Guidelines for the management of pain in older adults highlight that not only is chronic pain physically debilitating, but associated issues such as depression, anxiety and social isolation should be addressed. To this end, a biopsychosocial approach is paramount
to the successful management of chronic low back pain (CLBP) in the older adult (Abdullah et al 2013) (Schofield et al 2019). Aims A narrative literature review was undertaken to search for, retrieve and assess the literature exploring the efficacy and safety of mindfulness practice in the management of the older adult with CLBP and to consider how the evidence may inform local clinical practice. Methods A comprehensive and systematic search of the literature was undertaken. Three databases were accessed: Cinahl, PsychInfo, Medline using the search terms: mindfulness, mbsr, mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness intervention, older adults, elderly, geriatric, ageing, seniors, older people, chronic low back pain, clbp. Results All three RCTs focused on community- dwelling older adults with CLBP and used adapted forms of the MBSR programme developed by Kat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts. All three studies cite Moroneas the principal researcher and author, but they are different studies thus justifying including them in the literature review. Conclusions MBSR appears feasible and effective for older adults coping with CLBP, as demonstrated in the Morone et al (2008) study, but particularly in the Morone et al (2016) study. Pain reduction was sustained at the 6 month follow-up in the Morone et al (2106) study, suggesting that mindfulness may be effective in the long-term.
