About 80 percent of residents of retirement homes and nursing homes in Austria suffer from pain. According to the Office of the Ombudsman, there is no appropriate way to deal with this. Wilhelm Eisner, neurosurgeon and chairman of the Austrian Pain Association, describes this as a ‘very poor’ result and speaks of a ‘structural problem’.
On Thursday evening the doctor was a guest on “ZiB 2”. In the interview, he agreed with the Ombudsman’s office that there is no adequate pain management in Austria’s retirement and nursing homes. For Eisner, this includes clarifying and further monitoring the pain, as well as a care plan. To achieve this, we need more trained staff and, in this context, more study places and clear instructions from doctors.
Doctors not always on site
The chairman of the Pain Association sees a challenge in the fact that doctors are not always present in homes. For example, some came by once a week. If someone were present every day, pain and underlying diseases would be much better recognized and addressed. According to the doctor, the medications themselves are available and not too expensive.
The Ombudsman even said at a press conference on Wednesday that pain can be avoided in many cases. The team visited 123 facilities in all states and spoke to more than 1,500 residents. The situation is particularly bad for people who, due to disabilities such as dementia, can no longer express their pain.
Women report later
According to Eisner, the result is “really bad.” It is sad and mean when a person has to endure pain at the end of his life due to a possible addiction to painkillers. According to him, these are used correctly in this country and are more strictly regulated than, for example, in the US, where the “most popular drug” is fentanyl.
There is still a lot of catching up to do in the field of pain treatment. The focus should be more on children and the elderly, but also on both sexes. According to the doctor, women perceive pain more, but also process it better than men.
Volkshilfe suggests, among other things, regular training in pain management for staff in elderly and nursing homes and personal emergency depots, which is legally permitted. This concerns emergency medication if you have to wait until a doctor is available.
Source: Krone
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