This paper discusses how pain and its undertreatment impacts upon older people with dementia. It outlines how the contributing factors to the underassessment of pain are numerous and includes dementia-related factors (such as loss of communication ability) and health professional-related factors (such as inappropriate or non-application of a pain-assessment tool and deficit knowledge regarding pain mechanisms and/or dementia). Pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options for pain are noted as important but are not the focus of this paper.
© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.