Managing Chronic Pain and Opioid Complexity in Older Adults

Moderator: Kimberly Beiting, MD

Chronic pain, aging, serious illness, and substance use often overlap and present diagnostic and management challenges. Clinicians caring for older adults in geriatric and primary care settings regularly encounter situations that add to opioid management complexity, such as high-risk prescription medication use or substance use disorder, comorbidities, or geriatric conditions. This clinically focused session will use a case-based approach to highlight evidence-based strategies for assessing and treating chronic pain and managing opioid complexity. There will be a focus on the clinical use of buprenorphine, non-pharmacological interventions, and discussions about other modalities. Learning Objectives: (1) describe how bidirectional relationships between substance use and pain necessitate assessment and treatment of both conditions; (2) compare different formulations of buprenorphine and how buprenorphine can be used for older adults with chronic pain and opioid use disorder; (3) describe non-pharmacological interventions for chronic pain in older adults; and (4) explore special considerations in caring for older patients with chronic pain and substance use disorder, including other opioid and non-opioid pharmacological interventions and harm reduction approaches. 

The Clinical Approach of Older Adults with Chronic Pain and Opioid Complexity 
Katie Fitzgerald Jones, PhD, ACHPN, CARN-AP

Utilizing Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder 
Serena Cheng, PharmD, BCACP

Psychological Interventions for Chronic Pain in Older Adults
Lisa R. LaRowe, PhD

Special Considerations in Caring for Older Adults with Pain and Opioid Use Disorder
Benjamin Han, MD