Ways of the elderly to cope with pain

Aim: This study was carried out to determine the ways of the elderly to cope with pain.
Method: This study was descriptively carried out between March 2006 and Mart 2007. Sampling consists of 1053 participants at the age of 65 and over determined via non-probability sampling in the cities Canakkale, Malatya, Erzurum and Mersin. Data were collected through the questionnaire formed by the researchers. The questionnaire includes items about the demographic characteristics of the elderly and their ways to cope with pain. Data were simultaneously collected via interviews carried out in the aforesaid cities. Before applying the questionnaires, they were asked for oral permission. Data were evaluated through descriptive statistics programs in computer.

 Findings: According to the findings, the ages of the elderly at an average age of 70.59±5.73 range from 65 to 98. 56.7% of the participants are female; 68.9% married; 33.3% graduates from primary school and 93% under social security. It was determined that 35.9% (n=378) of them majorly use painkillers at home, 26.9% (n=283) seek the assistance of health institutions, 20.0% (n=211) wait in the expectation that the pain would fade away, 17.2% (n=181) make use of ways other than medical drugs to relieve the pain. It was found out that the elderly prevalently massage the forehead in the case of headache, pain area in the case of backache-lumbago (26.9%) and knee-foot ache (34.2%), seek the assistance of health institutions in the case of stomach-ache and toothache (%48.6). Accordingly, suggestions were proposed.  

Key Words: Elderly, pain, ways to cope with