Lessons Learned From a Knowledge-Matching Participatory Research Approach Involving Law Students and Older Adults as...

Area of Science:

• Community-based participatory research
• Gerontology
• Sociology

Background:

• Growing trend of engaging community members as peer researchers.
• Existing participatory research with older adults often lacks equity and faces a paradox between capacity building and authentic lay perspectives.
• Need for innovative methodologies to address these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adopt and evaluate a knowledge-matching participatory approach for engaging older adults as equitable research partners.
• To address the paradox between capacity building and authentic lay perspectives in research involving older adults.
• To document the process, benefits, challenges, and best practices of this methodology.

Main Methods:

• A knowledge-matching participatory approach was employed.
• Seven older adults and four law students were trained as peer researchers alongside two academic researchers.
• Thematic analysis of transcripts from reflective meetings, written reflections, and field notes.
• Focus on financial well-being in retirement.

Main Results:

• The knowledge-matching approach extended methodological amplitude and leveraged older adults' capacity.
• Key advantages included partnership matching, empowerment, capacity building, and partnership development.
• Essential elements for success were identified as capacity building, partnership development, and agenda flexibility.

Conclusions:

• The knowledge-matching participatory methodology offers significant advantages for engaging older adults equitably in research.
• Addressing power disparities, partnership conflicts, and ethical dilemmas is crucial for successful implementation.
• Findings provide valuable insights for researchers and practitioners aiming to improve older adults' health and social well-being.