Key points
• Chronic persistent pain affects at least 50% of community-dwelling older adults.
• Physiological changes that occur as a result of the ageing process need to be considered when dealing with pain in the older adult.
• Assessment of pain can be complicated when the older adult is unable to articulate their pain; for example, in the presence of cognitive impairment.
• Much of the research into pain management has been carried out among the younger population and simply translated across.