Abstract
Chronic pain (CP) is a very common problem in elders, due to bodily degenerations, worldwide. Studies carried out in various countries have shown that CP is associated with the elders’ quality of life, significantly limiting their activities and hampering them to maintain an independence lifestyle. What’s worse, elderly suffering from CP mostly also experience mental problems. Yet, there have been only a few such research done and reported on this topic, concerning the elderly ethnic montagnards in the rural southwest Guangxi of China. This study aimed to explore the statement and self-management of rural dwelling elders with CP. First, cross-sectional surveys were conducted and then interviews were carried out. 150 elder people experiencing CP -- pain suffered at least 4 to 5 days a week during the past 3 months, according to the criteria of the international Association for the study of Pain (IASP) -- were enrolled in this study by convenience sampling. They were asked to fill in 3 questionnaires; the first related to participants’ mental status, the second related to participants’ perception of pain intensity, and the third related to pain’s impact on participants’ daily life. Following the completion of questionnaires, individual interviews were conducted, with the help of some students who are fluent in local native languages as well as in Chinese. The results show that CP significantly affected participants’ quality of life. The prevalence of suffering from multifocal CP was 90%. In the management of CP, 64% people mainly relied on paregoric means; a wide range self-management techniques were mentioned such as hot compress application for which some plant material was used, collected from the surrounding environment; only a few people went to seek professional treatment. Moreover, most of them said that they had reconciled to the pain or consider it as part of their fate. Encourage older people to seek different ways to manage their pain, not just traditional but complementary and professional approaches. In such severely lacking professional high-level medical resource environment, the elder people should change their cognition of CP and choose pertinence approaches and instruments based on their own condition.
Highlights
Chronic pain is a term used to describe pain that has persisted for 3 months or more, in accordance with the International Association for the Study of Pain definition.[1]
The goal of the present study was to examine the statement of the old people live in rural mountain districts in southwest Guangxi of China with chronic pain and their self-management, in order to deliver more effective methods to help them through answering questions, providing advice, addressing barriers and facilitators, and encouraging self-management efforts
Most people belong to sub-normal level, was 64.6%, the team tried to find the relationship between the scores and the duration of chronic pain, but there was no positive relation
Summary
Chronic pain is a term used to describe pain that has persisted for 3 months or more, in accordance with the International Association for the Study of Pain definition.[1] According to the formal report of the Chinese government, it is estimated that 15.4% of older adults aged 60 years and over in the future 5 years, especially which live in the mountain rural area, the velocity is faster than city and town.[2] In the mountain rural area, elder people always live alone with the young grandchildren, the majority young people are outside for seeking money to support the family. Many older people accept pain as part of their life and do not seek help until pain become severe and unbearable. Investigated the Midwest rural area old people’s quality of life showed that the main problems aging related are pain and disability Zhou Wei [3]. investigated the Midwest rural area old people’s quality of life showed that the main problems aging related are pain and disability
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