Pain and symptoms of depression: international comparative study on selected factors affecting the quality of life of elderly people residing in institutions in Europe

Abstract

Background As the number of elderly people is on the rise in societies throughout the world, providing them with optimal care is becoming a major demand, especially in the context of rising interest in institutional care. Quality of life is multidimensional notion and its perception depends highly on pain and mood levels. The aim of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of pain and depression symptoms in elderly people living in nursing homes in France, Germany, and Poland. Methods The research carried out in years 2014–2016 involved female residents of nursing homes in France, Germany, and Poland: 190 women from each country, aged over 65 years and not previously diagnosed with advanced dementia, were included. Collection of medical, demographic, and anthropomorphic data from medical documentation was followed by interviews with each senior and her caregiver. A questionnaire of authors’ own devising was used, along with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the scale of Behavioral Pain Assessment in the Elderly (DOLOPLUS). The results were subjected to statistical analysis, p < 0.05 was accepted as threshold of statistical significance. Results The main health complaints of nursing homes’ residents were constipation, diarrhea, back pain and dizziness. 44,38% of the residents self-assessed their health status as bad and complained of suffering pain (83,33%) and sleeping problems (72,98%) within the last month. According to BDI the average score was 17.01 points and 44,38% of seniors were free from depression or depressed mood. The average DOLOPLUS result was 8.86 points. Conclusion There are no significant differences, neither in prevalence of pain and symptoms of depression nor in average levels of quality of life, in elderly residents in institutions in the three studied European countries. The decrease in quality of life is mainly due to various complaints and pain and there is a close relationship between health status and quality of life. Further research should be performed in order to study interdependencies between the occurrence of pain and depression, including primary reasons leading to both phenomena. The recognition of factors that induce pain complaints and mood depression in elderly people will contribute to improving their comfort.

The impact of socioeconomic status, general health and oral health on Health-Related Quality of Life, Oral Health-Related Quality of Life and mental health among Polish older adults

“…Similarly, a comprehensive overview of published EQ-5D index scores in chronic diseases revealed a substantial reduction in HRQoL associated with chronic diseases [ 31 ]. The decrease in the quality of life is mainly due to various complaints and pain and there is a close relationship between health status and the quality of life [ 32 ]. However, no significant differences were found neither in the prevalence of pain and symptoms of depression nor in the average levels of quality of life in elderly residents of institutions in three European countries—France, Germany and Poland [ 32 ].…”

“…The decrease in the quality of life is mainly due to various complaints and pain and there is a close relationship between health status and the quality of life [ 32 ]. However, no significant differences were found neither in the prevalence of pain and symptoms of depression nor in the average levels of quality of life in elderly residents of institutions in three European countries—France, Germany and Poland [ 32 ]. In the applied Poisson regression model, oral health status (xerostomia, the number of missing teeth) had a negative impact on HRQoL.…”

Dementia and Quality of Life

“…the incidence of pain in older adults with cognitive impairment is often underestimated and that has a negative effect on their independence in ADL and on their quality of life. The correlation between pain and the quality of life in patients with dementia has been confirmed in past as well as contemporary studies (Katz, 2002;Wróblewska et al, 2019).…”

The Relationship Between Pain, Function, Behavioral, and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia and Quality of Life

“…The incidence of pain varies depending on the population evaluated and the type of measure used (observation versus subjective data). For those in nursing home settings, the verbal reports of pain tend to be high ranging from approximately 30% to 80% ( Agit et al, 2018 ;Brennan et al, 2019 ;Ulbricht et al 2019 ;Wróblewska et al, 2019 ). Generally, the incidence of pain is higher among those who are able to verbally report pain ( Brennan et al, 2019 ;Kalinowski et al, 2019 ;Ulbricht et al, 2091;Wróblewska et al, 2019 ).…”

“…For those in nursing home settings, the verbal reports of pain tend to be high ranging from approximately 30% to 80% ( Agit et al, 2018 ;Brennan et al, 2019 ;Ulbricht et al 2019 ;Wróblewska et al, 2019 ). Generally, the incidence of pain is higher among those who are able to verbally report pain ( Brennan et al, 2019 ;Kalinowski et al, 2019 ;Ulbricht et al, 2091;Wróblewska et al, 2019 ). For those with moderate to severe dementia verbal reporting of pain may not be reliable threshold to a noxious cold stimulus based on latency of tailflicking compared with age matched nontransgenic mice or those without evidence of dementia ( Baeta-Corral et al, 2015 ).…”