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A review of observational pain scales in nonverbal elderly with cognitive impairments
- Authors:
- PARK Juyoung, CASTELLANOS-BROWN Karen, BELCHER John
- Journal article citation:
- Research on Social Work Practice, 20(6), November 2010, pp.651-664.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Pain assessment for nonverbal older adults with cognitive impairments or dementia presents many challenges, and it is important to determine which scales are most useful in assessing pain among this population. In this review, eleven observational scales for assessment of pain in older adults with dementia or cognitive impairments were evaluated in four main areas: pain indicators; reliability; validity; and clinical utility. Findings suggest that various scales were available for assessing pain in cognitively impaired or demented older people who were unable to report their pain. The authors concluded, however, that future research should focus on further psychometric evaluations. In ending, the paper suggests that social workers should be trained as raters of pain assessment methods.