Flip the Script

Flip the Script

Flip the Script Campaign Starts Conversations About Pain and Older Adults

The University of South Florida School of Aging Studies & Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging (USF School of Aging Studies) and the Florida State University College of Medicine, Department of Geriatrics (FSU Department of Geriatrics) have launched an awareness campaign to ‘flip the script’ on how Florida’s older adults think and talk about pain.

According to Dr. Lisa Granville, Professor of Geriatrics and Associate Chair of Geriatrics at the FSU College of Medicine, pain is common in individuals 65 years old and older, with more than half of older adults experiencing some type of pain within the past 30 days. “Pain is not just a part of growing older and should not hinder someone from doing the activities they enjoy the most.” The heart of Flip the Script is helping people continue to do the things they love by understanding their individual pain and the options to manage it based on what matters to them most.

“Everyone reacts to pain differently,” says Kathryn Hyer, Ph.D. MPP, Professor and Director, Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging at USF. Flip the Script is aimed at reducing opioid prescription misuse in older adults by encouraging conversations about pain, non-opioid options for managing pain, and the safe use of opioid pain medicine when it is the best option for an individual patient. “Flip the Script is one of the first education campaigns that encourages people to take a whole-body approach to reduce the physical and emotional symptoms of pain. By understanding pain, the emotions associated with it, and the available treatment options, patients are empowered to have conversations with health care providers and develop a plan that meets their needs.”

Flip the Script was developed with input from older adults, community organizations, health care providers, and state agencies to ensure its usefulness as an educational resource. It includes checklists and questions about pain to spur conversations between older adults, their families, friends, and health care providers. The campaign’s website includes information to:

  • Learn More about the types of pain and the impact of pain
  • Be Prepared to describe and track the pain they feel
  • Take Action by talking about their pain with health care professionals then deciding together how best to treat it

Find out more about Flip the Script at  www.FlipTheScriptOnPain.org.