NOPPAIN: Assessment Tool for Chronic Pain Management in Dementia Patients

As we age, complications associated with impaired cognitive processing is quite common. While we do not want to believe that we will lose our mental faculties, it is a consequence of the aging process. For some elderly individuals, the complications with mental processing may be attributed to dementia and complications with chronic pain.

It is estimated that nearly 50 percent of the general elderly population suffers from chronic pain. This figure is substantially higher in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. For patients who suffer from dementia, it can be quite difficult to articulate pain complaints and equally difficult for physicians to manage that pain effectively.

In an effort to manage pain more effectively within the elderly population who suffers from dementia, both physicians and nurses are learning the importance of observation in management of pain. With consistent observation, including body language and the performance of daily living activities, the healthcare provider can compare the functional mobility to that of other assessments and, often, determine whether or not pain relief options are effective.

Recalling and communicating pain can be complex in the dementia patient. As the family member of someone who suffers from dementia, coupled with chronic pain, it is important to discuss the use of observational methods in discerning and assessing pain.

Many physicians and nurses today are using an observational assessment tool known as the NOPPAIN. Used among the elderly population in general, the NOPPAIN assessment is also effective at assessing and managing pain in those with a moderate degree of dementia. Known as the Non-communicative Patient's Pain Assessment Instrument, the NOPPAIN offers healthcare providers some guidance in objectively assessing physical activity, body language and pain factors in the at-risk elderly population.