News
On Monday, January 26, the Awwie Pain App was launched: an innovative tool that supports care organizations in better recognizing, monitoring, and discussing pain in individuals with intellectual (or multiple) disabilities.
In practice, we know that pain in this target group often does not present clearly. Signals can be subtle, atypical, or difficult to interpret, especially when someone has limited verbal communication. At the same time, we know that people with intellectual disabilities experience pain more frequently, while this pain is also more often missed, underestimated, or treated late. This has a major impact on comfort, quality of life, and quality of care.
Awwie is a mobile phone app, a digital adaptation of the VOPS-MB pain scale, developed from over 15 years of experience in pain care for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
The app does not use a standard list but creates a personal pain profile tailored to the care recipient. This profile is developed together with parents and the interdisciplinary team. Existing knowledge is thus combined, shared, and optimally utilized in daily care.
For more information: <read more...>
PainCare Unlimited collaborates with Leieborg to implement the Awwie Pain App in the Netherlands.
On November 13, 2025, FORTIOR (Fortior, training in care for people with intellectual disabilities), in collaboration with PainCare Unlimited and SKILZ (https://www.skilz.nu), organized the symposium "Recognizing Pain in People with Intellectual Disabilities."
🌐 The new SKILZ guideline "Pain in People with Intellectual Disabilities" has recently become available. This guideline supports care professionals in recognizing, understanding, and treating pain—both (sub)acute and chronic. It provides methodical tools for caregivers, nurses, nurse specialists, behavioral experts, paramedics, ID physicians, and other professionals working with this target group.
👉 Download the guideline here: Pain in People with Intellectual Disabilities | Long-Term Care Guidelines
During the symposium, important themes from the guideline were addressed in inspiring presentations and practical workshops:
📘 Morning: plenary session with theoretical deep dives
🛠️ Afternoon: interactive workshops with concrete tools for practice
Many participants found it valuable to have existing knowledge presented clearly and to take away new practical tips as a supplement to the guideline.
For the implementation of the guideline and the further development of knowledge and tools around pain, we need care professionals, care organizations, professional associations, and knowledge organizations to ensure that the guideline's approach benefits pain care for people with intellectual disabilities.
Would you like to contribute to the implementation or co-develop new knowledge and tools for pain and intellectual disabilities? We would love to connect with you via our contact form or send an email to: info@pijnzorgonbeperkt.nl
🚨 How do you deal with pain in people with intellectual disabilities? New guideline available!
Recognizing pain is not straightforward, especially not in people with intellectual disabilities. They experience pain more often but express it differently. Their behavior can be atypical, and pain is difficult to distinguish from stress, anxiety, or other emotions. As a result, pain often goes unnoticed—risking underrecognition and undertreatment.
The new SKILZ guideline "Pain in People with Intellectual Disabilities" provides structure and depth on the following themes:
- ✅ Methodical approach: how do you collaborate?
- ✅ Recognizing pain: what signs should you look for?
- ✅ (Sub)acute and chronic pain: how do you diagnose, treat, and evaluate?
- ✅ Organization of care: what are the conditions and recommendations for care organizations?
This guideline is developed for care professionals working with adults with intellectual disabilities—from caregivers and nurses to behavioral experts, paramedics, and ID physicians. Other professionals who (occasionally) work with this target group will also find valuable tools here.
The guideline was created in collaboration with: NVFVG (Dutch Association of Physiotherapists for Intellectual Disabilities), Occupational Therapy Netherlands, NVAVG, V&VN (Nurses & Caregivers Netherlands), BPSW (Professional Association for Social Work), NVO (Dutch Association of Pedagogues and Educationalists), Dutch Association of Rehabilitation Physicians, and PainCare Unlimited.
View the full guideline and associated tools, click the link below:
Pain in People with Intellectual Disabilities | Long-Term Care Guidelines
The first international trip of PainCare Unlimited is a fact! <Read more...>
On Thursday, the third pain symposium on pain in individuals with intellectual disabilities took place at Leieborg. <Read more...>
Jessica Buitelaar Fund: €10,000 Grant for Pain Signaling in Clients with Intellectual Disabilities
The Jessica Buitelaar Fund has awarded a €10,000 grant to a project on pain (signaling) in clients with intellectual disabilities. The grant application was initiated by Kim Pere, a psychosomatic physiotherapist at Elver. She submitted this application together with Dr. Nanda de Knegt (Science Coordinator at Prinsenstichting) and Leendert Sneep (physiotherapist at Ipse de Bruggen) on behalf of the national network PainCare Unlimited. <Read the full article...>