[Experiencing rejection and disappointments from the health system while living with chronic pain during aging]

Objective To describe the experience of older adults with chronic pain in health services. Methods Qualitative, grounded theory type study of 25 elderly residents with chronic pain in the cities of Medellin and Bogota. In-depth interviews were used to collect the data. The analysis was done using the tools of grounded theory as layed out by Strauss and Corbin. Results This study reported 5 main categories where it is possible to glimpse how the elderly perceive, at first, support from members of the medical team when they bothered to seek solutions to their health problems. Over time, however, when pain is exacerbated into a "crisis", they began to experience the disappointments and suffering associated with health systems, as well as recriminations. This leads them to choose the option of distancing themselves from the health system. This makes the elderly lose trust in doctors and interest in seeking out health services. . Conclusions The study provided a description of the experience of older adults with chronic pain when accessing health services. They experience the disappointments and rejections that are a product of worsening symptom exacerbations. The elderly are in need of humanized care that can in one way or another maked their experience of chronic pain more bearable.