Experience of Being Fall-Prone and Participating in Research: Fallers’ Perspectives

Abstract

The importance of giving a voice to groups considered hard-to-reach for research purposes is becoming increasingly apparent, with insights into their experience having the potential to improve research participation. Fall-prone older adults are a cohort underrepresented in research, often excluded in large-scale research and considered difficult to recruit. This study aims to explore older fallers’ experiences of being fall-prone and participating in research. Seven older fallers (4 males, aged 69–88) participated in semi-structured telephone interviews following participation in an experimental research project. Interviews explored participants’ personal experience of being fall-prone and participating in research. The resulting data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Three primary themes emerged: “Research through the eyes of older fallers”, “Living with falls”, and “It’s all in the mind is it?”. Our study gives voice to older fallers who have recently participated in experimental research to learn of their personal views on research participation.