Pain may adversely affect cognition through its effects on mood and sleep, and chronic pain has been associated with brain atrophy. Studies suggest that chronic pain is undertreated in cognitively impaired people. Pain assessment should involve direct enquiry with the patient; where this is not possible, a proxy history from a caregiver or nurse should be obtained, and observational scales may also be useful. This report is adapted from paineurope 2014; Issue 1, Haymarket Medical Publications Ltd., and is presented with permission. paineurope is provided as a service to pain management by Mundipharma International, Ltd., and is distributed free of charge to health care professionals in Europe. Archival issues can be accessed via the Web site: http://www.paineurope.com, at which European health professionals can register online to receive copies of the quarterly publication.
Keywords: assessment; cognitive impairment; dementia; geriatrics; pain.