The importance of attending to individuals’ stories as a meaningful way of describing pain for older adults is highlighted, suggesting that a narrative approach, as recommended and researched in other areas of medicine, may usefully be applied in pain assessment for older adults. Following analysis, the following main themes emerged: diversity in conceptualising pain using a simple numerical score personalising the meaning of pain by way of stories, similes and metaphors and, contextualising pain in relation to its impact on activities.
Qualitative individual interviews and one group interview were undertaken with 23 older adults. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed using a framework approach.
MethodsĬognitively intact men and women aged over sixty-five who lived in the community opted into the study through responding to advertisements in the media and via contacts with groups and organisations in North-East Scotland. This paper reports a qualitative exploration of older adults’ accounts of living with chronic pain, focusing on how they describe pain, with a view to informing approaches to its assessment. Yet, chronic pain is not fully understood from older adults’ perspectives subsequently, pain management in later life is not necessarily based on their priorities or needs. Poorly managed pain threatens independent functioning, limits social activities and detrimentally affects emotional wellbeing. Over 50% of older adults experience chronic pain.