ABSTRACT
This chapter puts forward and develops four arguments to make the case for the participation of older persons in the formulation of the gerontological research agenda as a form of productive ageing. First, involving older people in deciding what has to be researched may bring significant social benefits for communities and, more specifically, may reduce some of the barriers to productive ageing. Second, older participants can make visible some relevant ageing-related issues that need to be investigated but are often overlooked. Third, this type of older people’s involvement in research, if properly carried out, can help to alleviate ageism. Finally, this immersion in research enables older people to produce new goods and services using the skills gained during the research process. Based on experiences of productive participatory research carried out in the United States and Spain, this chapter presents as well innovative procedures to involve older people in the setting of issues and specific questions to be included in the gerontological research agenda.
