Pain Presentation in the Geriatric Population Teaching Module

This module addresses the issue of pain from cultural, psychological dynamics of presentation, religious, and historical viewpoints. Demographics related to pain as a universal experience include experiences and types of pain, health care costs related to pain, treatment interventions, pain cycles, medical providers indifference to pain, cultural differences in communicating pain, roadblocks and barriers to pain treatment, interpretations and perceptions of pain, and cultural communication. A section on treating pain in the elderly addresses moral obligations for comfort and pain management especially at end-of-life; use of analgesic medications; chronic pain; common causes of pain in the elderly; misconceptions; pain thresholds; age-related differences in peripheral nerve function; a pain intensity scale; and types of drug and nondrug strategies.

Competencies Addressed in This Module:

• Ability to understand the impact of pain on mental, emotional, and physical functioning.