1 In 5 People Have Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is common among older Americans, possibly affecting 1 in 5 of the nation's more than 33 million people aged 65 or older. Left untreated, their pain can lead to depression, social isolation, sleep problems, and difficulty in performing daily activities.
Old Age Pain Often primary care clinicians are unaware of the extent to which their older patients feel pain because the patients may hide it or put on a stoical front, taking the attitude that there is nothing anyone can do about these symptoms of old age. Older patients often are undertreated and underdiagnosed for pain because of a misperception that as people age, they have to learn to live with increasing discomfort. Chronic Pain in Older Persons included experts on geriatrics,
pain management, and nursing. The (AGS) developed the first clinical practice guidelines that focus on pain management in older Americans to address the growing need for medical information about chronic pain treatment in this age-group.
Older Patients Usely Try To Hide The Pain The first step in identifying which elderly patients are experiencing pain is to ask about pain at each visit because older patients might not report their pain unless they are asked. Even if patients deny pain, pursue the issue further by asking them if they are having any discomfort, aching, or soreness. A patient might answer the latter question by saying, "Oh, yes. I have not been able to sleep because of this aching in my joints."
Pain Assessment Tools Pain assessment tools provide a semiquantitative scale of how people perceive their pain. More importantly, these tools permit the assessment of a patient's pain over time. By using the same scale, a health care provider can compare a patient's pain before and after use of a particular
medication or pain therapy technique. The terminology used is very important, which is why you should be reluctant to accept a No answer to a question about pain.
Benefit of Assessment Tools 
The other benefit to using these tools is that they can serve as a reminder to address the issue of pain with every elderly patient just as routinely as checking the patient's blood pressure. The AGS has published examples from different pain assessment tools, as well as a geriatric pain assessment form that includes a scale for pain intensity. The form identifies the different features of pain, such as the pattern, where pain is located, how long the patient has had this pattern of pain, and what activities make the pain increase or decrease.
Pain Assessment Scales
Pain adjustment scales like generally, older adults can use the same pain intensity scales as younger people. Word scales commonly are used with younger adults, and these will work well with the elderly. Research has shown that the pain scales that tend to work best for and are preferred by older adults are. A number scale in which patients see a range of numbers and circle the number that correlates to their pain severity. A word scale that describes different levels of pain intensity and asks people to select the word that best represents how they are feeling.
The Face Scale Another option that would work for someone who is illiterate or has cognitive difficulties would be a face scale. This type of scale displays a series of cartoon-type faces that appear to progress from a neutral expression representing no pain to a grimacing face signifying extreme pain. The faces demonstrate the degree of discomfort experienced by a person in pain. The scale can depict the different levels of pain that a patient might experience.