Over the years, scientists have observed that women feel more pain than men, in general. This has made pain treatment tougher when dealing with female patients, especially when it comes to caring for the elderly. Senior women do not respond as well to pain management, making senior care a bit more difficult for women. When you take into account that women have, on average, a life expectancy that’s about five years longer than men, this can be quite tough on the caregiving system.
Now, each individual is unique, and there are many exceptions to this, but when looking at the population as a whole from a statistical viewpoint. The issue that has arisen is that the elder care community as a whole faces these issues, making some types of care more difficult and costly than others. This can range from intensive nursing home care to the occasional in-home care visit.
Researchers are beginning to understand just why women and men respond differently when it comes to pain. This research could potentially make lives better for those that do suffer from chronic pain, and it could ease the burden that many family caregivers carry today while helping a loved one that’s suffering. For example, physicians often prescribe morphine or an opioid to help manage pain, but in females, these painkillers are not effective. Trials show that women require about twice as much morphine as men to reach the same levels of comfort. Oftentimes, the health complications that they create are far more devastating than the pain that they were intended to treat. This has led to many doctors rethinking exactly how pain management should be applied.
The differences, scientists believe, occur because of the differences in brain activity that the different sexes have. More specifically, the microglia within a brain respond to pain treatments differently. It is thought that in women, microglia are more likely to view the presence of morphine as a pathogen and block it from working. In animal trials, microglia inhibiting drugs have been shown to increase the usefulness of painkillers.
Pain management is not something that most families want to think about when it comes to their loved one’s care, but it is an unfortunate reality for millions of people. And, statistics have shown us, it is more often females that suffer from chronic pain than it is men. This new insight into how pain is processed and how it can be more effectively reduced is a step in the right direction for giving the people that we love a higher quality of life.
Really, that’s the end goal of senior care in general. When a caregiver comes into your home to help your mom or dad, they are not there to provide medical treatment, but rather to make life easier, more comfortable, and safer. Having a great in-home care service on your side can go a long way toward helping your loved one live a better and more fulfilling life, even if chronic pain is not an issue. We encourage you to learn more about how in-home care can help your family if you have more questions about this.
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