How does the rhetoric of 'user participation' in research apply to older people?

In recent years there has been a government emphasis on the involvement of service users and carers in the planning and shaping of services. The rhetoric and, to a lesser extent, the practice of user participation in research, is very much embedded in current health and social care policies and practices. Yet there remains an assumption that older people are less involved in this process in comparison to other user groups. In response, this discussion paper highlights the different research initiatives older people have been involved in and suggests that training in research skills for older people is crucial to further advance their active and meaningful participation. Older people’s involvement in research occurs along a continuum of participation, although research that is fully led or controlled by older people remains a rarity. The narrow range of involvement by older people in research is considered in relation to both policy and practice.