a sense of isolation.

The report’s key recommendations included further training about pain in older people for all health professionals and the implementation of a standardised pain assessment tool for older people.

“Any health or social care assessment of an older person should include asking whether they experience pain. The assessment should recognise that older people may be reluctant to acknowledge and report pain,” said the study.

It also called for more research into pain assessment, the multidimensional nature of pain and the use of analgesics.