Research about older adults’ care is better when older adults help shape it.

Our Community Advisory Board is a group of community members who meet with the lab to review what we’re working on. They tell us when a research question misses what actually matters, when our materials are unreadable, and when a finding needs to reach people outside academic journals. Their input shapes projects before they start, not after they’re finished.

What the board does

• Shapes the questions. Board members review research questions and study designs while they can still change.

• Checks how we communicate. Study materials, consent forms, and plain-language summaries go to the board before they go to participants.

• Carries findings back out. Board members help us get results to the communities the research came from, in a form people can use.

• Holds us accountable. They tell us when the work isn’t useful. That’s the point of having them.