Inclusion of older adults in research studies requires thoughtful planning from grant submission to recruitment. Accounting for appropriate personnel effort and resources in the study budget is an important component to facilitate effective inclusion.
Depending on your research study, there are many different costs that could help facilitate inclusion of older adults. The NIH created a helpful resource that outlines allowable costs related to participant inclusion activities. This resource is for inclusion across the lifespan and not specific to older adults, but provides general guidance regarding what type of budget items can be included in an NIH research study budget. Particularly helpful in the grant preparation and budgeting stage, research teams can consult this resource both for ideas, and to ensure a budget item is allowable.
One allowable cost noted in the resource is setting up a system to transport study participants to and from research visits. We know that transportation can be a big barrier for older adults, so proactively including this in the budget could help eliminate this barrier. Other relevant items outlined include costs related to printing materials, providing meals, and protocol-specific clinical services.
Check out this resource and others at this link (scroll down to see Resources), and bookmark it for easy reference!