Pain Notes

▪ A poll conducted by the Patients Association found that 74% of elderly patients in nursing homes had been suffering pain for more than a year. Of those, 85% had never had a doctor or a nurse talk to them about pain treatment and 57% had never been asked about pain by nursing home staff. Nearly 40% said their pain was constant and 8% called it "excru-ciating." When patient pain was discussed, said non-professional caregivers, it was usually between the physician and nursing home staff and rarely in-volved the patient. (Press Association Newsfile, 3/22)