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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2024 Sep 1;53(9):afae196.
doi: 10.1093/ageing/afae196.

Quality of life, pain and use of analgesic, anxiolytic and antidepressant medication, in people living in care homes

Jemima T Collins  1   2 , Lisa Irvine  3 , Pip Logan  1 , Katie Robinson  1   4 , Erika Sims  5 , Adam L Gordon  1   2   6
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Quality of life, pain and use of analgesic, anxiolytic and antidepressant medication, in people living in care homes

Jemima T Collins et al. Age Ageing. .

Abstract

Background: People living in care homes often have problems with pain, anxiety and depression. Whether being on analgesia, anxiolytics or antidepressants has any bearing on pain severity and quality of life (QoL) in this population, requires further investigation.

Objectives: (i) to examine the relationship between pain, anxiety and depression and medication use in care home residents and (ii) to compare those on medications to treat pain, anxiety and depression, and those who were not, and associations with pain severity and overall QoL.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial testing a falls prevention intervention in care homes. We recorded pain, anxiety and depression, QoL measurements and prescribed medication use.

Results: In 1589 participants, the mean age was 84.7 years (±9.3 SD), 32.2% were male and 67.3% had a diagnosis of dementia. 54.3% and 53.2% of participants had some level of pain and anxiety or depression respectively, regardless of prescribed medication use. There was a direct association between pain severity and being on any analgesia, opioid analgesia, and antidepressants, but no associations between pain severity and use of paracetamol and anxiolytics. QoL was best for residents with no pain and not on any analgesia, anxiolytics or antidepressants and worst for those with moderate-extreme pain and taking at least two of these classes of medications.

Conclusion: Many care home residents live with pain, anxiety and depression. Addressing residents' pain may also increase their quality of life, but using medication alone to reach this goal may be inadequate.

Keywords: analgesia; care homes; older people; pain; quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

ALG has received honoraria from Gilead Sciences and Pfizer Inc. for consultancy work on COVID-19 infection in care homes. All other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Quality of life (DEMQOL-P score) of care home residents, comparing differences between groups not prescribed any analgesia, anxiolytics or antidepressants, only prescribed one class of analgesia, anxiolytics or antidepressants, or prescribed both analgesia and anxiolytic or antidepressant; stratified according to pain severity. Kruskal Wallis test used to compare between groups differences.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Collins JT, Harwood RH, Cowley Aet al. . Chronic pain in people living with dementia: Challenges to recognising and managing pain, and personalising intervention by phenotype. Age Ageing. 2023;52:afac306. - PubMed
    1. Collins JT, Walsh DA, Gladman JRFet al. . The difficulties of managing pain in people living with frailty: The potential for digital phenotyping. Drugs Aging. 2024;41:199–208. - PMC - PubMed

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