Abstract
This is a qualitative study that sought to understand the way in which oldest older adults perceive and deal with pain during activities of daily living. We interviewed 32 Brazilian older adults 80 years and older participating in the international multicenter study of Back Complaints in the Elderly. The following categories emerged from the content analysis: "The constant experience of pain," "Understanding pain," and "Performing daily living activities in pain." Although pain is a constant experience and understood as something inherent to aging and difficult to explain, many older adults continue to perform daily activities while in pain and/or despite pain.