Chronic Pain in Old Age: An Integrated Biopsychosocial Perspective

John H. Gryfe is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon practising in
Toronto.

The perception that the aging process is inevitably accompanied by
chronic pain serves as the focus for this scholarly, if often
long-winded, anthology. Numerous papers explore the social,
psychological, and management dilemmas often associated with the
constancy of chronic pain’s persistence. Assessing the aspects of pain
in the elderly, however, challenges many of the accepted parameters.
Because there is more variation in the physical health status of the
aged than in any other age group, valid generalizations are difficult to
identify. An acceptable profile of the “healthy typical” elderly
citizen is even likely to include the presence of ongoing discomfort.

As in other texts that he has edited, University of Manitoba professor
Ranjan Roy displays an ability to amalgamate multidisciplinary opinion
into a cohesive, thoughtful commentary.

By no stretch of the imagination is this a text for the layperson. In
language, research, and scope, however, Chronic Pain in Old Age is a
professional work that should be reviewed by all health-care providers
whose practice includes geriatric patients.