Dementia is the second most common co-morbid chronic medical illness in people with chronic pain affecting 54% of American community-dwelling adults in this population. The prevalence of pain in nursing home residents ranges from 8.6% to 80.4%. Effectively recognizing and addressing pain in individuals with neurocognitive impairments presents a unique challenge given the inherent communication difficulties of many neurocognitive disorders. This complexity is amplified in the vulnerable aging population where a myriad of underlying medical issues further obscures the identification and management of pain conditions.
This presentation prepares interdisciplinary pain professionals with clinical knowledge to reliably recognize, assess, and manage pain in people with cognitive impairment in variable healthcare settings including outpatient, hospital, rehabilitation, and nursing homes. Healthcare providers will be equipped to decipher objective signs of pain with and without validated pain assessment scales; distinguish when the subjective report of pain indicates non-pain discomfort; and recommend safe and effective behavioral interventions and medication management techniques that limit patient exposure to the negative side effects of pain medications and improve patient outcomes.
Learning Objectives:
Identify the prevalence and relationship between pain, cognitive decline, and functional impairment in individuals with neurocognitive disorders across various healthcare settings
Distinguish common causes and presentations of pain in elderly patients
Describe challenges to pain identification in people with dementia
Integrate pain assessment tools and evaluation strategies for patients with language processing dysfunction
Implement safe and effective evidence-based medication and behavioral management strategies in the care of elderly patients with pain and cognitive disorders
