The impact of chronic pain on functionality and quality of life of the elderly

Abstract

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic pain is one of the most common conditions found by health professionals in elderly and is associated with substantial impairment of reduced mobility, avoidance of activities, depression, sleep impairment and isolation. The objective of this study was to check the impact of chronic pain on the functionality and the quality of life of the elderly. METHODS: It is a descriptive, cross-sectional and exploratory study with 20 patients attending the Pain Clinic of Hospital de Base de São José do Rio Preto. Twenty patients under the age of 60 were evaluated by the same instruments for comparative data. The instruments used were a semi-structured interview containing questions about sensory aspects, emotional and functional impact, sleep, attitudes and beliefs, coping style, treatment, expectation and objectives, and resources. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment for Older Adults questionnaire was used to evaluate the quality of life and, to evaluate the functional capacity of daily life, the OARS, multidimensional functional assessment questionnaire. The pain was assessed by the Brief Pain Inventory. RESULTS: A significant difference was observed between the domains of sensory abilities, autonomy and intimacy (p<0.05) in which the analyzed group presented worse values than the control, while the latter presented worse value in the domain of death and dying. In addition, there was a statistical difference between the groups in the instrumental activity of daily living and between the intensity of pain. CONCLUSION: The pain had a negative influence on the quality of life and impact on the functionality of the elderly studied in the Pain Clinic