Managing Pain in the Older Adult

Controlling pain in this population is more challenging for health care providers because the elderly often have multiple health problems and take many medications in addition to the physiologic changes of aging. This book places emphasis on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of acute and chronic pain among older adults. It provides noninterventional, pharmacotherapeutic, and nonpharmacotherapeutic methods. Assessing and treating acute and chronic pain among the elderly is a large and growing health care problem. This book provides treatments for acute and chronic pain, which require modification for the elderly; and pain management techniques, including physical therapy and nonpharmacotherapeutic treatments such as acupuncture and other complementary therapies which are effective. It also discusses the lack of resources for treating pain in the elderly.