Impact of Pain on the Daily Life of Older Adults

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of pain on the daily activities of older adults. We also investigated older adults’ perceptions of activities that increase or decrease pain. Occupational therapy practitioners work with older adults in many settings. The results of this study may help practitioners understand that pain is part of life for many older adults and affects many daily activities. An understanding of older adults’ pain may remind occupational therapy practitioners to ask about pain and to include adaptation of daily occupations to reduce and prevent additional injury in individualized intervention plans.

METHOD: This study used a quantitative descriptive survey design. Surveys were self-report. Participants were older adults (aged ≥64) who lived in local assisted living facilities or attended senior activities. Staff members at facilities were contacted and asked to participate. If they agreed, they distributed the surveys to interested individuals or set up a time for a researcher to meet with group of people to do the survey. Participants had to have sufficient cognition to understand the questions and complete the survey by themselves. The participants received a large-print survey. A stamped, self-addressed envelope was available, or participants could simply hand the completed survey to a staff member or researcher. The survey included both closed- and open-ended questions asking respondents to describe their pain and how it influenced their daily activities.

Data from the surveys were entered into IBM SPSS Statistics (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the population, and inferential statistics were used to analyze relationships among variables. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the open-ended responses.

RESULTS: The 67 participants in this study reported an average pain rating of 3.7/10; 58 participants had some kind of pain condition. Those who reported having pain syndromes (headaches, arthritis, back pain, hand pain) had significantly higher pain than those without pain conditions (p < .05). Higher reported pain levels made it significantly more difficult to perform indoor housework, walk, sleep, and find enjoyment in life. Many participants indicated that although pain did not stop them from completing tasks, it did interfere with performance of tasks. In this group of participants, age did not have a significant impact on ability to complete daily activities. In several open-ended questions, participants described their perceptions about activities that increase and decrease pain. The participants most commonly sat, rested, took medication, or got a massage to decrease pain. They reported overuse, weather, and bending as the most common aggravators of pain.

CONCLUSION: We found that pain does affect some older adults’ ability to participate in daily activities. It is important that occupational therapy practitioners recognize that many older adults experience pain and painful chronic conditions and that pain can have a significant impact on daily life.

IMPACT STATEMENT: Occupational therapy practitioners should include pain assessments in everyday practice with older adults. Practitioners should use interventions to decrease pain and adapt activities to decrease pain and prevent further injury as part of regular intervention plans. The older adult population is growing in the United States, and understanding the needs of this population will help occupational therapy practitioners provide better individualized intervention. Further study is needed.

References

Bruckenthal, P., & D’Arcy, Y. M. (2007). Assessment and management of pain in older adults: A review of the basics. Topics in Advanced Practice Nursing eJournal, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1097/SPC.0b013e3282ffb406

Covinsky, K. E., Lindquist, K., Dunlop, D. D., & Yelin, E. (2009). Pain, functional limitations, and aging. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 57, 1556–1561. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02388.x

Hesselstrand, M., Samuelsson, K., & Liedberg, G. (2015). Occupational therapy interventions in chronic pain—A systematic review. Occupational Therapy International, 22, 183–194. https://doi.org/10.1002/oti.1396

Robinson, K., Kennedy, N., & Harmon, D. (2011). Review of occupational therapy for people with chronic pain. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 58, 74–81. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2010.00889.x