Gay & Lesbian Older Adults: Efforts to Reach Challenging Populations in Research

Background and Purpose/Problem Description: Much like other sub populations of older adults, older lesbian and gay adults face concerns such as ageism, isolation, and fears of dependency. In addition to these concerns,older lesbian and gay adults face the far reaching concerns of heterosexism that make them even more vulnerable and marginalized in society. While social work educators and researchers are committed to better understanding this vulnerable population, older lesbian and gay adults often prove difficult to locate for research. The presenters provide an overview of various strategies through specific communication strategies, engage high yield research sites, and work through institutional review board procedures. The goal is to help researchers, especially those who are new to research with this segment of the population, reach and engage older lesbian and gay adults as study participants.

Presentation Objectives: The presentation will offer specific strategies primarily to reach and engage older lesbian and gay adults in research. Some of these strategies include methods to engage with the lesbian and gay community through specific forms of communication and outreach. This includes suggestions on language to use/avoid and methods to enhance credibility and legitimacy of the research team. The second objective of this presentation is to discuss ways to facilitate engagement with research sites. Descriptions of ways to convey study benefits for participants and participating organizations will be included. The exploration of ways to involve key informants and problem solving strategies in the research process will also be included. The third objective involves strategies to facilitate the institutional review board process. This is particularly crucial when the research focuses on older adults who may be considered particularly vulnerable by institutional review boards such as those with addictions and cognitive impairments .Contents will include discussion about incorporation of requirements of the initial IRB protocol, proactive communication strategies, and ways to successfully collaborate when dealing with different university IRB requirements.

Implications: As a result of this presentations, participants will have a better understanding of specific methods to engage an often invisible research population. The presentation contents will explore the methods to connect with individual older adults, recruit and work with organizations that serve this older population, and navigate through the IRB protocols.