[Status and perspectives of pain and pain therapy in old age : Plea for better care of geriatric pain patients]

[Pain in old age]

The prevalence of chronic pain increases with increasing age. Multimorbidity increases the risk of disease-related pain. Addressing the problem of pain in higher age is concerned with an increasing problem of care. The multimorbidity and the resulting multimedication are important for the medical care of pain. The therefore necessary physician-patient verbal communication can hardly be remunerated and carried out in the current care landscape. Existing resources must be bundled. The quality of life of older people and not the absence of pain, must be emphasized. Particularly problematic is the recognition and treatment of pain in patients with dementia. Pain in dementia patients is more rarely detected. In addition to questioning relatives and caregivers, a structured pain interview is necessary. The pharmacology of chronic pain is concerned above all with the prevention of iatrogenic risks through interactions and pharmacological complications. The patient-related treatment priorities must be checked and adjusted during the course of treatment. To be considered are age-related altered metabolic pathways. A sensible therapy option is the training of physical activity with a positive effect on the entire pain experience. Behavioral medical treatment procedures are other important building blocks in pain therapy. In addition to the multimodal therapeutic approaches, a stronger interdisciplinary collaboration of special pain medicine and geriatrics is necessary.