Engaging Older Adults Living With Frailty in Research

Frailty is a complex condition that can affect a person’s physical, cognitive, and/or social functioning. It reduces the ability to recover from everyday stress, illness, or injury. These challenges often occur together and can increase the risk of serious health problems, lower quality of life, and create a greater need for health and social supports.

Despite facing unique challenges, older adults living with frailty are often underrepresented in research. Participatory research offers a way to address issues by involving people directly in the research process. This approach encourages collaboration, builds capacity, and supports action. It allows individuals and communities to play an active role in research, often leading to more relevant and lasting outcomes. However, little is known about how participatory research is used with older adults living with frailty, or whether it leads to meaningful engagement and outcomes.

Based on the findings of this review, a set of practical guidelines will be developed to support researchers in meaningfully involving older adults living with frailty in the research process. These guidelines will offer clear strategies to promote inclusive, respectful, and effective engagement at all stages of research.

The guidelines will also contribute directly to UCalgary’s Age-Friendly University Action Plan, led by the Centre on Aging. Specifically, they will advance three goals:

• Goal 5: Aging research is prioritized and supported at an institutional level.
• Goal 6: Aging research is prioritized and supported within relevant faculties and departments.
• Goal 7: Aging education and research are informed by the needs and interests of seniors-serving organizations and older adults.