Abstract
Long-term musculoskeletal pain is a major, disabling, and often undertreated health problem among the increasing number of older adults worldwide. However, there is limited knowledge of community-dwelling older adults’ experiences of living with this type of pain. The aim of the study was to deepen the understanding of the phenomenon: how older adults experience living with long-term musculoskeletal pain at home. The study design was an inductive qualitative Reflective Lifeworld Research approach grounded in phenomenological epistemology. Data were obtained from 20 community-dwelling older adults, aged 72–97 years. Data were collected through open-ended interviews and analyzed to understand the meanings of the phenomenon. The essence of the phenomenon entailed suffering in silence and encompassed the following constituents: loneliness and restrictions in daily living; ways to endure and distract from pain; not being taken seriously; fear of the future; and valuing joy and meaning in life. Living with long-term musculoskeletal pain restricts access to the world and leads to a suffering in silence. Finding ways to endure and distract from pain and to focus on issues that give joy and meaning in life is predominant in efforts to balance restraints from pain in life. Suffering is reinforced by loneliness, a sense of not being taken seriously by health care providers and fear of an uncertain future. It is necessary to foster increased attentiveness and sensitivity in meeting the needs of each older adult and provide a care that alleviates suffering and preserves and promotes health and well-being.
Highlights
Long-term musculoskeletal pain caused by musculoskeletal conditions is a global, pervasive and predominant health problem
This study is carried out as a starting point prior to the intervention Reflective STRENGTH-giving dialogue (Gillsjö and Berglund 2014), which will be will be evaluated through follow-up interviews and questionnaires. This is a inductive qualitative interview study in which the Reflective Lifeworld Research (RLR) approach developed by Dahlberg et al (2008), and grounded in phenomenological epistemology (Husserl 1989; Merleau-Ponty 2002) will be used to study the phenomenon “Older adults’ experiences of living with long-term musculoskeletal pain at home.”
The pain is reinforced by loneliness, a sense of not being taken seriously, and fear of an uncertain future
Summary
Long-term musculoskeletal pain caused by musculoskeletal conditions is a global, pervasive and predominant health problem. Despite the considerable prevalence and prevailing difficulties associated with musculoskeletal pain, researchers continue to report this type of pain and long-term pain in general, frequently being unrecognized, underestimated, underreported, and inadequately treated among older adults (AGS Panel on the Pharmacological Management of Persistent Pain in Older Persons 2009; Brown et al 2011; Stewart et al 2012; van der Leeuw et al 2018), which can lead to suffering (IASP 2016). This might in part be explained by a tendency among older adults, relatives, and health care professionals to view pain as a natural part in the process of aging (Collis and Waterfield 2015). The method has been developed to meet individual needs using a holistic and person-centred approach to guide and support older adults’ living with longterm health problems as musculoskeletal pain
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