Pain in Relation to Older People with Cognitive Impairment - Research Paper Example

Europe has experienced the transition to an older population profile over the last century which reflects a world-wide demographic trend towards an aging population (Pickering et al., 2001). The European Union has identified the provision of health and social care for this population as a crucial challenge for the 21st century. In a shift away from merely extending life, ways of reducing morbidity and coping with disability, preventing incapacity, extending the quality of life, and enhancing the functional independence of older people will be an important component of service provision (European Commission Research Directorate, 2002).

In Britain, the number of people aged over 65 years has doubled in the last 70 years and the number of people over 90 years is expected to double in the next 25 years which will increase the need for healthcare (DoH, 2001).Further, recent estimates for the UK indicate that approximately 157,500 older people live in nursing homes and 288,750 older people live in residential homes (Royal Commission on Long-Term Care, 1999). The UK government has pledged to provide high-quality care and treatment, regardless of age, to treat older people with respect and dignity and to allocate fair resources for conditions that affect them, while at the same time easing the financial burden of long-term care (DoH, 2001).

Pain has been highlighted as a significant problem for many older people and further, they are more susceptible to the experience of pain than any other sector of the population (Wallace, 1994; Hicks, 2000). This is partly due to the high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, phantom pain, pressure ulcers, cancer, and other medical conditions in this age group (Ferrell, 1991).Despite the care home setting exhibiting a high prevalence of pain (Fox et al., 1999) and functional disability, which is potentially made worse by pain (Ferrell et al., 1995), the pain remains a neglected phenomenon in older people in the UK (Closs, 1994).

It is suggested that older people, despite being more likely to have chronic illnesses causing pain than younger people, do not receive adequate pain treatment (Gagliese and Melzack, 1997; Winslow, 1998). This paper discusses evidence of how pain is assessed and managed in care homes for older people.