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Care of the Aged pp 127–144Cite as

The Ethics of Pain Management in Older Adults

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Part of the book series: Biomedical Ethics Reviews ((BER))

Abstract

Older persons often experience significant pain as a consequence of acute and chronic medical problems. There is evidence that much of this pain is inadequately treated by the health care system and, therefore, unnecessary. The inadequate treatment of pain in older patients raises important ethical as well as potentially legal, implications. This chapter identifies the major impediments to medically and ethically proper treatment of pain in older patients and discusses some strategies for addressing and remedying this ethical shortcoming in the delivery of geriatric care.

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Authors
  1. Marshall B. Kapp
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    James M. Humber  & Robert F. Almeder  & 

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Kapp, M.B. (2003). The Ethics of Pain Management in Older Adults. In: Humber, J.M., Almeder, R.F. (eds) Care of the Aged. Biomedical Ethics Reviews. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-349-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-349-1_6

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61737-444-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-349-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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