Involving older people in research: methodological issues

Abstract

The policy imperative to increase public participation in health and social care research, planning and service delivery raises significant questions about optimum approaches, methods and the extent to which this policy can influence change in practice. This paper highlights the key policy literature on user involvement and participatory research methods to establish the context for a partnership research project exploring perceptions of risk in relation to falls from the perspectives of older people, carers, and health and social care professionals. The paper reports the methods used in developing user involvement in the research at a number of levels, including project management, and a consumer panel working alongside the research team and influencing the dissemination in local falls prevention strategies. The authors draw out the issues related to the context and method of involvement, and discuss the impact on research quality and local service development in health and social care.

Improving walking conditions for older adults. A three-step method investigation

“…Involvement of the elders throughout the project has generated interest and commitment among the participants as well as among the public actors. Increased commitment is a finding also reported in other studies of user involvement (Ross et al 2005;Ståhl et al 2008). The participatory observation allowed for first-hand experience with users walking with aids or struggling with constraints, and provided a better understanding of how the environment can be facilitated for them, as highlighted in Ståhl et al (2008).…”

“…User involvement among seniors is perceived by participants as positive, empowering and confidence building Eur J Ageing (2015) 12:249-260 251 (Ross et al 2005;Ståhl et al 2008), which is especially important when establishing a walking strategy-the overarching goal of this project. Planners and health advisors from the municipality and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration contributed in developing the study and were co-collectors of data in the participatory observation (2).…”

“Let’s go for a walk!”: identification and prioritisation of accessibility and safety measures involving elderly people in a residential area

“…Moving further along the continuum to involve users as research partners implies that elderly people are engaged in data collection, data analyses, etc. In designing the current project, we strived to create authentic opportunities for user involvement achieved within the framework of a research project (Ross et al 2005).…”

Public involvement in health research: a case study of one NHS project over 5 years

“…Evaluations should also reflect the criteria of good practice in public involvement (most clearly set out on the INVOLVE website 2008), where genuine engagement by researchers is expressed through giving time, respect, access, support, recognition and reward; 1 National Institute for Health Research defines such input as from 'a patient, carer, member of an organisation or group promoting users' interests, possibly a long-term user of services or a member of the public who may be a potential recipient of a health programme' http://www.sdo.nihr.ac.uk/ ppihs1.html, downloaded 16/10/08 and by being responsive to suggestions made by lay participants. The expected gains for research include a more relevant research agenda that reflects patient experiences (Tallon et al, 2000): increased patient advocacy for research (Goodacre, 1999): and improved health literacy around the constraints of research (Ross et al, 2004).…”