Pain in the Elderly: Diagnosis and Treatment

Diagnosing and Treating a Senior’s Pain

Diagnosing a senior’s pain may be difficult. Although grimacing, restlessness, moaning, and agitation may often indicate pain, they are not definitive signs of pain. Pain has no objective biological markers, according to the American Geriatric Society (Effective Pain Management in Older Patients, AORN, Jan. 2000).

The Society’s guidelines for acceptable pain diagnosis and management practices are briefly discussed below. For more information, consult medical articles and your elderly relative’s health care team.

• Diagnosing Pain: The Patient Knows
• Treating Pain

Avoiding Undertreatment of Pain

The undertreatment of pain has been considered neglect, negligence, or even elder abuse. If you are concerned about the undertreatment of your elderly relative’s pain, talk to his or her physician and nursing team. Also keep records of the problem. See Reporting Elder Abuse for more details.

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Diagnosing and Treating Pain:

• Patient Reports of Pain
• Pain Treatment

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