Pain can lead to depression, loss of appetite or a decline in the ability to perform activities of daily living. In some cases, pain may even place a resident at a higher risk for injuries, accidents or falls. Pain and discomfort is a common experience among nursing home residents. The effective management of a resident's pain or discomfort has a direct impact on his or her quality of life. State and Federal regulations require facilities to provide individualized pain management programs for their residents. Nurse aides play an important part of a program ¨C they are the ones who help monitor a resident through observation, reporting and documenting.
After completing this course, the learner should be able to:
~ Define pain
~ Describe the difference between acute pain and chronic pain
~ List 4 behavior changes that indicate a resident may be in pain
~ Provide examples of questions that should be asked of a resident when he or she is observed to be in pain.
~ Describe what can happen if a resident's pain is not reported.
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