Recruitment and retention of the older adult into research studies

Recruitment and retention of the older adult participant presents challenges. Unless the researcher is attuned to the physical, mental and psychosocial characteristics and issues unique to the older adult population, major problems may occur. When working with an older adult population, the researcher must be aware of the changes consistent with normal aging often complicated by chronic disease states, as well as the special concerns of respondent burden, informed consent, transportation, negotiations with gatekeepers, physician involvement and common recruitment issues. Recruitment and retention must be addressed by researchers in the proposal stage of the research protocol. Techniques are available to overcome the barriers.