Clinical research with community-based older women

Subjects for research with community-based elderly women are best obtained by first establishing rapport with the manager of the retirement home or apartment complex for the elderly. The site for group research should be comfortable, private, and free of distractions; it should also be centrally located and easily accessible for subjects with impaired mobility. Verbal instructions and printed questionnaires must be appropriate for the elderly subject's hearing, visual acuity, and reading level. It is important to ensure that subjects are using functional hearing aids and glasses, to allow extra time to repeat or explain questions, and to plan sessions that are not lengthy or tiring.