News

In Drugs and Aging the authors of a recent study sought to identify and examine innovative methods for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) among older adult communities. The authors found discrepancies in the management of RA among the elderly, and that few studies on RA review treatment options for older adults. The authors conclude that current RA treatment methods require further research and analysis before implementation among older adult populations. Full Story

A recent article in Pain Medicine featured a study that examined “the influence health and social factors have on the knowledge and experience of cancer pain among older adults.” Study participants were “surveyed on questions assessing pain severity, knowledge and experience of pain, self-efficacy for pain treatment, satisfaction with pain treatment, and additional social, health, and demographic characteristics.” The authors found that “understanding older adults' knowledge of pain may begin to diminish the imparities in the diagnosis and treatment of pain among growing populations of older adults.” Full Story

The authors of a recent study published in the Journal of Aging Health sought to determine whether “depression, cognition, functional status, health, and pain severity were predictors of day-to-day pain variability in older adults in long-term care settings.” The study consisted of 77 older adults aged 68 years and older who were assessed for pain severity and variability over a 30-day period. The authors found that “pain variability may give insight into older adults' experiences with both pain and depression, and may essentially improve quality of care and quality of life.” Full Story

The authors of a recent study published in JAMA examined mobility limitations among older adults and how they affect the physical, psychological, and social aspects of an older adult's life. The objective of the study was to “identify mobility risk factors, screening tools, need for physical therapy, and efficacy of exercise interventions for older primary care patients with limited mobility.” The authors found evidence “supporting resistance and balance exercises for improving physical weakness and balance disorders among older adults.” Full Story

The authors of a recent study published in PLoS One “aimed to estimate the prevalence of eight common chronic health conditions and examine socioeconomic inequalities in the diseases among older adults in China.” The study consisted of 13,157 older adults who completed a questionnaire that assessed chronic medical conditions such as “angina, arthritis, asthma, stroke, diabetes, depression, chronic lung disease and hypertension.” The study results indicate that “fifty percent of respondents reported having one of the selected chronic conditions.” Full Story

A recent study published in Hong Kong Medical Journal examined the “effectiveness and feasibility of a community-based aquatic exercise program for elders with osteoarthritis of the knee.” The study consisted of 20 older adults “aged 65 years and older who had suffered from osteoarthritis of the knee for at least 3 years with mild-to-severe knee pain.” The authors found that “physiotherapist-designed aquatic exercise has definite benefits, in terms of physical and psychosocial functioning, and should be promoted as one of the strategies to enhance long-term self-management of community elders with knee osteoarthritis.” Full Story

In Drug Discovery Today a recent study evaluated whether “a shift in the drug discovery paradigm is necessary to improve efficacy, side-effects or positively impact quality of life in the elderly with chronic pain.” The authors found that chronic pain among older adults can be “influenced by co-morbid diseases (e.g. diabetes, cancer, depression, Alzheimer's disease, etc.), changes in physiological competency (e.g. drug metabolism/elimination)” or mental cognition. Full Story

The authors of a recent study published in Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics aimed to develop a modified version of the Assessment of Pain in Elderly People with Communication Impairment (PACSLAC-J) and evaluate the validity and reliability of the scale for use in older patients with dementia. The authors used the PACSLAC-J  to assess pain behaviors among 117 older adults with dementia and found that “patients who stated they experienced pain had higher scores than did patients who stated they had no pain during movement (i.e. walking, raising arms).” Full Story

A recent study published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage examined whether osteoarthritis (OA) associated with back pain effects physical mobility and joint pain among older adults. The study consisted of 252 older adults (mean age =67) who underwent computed tomography (CT) scans to assess joint OA and spinal disk pain. The authors conclude that “each additional joint with severe OA conferred with greater odds of back pain.” Full Story

A recent study published in Drugs and Aging explored “patterns of non-opioid, weak opioid and strong opioid use prior to initiation of oxycodone for non-cancer pain in a predominantly older adult population.” The authors evaluated analgesic use 12 months prior to incident oxycodone prescriptions for non-cancer pain among 10,791 older adults. The authors found that “oxycodone was frequently initiated for non-cancer pain without first trialing other analgesics.” Full Story