Older Adults’ Ways of Dealing With Daily Life While Living With Long-Term Musculoskeletal Pain at Home

Abstract

Long-term musculoskeletal pain is a global health problem among older adults. Yet little is known about how these older adults actually deal with daily life. This study’s aim is to describe the ways these older adults dealt with daily life at home. Phenomenography is used to collect and analyze data from semistructured interviews with 19 older adults and to identify the range in which they dealt with daily life. Findings consist of an outcome space that encompassed four categories: ignore, struggle, adjust, and resign. The different ways older adults dealt with daily life when living with long-term pain at home strengthen the importance of individualized plans of care in the home and a holistic perspective. Findings contribute to enhanced understanding of a common health problem among older adults that can be used to promote quality of care and improve the quality of life of older adults.