International Association for the Study of Pain American Pain Society Christine Todd, RN, has worked in a pain clinic setting for the past 15 years, first as manager at the Stanford Pain Clinic, then as the clinical nurse coordinator and manager at Sequoia Pain Treatment Clinic in Redwood City. She has a BS in health science administration from the College of Notre Dame in Belmont. Her other experiences include analgesic and anesthetic research studies at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center.
Elderly people are the fastest-growing segment of the population.
As of the 1990 census, 12.5 percent the U.S. population was over age 65, and the percentage continues to expand. The elderly are subject to more drug side effects as a result of the aging process and to more drug interactions from the use of multiple medications. Special considerations are required for pain management in the elderly to avoid both undertreatment and overtreatment. Nurses are in a key position to assess these special considerations. Although elderly are usually defined as those over age 65, various definitions have been proposed because of the wide variation in the effects of aging.