Assessing pain in cognitively impaired older adults with cancer

Assessing pain in cognitively impaired older adults with cancer presents a challenge to healthcare providers. As the age and number of older adults with cancer and cognitive impairments increase, so does the need for appropriate methods and instruments to adequately assess pain in this population. Oncology nurses report pain control to be one of the more challenging aspects of caring for patients with cancer. This article discusses methods and tools used by healthcare providers to accurately assess pain in cognitively impaired older adults with cancer, specific behavioral indicators that healthcare providers should recognize to assess pain accurately among this population, and the most appropriate pain scales to use when assessing pain in this population.