It’s 13 years since the Australian Pain Society published the first (2005) edition of Pain in Residential Care Facilities – Management Strategies, a landmark document which shaped pain management in residential aged care facilities across Australia.
The 2nd edition of this document represents a revised and expanded content that has been authored and reviewed by expert multidisciplinary stakeholders. The document aims to provide contemporary research and expanded clinical practice insights and knowledge that should be utilised to inform clinical practice for the management of pain in residential aged care facilities.
The revised edition includes two new chapters. One on, Pain at the End of Life and the other, Pain and Nutrition. Additionally, there is a renewed focus within the documents on the benefits of implementing a multidisciplinary, multimodal approach to managing pain that include both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. Such strategies including physical rehabilitation, socialisation, exercise and cognitive behavioural therapy as well as self-management programs.
Now more than ever it’s important that we get this right– as the population rapidly ages, more of us will require care in residential aged care facilities and pain management will always be a top priority towards the end of life.
This new edition is designed as a “one stop shop” with easy-to-use information and resources at the fingertips of residential aged care facility workforce. It is relevant for personal care assistants, registered nurses, general practitioners, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists and other allied health professionals to identify, assess and manage pain by addressing various pain management strategies.
We hope managers and owners of residential aged care facilities will also find the book of great value. The content will enable them to understand the importance of pain and its appropriate management for all their residents by developing policies and procedures to ensure that care is provided to a “best-practice” standard.
We recognise that with the ageing population there will be significant growth in the aged care sector and that affordable, efficient and holistic pain management must be provided to ensure a good quality of life is available for our frail elders.
The APS would like to sincerely thank Dr Roger Goucke our medical editor and the many authors and expert reviewers who contributed to the update of this publication. We trust these strategies will be as significant as the first set and prove to be a valuable reference for pain management in residential aged care facilities throughout Australia and around the world.
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Australian Pain Society 