If both you and your elderly parents go to the nursing home in pain, you’re more likely to get medicine for it, suggests a recent study. The New York Times reports:
A seven-year nationwide study of emergency room patient data has found that 49 percent of patients over age 75 were given pain medication, compared with slightly more than 65 percent of those under age 75. The study, which included data on more than 88,000 emergency room visits, appeared online last month in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
One reason for the difference may be doctors are concerned about side effects in the elderly, the article says. What other reasons do you think there might be for older people to get pain medicine less often in the ER?
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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in aging issues and senior care. She covers both for the Today Senior Living blog.
