How COVID-19 Ceases All Older Adult Services & the Way Out for Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Chronic Pain

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic started at the beginning of 2020. It significantly impacted the older adults in Hong Kong, with most of the community centers and elderly centers being closed down under various restrictive measures. Thus, community-based health promotion activities were temporarily paused, which decreased older adults’ health-promoting behaviors and motivation to stay active. This research aimed to improve the quality of life and the health of older adults with chronic pain through the pain management program. This study was conducted face-to-face on the campus of Hong Kong Metropolitan University. This dyadic pain management program (DPM) was an 8-week group-based program. The DPM comprised 4 weeks of campus-based activities and 4 weeks of digital-based activities delivered via a WhatsApp group. An 80% participation rate in the campus-based activities was regarded as completing the DPM. The control group only received lesson leaflets. Pain intensity, pain self-efficacy, psychological health of pain victims, caregiver burden inventory, and a semi-structured interview were evaluated at week 1 (T0), week 8 (T1), and week 12 (T2) after randomization. The IBM-SPSS version 22 was used to perform statistical analyses. Using non-pharmacological methods and regular exercise for 12 weeks improved physical health in terms of pain intensity, pain self-efficacy, and psychological health in anxiety, depression, and stress. For caregivers, their burden decreased after the pain management program. These findings indicated that Pender’s Health Promotion Model is helpful to empower the participants and their caregivers with knowledge, skills, and power to manage their chronic pain situations. Utilizing this model as a framework, Researchers can design more effective non-pharmacological interventions for older adults to increase their engagement in health-promoting activities in the community.