Mimi Mun Yee Tse1, Shamay S M Ng2, Xue Bai3, Paul Hong Lee4, Raymond Lo5, Suey Shuk Yu Yeung6, Yajie Li4, Shuk Kwan Tang4. 1. School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China. Mimi.tse@polyu.edu.hk. 2. Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China. 3. Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China. 4. School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China. 5. Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Shatin Hospital, Hospital Authority, Ma On Shan, Hong Kong SAR, China. 6. Department of Human Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Pleasant pictures can help to reduce stress, promote positive feelings, and even facilitate recovery from diseases. Visual stimulation is an approach of distraction that can effectively reduce pain thresholds and increase pain tolerances. The number of older adults who suffer from pain has increased due to age-related diseases. Technology is increasingly being applied to the management of acute pain. The pain situation among older people was explored in this study, and a visually appealing pain management program was designed with the participants' experiences in mind. METHODS: This was a descriptive observational study. Participants were recruited from local nursing homes. RESULTS: A total of 165 older adults joined the study. The mean age of the participants was 85.6. More female than male participants experienced pain and the intensity of their pain was significantly greater. The results showed no significant differences in pain interferences between males and females. The participants stated that photographs of family members, homes, and natural scenery made them feel relaxed and happy, and reminded them of past happy times. They preferred to view those visually appealing pictures using digital devices (iPad/iPhone) to seeing hard copy versions. CONCLUSION: A digital-based pain management program using visually appealing contexts for older adults can be implemented. The patients' experiences were collected and will be considered when developing a future program.
PURPOSE: Pleasant pictures can help to reduce stress, promote positive feelings, and even facilitate recovery from diseases. Visual stimulation is an approach of distraction that can effectively reduce pain thresholds and increase pain tolerances. The number of older adults who suffer from pain has increased due to age-related diseases. Technology is increasingly being applied to the management of acute pain. The pain situation among older people was explored in this study, and a visually appealing pain management program was designed with the participants' experiences in mind. METHODS: This was a descriptive observational study. Participants were recruited from local nursing homes. RESULTS: A total of 165 older adults joined the study. The mean age of the participants was 85.6. More female than male participants experienced pain and the intensity of their pain was significantly greater. The results showed no significant differences in pain interferences between males and females. The participants stated that photographs of family members, homes, and natural scenery made them feel relaxed and happy, and reminded them of past happy times. They preferred to view those visually appealing pictures using digital devices (iPad/iPhone) to seeing hard copy versions. CONCLUSION: A digital-based pain management program using visually appealing contexts for older adults can be implemented. The patients' experiences were collected and will be considered when developing a future program.
Authors: Haiyi Xie; Honoria Guarino; Sarah K Moore; Michelle Acosta; Alan J Budney; Andrew Rosenblum; Lisa A Marsch; Chunki Fong Journal: J Behav Med Date: 2021-04-12