J Gerontol Nurs
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1. The inadequate management of acute postoperative pain among adults is well documented. ⋯ Nurses' ineffective approaches to the management of pain have been attributed to inappropriate fears of addiction and respiratory depression, rigid attitudes regarding what constitutes adequate pain relief, and misunderstandings about the physiologic and psychologic components of pain. 3. The results of this study support McCaffery's (1989) finding that nurses do not understand the effective use of narcotics in relation to pain management.
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1. Multiple falls and injuries are more prevalent among elderly over the age of 75 and are the second leading cause of accidental death in the elderly. The risk for falling is noted to be significantly greater in the hospitalized elderly. 2. ⋯ The MetroHealth Falls Prevention Program is based on simple proactive measures to prevent falls in the elderly. 4. An effective falls prevention program has several implications for gerontological nursing practice, including less restraint use, increased patient autonomy, and decreased loss of self-esteem. There is also a sense of increased nursing control over patient safety and time management, as well as implications for further nursing research.
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1. Although the number of diagnosed cases of dementia is rapidly increasing in the US, there is little known about pain in this population. 2. ⋯ Demented patients on an Alzheimer's unit displayed markedly atypical pain behaviors that were best assessed by the most experienced nurses. 4. Pain assessment in demented patients is an area requiring further study to determine the best method of assessment and treatment of pain.
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Establishing a trusting, caring relationship that acknowledges suffering and demonstrates caring is an important first step toward pain management in the elderly. The content of assessing pain in the elderly is similar to that for younger individuals. However, the source of information, manner and timing of assessment, method, and amount of data collected must be adapted to meet the special needs of the elderly individual. ⋯ Many tools currently available for assessing pain may be effective when adapted to accommodate these changes. Interpreting reports of pain and pain-related behaviors in the elderly is complicated by myths and misunderstandings commonly held by the elderly and many health professionals. Careful consideration must be given to the meaning of pain or lack of pain report, as well as personal biases, which may influence the interpretation of pain behaviors.