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New
Study: 1996/1997 and 2005
Chronic
Pain in Canadian Seniors
Chronic pain affects more
than one-quarter of seniors living in households and close to 4 out of
every 10 in institutions, and it can have a profound impact on their
quality of life. The study examined the prevalence of chronic pain among
seniors aged 65 and over living in private households and in long-term
health care institutions. Many experienced pain on a regular basis, and
were therefore limited in their mobility and dexterity. An increase in
pain over a two-year period was associated with higher odds of being
unhappy, or having a negative impression of personal health. Many
reported that chronic pain interfered with their activities. For seniors
in private households, it was more common than diabetes, heart disease
and Alzheimer's disease. In institutions, only incontinence, arthritis
and Alzheimer's disease were more common.
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Chronic pain
affected 27% of seniors living in households, compared with just 16%
of the household population aged 18 to 64.
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The prevalence
of chronic pain was highest in health care institutions, where 38%
of seniors were affected by it.
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Chronic pain
can make life miserable for seniors.
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By 2031,
seniors are expected to account for between 23% and 25% of the total
population, nearly double their proportion of 13% in 2005.
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The more
intense the pain, the more likely it was to interfere with most
activities.
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Seniors who
experienced an increase in pain over a two-year period had greater
odds of being unhappy, regardless of illness or other factors that
would contribute to unhappiness.
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An increase in
pain had a similar effect on self-perceived health.
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Women were
consistently more likely than men to report chronic pain, regardless
of whether they were seniors or of working age (18 to 64), or
whether they were institutionalized.
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The largest gap
was among seniors living in households, where 31% of women reported
chronic pain compared with 21% of men.
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Among seniors
living in households, those with lower education or income were more
likely to suffer chronic pain.
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Chronic pain
was more common among seniors than were several other major chronic
conditions.
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Over half of
seniors in households (56%) reported two or more chronic conditions,
as did 83% of institutionalized seniors.
You can find the study at:
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/080221/d080221b.htm
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