Methodological and Ethical Issues in Conducting Research with Older People

Abstract

In Australia, 13 per cent of the population were aged 65 and over in 2002, and this proportion is expected to rise to 25 per cent by the year 2050. Over the next 50 years people aged 80 years and over will constitute the most rapidly growing population group, and these patterns of population ageing are reflected worldwide. In order to design effective programmes and policies for our ageing populations, we need to provide a sound evidence base. Through participation in research older people can help provide this evidence base. Not only can older people provide data about their levels of health and functioning to assist health and social planners, but they also can provide us with their perspectives on the lived experience of ageing, thus contributing to society’s understanding of the ageing process and old age. As noted by Browning, Minichiello and Kendig (1992, p. 164), ‘The better we understand the underlying processes of ageing, the better the chance that preventative action will be taken to preserve health and vitality in old age.’