Journal of gerontology
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Journal of gerontology · Mar 1990
Comparative StudyChronic pain in old and young patients: differences appear less important than similarities.
Two studies compared physical and psychosocial characteristics of elderly and younger chronic pain patients. No age differences were found during intake for the number of physical coping strategies. Elderly patients named fewer cognitive strategies. ⋯ Both age groups had comparable scores on measures of social support and perceptions of how others react to their pain. The present research suggests that there are relatively few factors distinguishing pain patients based on age. Moreover, age should not be a significant factor to consider when offering patients multidisciplinary treatment for chronic pain that focuses on psychological as well as physical modalities.
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Journal of gerontology · Mar 1990
Comparative StudyComparison of two cognitive bedside screening instruments in nursing home residents: a factor analytic study.
The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration test (BOMC) were each administered to 110 nursing home residents. The correlation between the MMSE and BOMC's total score was -.79. ⋯ The results suggest that the somewhat longer MMSE may be preferred for bedside mental status testing, as it clearly measures an additional dimension of cognitive ability, while the BOMC is primarily a unidimensional test. The theoretical and clinical implications of bedside mental status testing of elderly patients are discussed.