Table 1.

Demographics, diagnosis and co-morbidities of study patients (aged >65 years with chronic non-cancer pain)

Patient	Age, years	Gender	Living arrangement	Diagnosis	Co-morbidities
1	72	Female	Lives alone in condo	Mechanical back pain (scoliosis and degenerative changes)	Irritable bowel syndrome, osteoporosis, GERD
2	75	Female	Lives with husband in house	Diabetic neuropathy, mechanical back pain, joint OA	Diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, asthma, Bell’s palsy, right-sided stroke, migraines/headaches
3	72	Female	Lives with husband in house	Small fibre peripheral neuropathy, joint OA	Crohn’s disease, HCV
4	87	Male	Lives alone in condo	Peripheral neuropathy and chronic L5 radiculopathy, mechanical neck pain	Hypercholesterolaemia, gout, BPH
5	78	Female	Lives with husband in house	L5 radiculopathy, peripheral neuropathy, left peroneal nerve injury, frozen shoulder	Non-Hodgkins’ lymphoma, hypertension, hypothyroidism
6	68	Female	Lives with husband in house	Lumbar, radiculopathy, peripheral neuropathy, chronic cervical radiculopathy	Diabetes, GERD, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, depression, giant cell tumour, OA, bilateral Charcot joint neuroarthropathy
7	72	Male	Lives with family in apartment	Diabetic neuropathy, spinal stenosis, lumbar radiculopathy, mechanical back pain	Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, cardiac disease, bladder cancer
8	78	Female	Lives with husband in house	Mechanical back and neck pain	Hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, glaucoma
9	83	Female	Lives alone in condo with outside help	Lumbar radiculopathy, spinal stenosis	OA of knees, osteopenia, angina, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, hiatus hernia
10	70	Female	Lives alone in apartment	Lumbar radiculopathy, mechanical back pain	Hypertension, essential tremor, depression

condo condominium, GERD gastroesophageal reflux disease, HCV hepatitis C virus, OA osteoarthritis