Grey Matters: A Guide for Collaborative Research With Seniors

Many aging adults are motivated to undertake research projects in later life or even return to university after retirement. Grey Matters is the result of a pilot project developed to study the effectiveness of collaborative research involving seniors and marks a major step in making collaboration between seniors, academic researchers, and community researchers a reality. Due to the success of the project, the authors were encouraged to make their model available both to seniors interested in undertaking their own research and to those hoping to involve seniors in collaborative research. This guide provides a helpful framework for making the most of research projects by and with seniors, including sections on such techniques as narrative interviews, focus groups, and surveys.

Nancy Marlett is a senior herself and a full-time faculty member in Community Rehabilitation & Disability Studies, an interdisciplinary unit of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary. Her research interests include consumer involvement in services, education, and research and how new technologies facilitate shared expertise and new forms of knowledge and new professional roles.
Claudia Emes is a retired professor from the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. Her areas of expertise are adapted physical activity for children and adolescents with special needs, wellness and exercise for seniors, and curriculum design and learner-centred education.