[The elderly are needed in research]

The elderly are underrepresented in clinical research despite having a higher morbidity than younger people. Much of the knowledge we have about treating the elderly is based on results from younger people, and one cannot be sure that treatment has the same effect on old as on younger people. Therefore, we need to include the elderly in research. Although recruitment factors hindering the involvement of older people in research are usually the same as reported factors hindering involvement of younger people, the elderly rarely seek it out by themselves. Nevertheless, they often want to participate in research projects and describe it as a positive experience, as argued in this review.