Joint statement issued on including more older adults in research
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has joined major UK research funders, including Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) and the Alzheimer’s Society, in signing a statement of intent committing to including more older adults in health and care research.
This commitment follows the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, saying in his 2023 Annual Report on Healthy Ageing (that you can read here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6674096b64e554df3bd0dbc6/chief-medical-officers-annual-report-2023-web-accessible.pdf):
“Research often systematically excludes older adults, despite the fact that the great majority of ill health is concentrated in this population. It should not be acceptable, for scientific reasons if no other, to have trials and studies where age or multimorbidity are contraindications to enrolment.”
You can read the Statement of Intent here: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/who-we-are/research-inclusion/statement-intent-integrating-older-age