Evaluation and measurement of pain in the aging process

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate pain in the aging process in long-term care institutions. The study included 46 elderly subjects of both genders and with chronic pain. Descriptors of chronic pain were analyzed using psychophysical category estimation methods, and the thematic content of semi-structured interviews was analyzed. Chronic pain was perceived in 33.33% of the elderly subjects. For the descriptors of pain, the results showed higher scores for "painful." In the interview, the thematic units were time, start of symptoms, coping, pain-related causes, current situation, ...