Project: Older adults as research partners – strengthening the role of older adults as active partners in health and social care research

Project information

Project manager
Ann-Therese Hedqvist
Other project members
Susanna Strandberg, Linda Ljungholm, Linnaeus University
Joakim Niklasson, Blekinge Institute of Technology
Charlotta Nilsen och Paola Violasdotter Nilsson, Jönköping University
Maria Andreassen och Sara Bergstrand, Linköping University
Bodil Holmberg, Sofiahemmets högskola
Mats Holmberg, Mälardalen University
Willemo Carlsson och Roger Carlsson, independent co-researchers.
Participating organizations
Linnaeus University, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Region Kalmar County, Jönköping University, Linköping University
Financier
Region Kalmar County
Timetable
2025–2028
Subject
Caring Science (Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences)

More about the project

Older adults are often the focus of research in health and social care, yet their role in the research process remains limited. Rather than being solely study participants, older adults can also contribute as active research partners—for example, by helping to formulate research questions, develop study materials, interpret findings, and discuss how new knowledge can best be applied in practice.

This project aims to develop knowledge on how the role of older adults as research partners can be strengthened. It explores how involvement of older adults is currently carried out in health and social care research, how researchers perceive opportunities and barriers, and which strategies are needed to enable more meaningful and equitable participation.

The project is conducted in several phases. First, existing research on how older adults are involved as research partners is reviewed and synthesised. This is followed by a survey examining researchers’ experiences and perspectives. To deepen the understanding, the survey is complemented by interviews to capture more nuanced descriptions of how involvement is carried out in practice, the conditions required, and the ethical and relational aspects central to co-creation processes. In the next phase, the focus also turns to older adults themselves. Through both surveys and interviews, the project explores their experiences, interests, and conditions for participating in research. The project also includes research partners with lived experience, who are actively involved in the planning, conduct, and interpretation of the different stages of the study.

As a further step, workshops are conducted in which researchers and older adults meet to jointly discuss and develop concrete approaches to co-creation in research. These collaborative processes enable the integration of different perspectives and help identify both opportunities and challenges in practice. Finally, a consensus process is carried out to identify strategies and structural conditions that can strengthen the involvement of older adults.

In the long term, the project may contribute to research that is more firmly grounded in older adults’ experiences, priorities, and knowledge. It may also support researchers and organisations in developing practices where older adults are given a more active and meaningful role in the research process.

The project is part of the research in the ReAction research group.

Staff