Rheumatic diseases in the elderly: Dealing with rheumatic pain in extended care facilities

Pain in elderly patients is often underreported, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. Increased understanding of the experience of pain in older persons, strategies for assessment, and appropriate use of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches is necessary to improve management of pain in this population. This article discusses how issues related to pain in the elderly should be approached, how elderly people perceive pain, how pain in the elderly is assessed, and the various pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches for relieving pain. Finally, the article discusses how pain care for the elderly might be improved.