Pain Self-management Program for Older Adults

It is well documented that severe pain is more common in older adults than it is younger persons. Of concern, older adults may not have access to traditional face-to-face self-management programs, which are recognized to be valuable in chronic pain management. Access to effective self-management approaches is particularly important for older adults who may have mobility limitations or live in remote areas, or have difficulty accessing health care services. The development of effective pain self-management programs for older adults who cannot access traditional psychological interventions is of significant importance. Internet self-management programs have the potential to address pain undermanagement. As technology advances, the digital divide between the older and younger demographic continues to progress. Given the known difficulties with treatment access, the purpose of this study is to explore the efficacy and acceptability of a remotely-delivered chronic pain self-management program tailored to older adults, the Pain Course, when delivered in online and workbook formats. The program was previously shown to be effective among younger persons but has not been tested with older adults.