ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of the key areas related to elderly pain and its management. It discusses the issues specific to the older population, including epidemiology, and reviews the physiological and psychological consequences of aging and discuss their relevance to pain management. The role of psychology and the psychological make up of individuals has become increasingly recognized as important at both a research and clinical level. A large number of elderly people live in the community, but require sheltered or nursing home care. The well-documented physiological changes that occur as a result of the ageing process develop at different rates and do not strictly follow chronological age. The elderly show altered pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics with regard to drug handling. Postoperative cognitive deficit is well recognized as a complication of surgery and may be more pronounced in the elderly population. Specific barriers in the postoperative assessment of pain in the elderly include issues related to patients and/or healthcare workers.
