Pain in older people, and particularly for those people with dementia, is an underrecognised and undertreated problem of growing magnitude. Occupational therapists, although well positioned with a range of skills and resources to help older people with pain and their caregivers, must first become educated about the issues of pain assessment and management for this unique population.
Despite the fact that pain is a pervasive symptom of many occupational therapy clients, the occupational therapy educational curricula and professional literature fail to alert therapists to the urgent need for research and guideline development in this rapidly expanding practice area.
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