Geriatric Pain Overview

Pain is under-recognized and undertreated in older persons, particularly those who reside in the nursing home.  In long-term care settings, the prevalence of pain can be as high as 85% and impacts the quality of life of this vulnerable population.   Pain is a common condition and deserves to be recognized and effectively treated.   Clinical practice guidelines are available from the American Geriatric Society (AGS) and the American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) to guide clinical decision-making related to assessment and management of pain in older adults.   However, barriers, misconceptions and knowledge gaps impact good pain care.

The purpose of this web resource (GeriatricPain.org) is to identify and share best practice tools and resources that support recommendations for good pain assessment and management in older adults.  The web site is organized into categories of emphasis with tools selected to assist nurses with responsibility for pain care in the nursing home.

GeriatricPain.org is continuing to be developed and new resources will be added. In addition sections of resources more targeted to other health care providers and users including CNAs, prescribers, and administrators will also be developed. 

The resources in GeriatricPain.org are intended for your use and adaptation to fit the needs of your organization and population.  You may download and use any documents on the GeriatricPain.org web site.  For more information about the materials in this resource, see Site Policies.