Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine (Dec 2019)

Understanding User Involvement in Research in Aging and Health

  • Susanne Iwarsson PhD,
  • Anna-Karin Edberg PhD,
  • Synneve Dahlin Ivanoff PhD,
  • Elizabeth Hanson PhD,
  • Håkan Jönson PhD,
  • Steven Schmidt PhD

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/2333721419897781
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5

Abstract

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User involvement in research is advocated as an avenue for efficient societal developments. In this article, we identify potentials, problems, and challenges related to research on aging and health, and identify and illustrate research priorities using an evolving research program as an example. Involving user representatives in the development phase, the UserAge program engages researchers at four universities in Sweden. The program builds upon previous and ongoing research with user involvement. The goals are to maximize the impact of user involvement, enhance the execution of high-quality research, increase the knowledge about what difference user involvement can make, and evaluate the impact of research about and with user involvement. Taken together and communicated in the international scientific community as well as in a wide range of public arenas, the empirical results, capacity-building, and modeling efforts of UserAge will have an impact not only on the present situation but also on the future.