Pain Research and Treatment in the Gerontological Context: A Discussion of the Issues

Abstract

An appreciation of the context in which gerontological health care occurs is crucial to the successful and ethical collection, interpretation and utilization of data on the pain experiences of elderly people. Important contextual considerations for researchers and clinicians who are addressing pain in the elderly are identified. It is argued that topics that are the focus of current attention in the field of pain and ageing, such as the effect of dementia on memory for pain and the responsiveness of the elderly to psychosocial pain treatment, would be clarified by an understanding of the broader sociopolitical context in which ageing occurs.