Aust Fam Physician. 1989 Dec; 18(12): 1515-21, 1523-4, 1527.

Pain management for the elderly.

Workman BS, Ciccone V, Christophidis N.

Pain management for the elderly is based on the same principles as for all other age groups. There is no evidence that the elderly patient and the young patient perceive pain differently. Pain management should aim at achieving a specific diagnosis and a specific treatment with the appropriate choice of analgesic used in the optimal regimen and should give attention to all other factors contributing to the patient's suffering. Geriatric medicine uses an essentially multidisciplinary approach to treatment of medical problems, and this doctrine should apply to treatment of pain.