Efficacy of individual pain treatment on quality of life

People with dementia, particularly those who reside in nursing homes, are at high risk of under-recognition and under-treatment of pain. Under-treatment of pain is associated with gait disturbances, falls, malnutrition, increased morbidity, increased mortality, sleep disturbances, decreased socialization, depression, impaired immune functions, and agitated behavior, that pose threats to the quality of life of residents with dementia in nursing homes. This study focuses on the impact of individual pain treatment on the quality of life of nursing home residents with dementia, in west-coast of Norway. About 66 residents were recruited from five nursing homes and they were subjected to randomization. After randomization, residents were divided into two groups; the intervention group, where residents were given individual pain treatment for the period of eight weeks, and control group, where residents were not treated for pain. At the end of the next four weeks, after the intervention period, some of the measures were repeated in both the groups, as a follow up study. The variables measured to study the quality of life were, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, participation in social activities, skin problems and depression. To analyze the data, descriptive and correlation analysis were used by using SPSS-18 for Windows. The major findings from stepwise-regression analysis in experimental group indicated that pulse rate and depression were the ultimate predictors of quality of life of nursing home residents with dementia. This thesis is written as a part of the Master Study in Health and Social Sciences, with major focus on empowerment, at University of Stavanger, Norway, 2011. This thesis is divided into two parts; the first part is the main summary of the study, supported by theories, and the second part is an article which is planned to be sent for publication in Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences