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Open research questions in Aging and Gerontology Research

122 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 5,576 Aging and Gerontology Research papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Comparing the psychological needs of individuals with disability experienced during late adulthood, with the needs of those who experience disability throughout life is a suggestion for further research. There is a need for longitudinal study to produce investigation of adaptation over a number of years. Future trials should examine integrated interventions (combination of psychological intervention, physical rehabilitation, environment and caregiver support). Rural communities, individuals with sensory and cognitive impairments, limited digital access, and culturally diverse communities should be included in the research. Older people with a disability need to be able to select the outcome and plan the service through a participatory approach.

    REHABILITATION PSYCHOLOGY OF OLDER ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES · 2026 · DOI

  • While the book provides valuable insights, some limitations arise from the specific context of the research and observations on which it is based. Cedar’s work focuses on a small group of elderly residents within an institutional setting at a particular Melabev center in Jerusalem. This setting, which may cater to a higher-income demographic, could limit the applicability of the findings to underprivileged populations or those in less resource-intensive environments. Furthermore, as Melabev’s model reflects Israel’s cultural, religious, and societal dynamics, its direct application to culturally diverse or international settings may require adaptation. Additionally, while the methods described are well-suited for institutional long-term care environments, the book offers a limited exploration of how these techniques might be adapted for individuals aging at home or in less formalized care settings.

    Group Psychodrama for Dementia, Old Age, and Loneliness · 2026 · DOI

  • The results of this study should be considered with some potential limitations. Firstly, participants were selected manually, rather than using a probabilistic sampling tech- nique. The results are difficult to summarize and must be judged according to the specific situation. In addition, the sample size was small, which limits the generalizabil- ity of the results. Although it was believed that current participants have reached data saturation, it is necessary to consider the attitudes and needs of residents with dif- ferent cultural backgrounds; and more participants from different backgrounds may be more representative of the general public. While the first author conducted the pri- mary observations and interviews, data analysis was a team effort. However, we now state that having a single primary data collector could limit the scope of observa- tions and that future research could benefit from multi- ple observers to enhance triangulation.

    A qualitative study exploring growth needs on Maslow's hierarchy of older adults at nursing homes · 2026 · DOI

  • Cultural stereotypes of older adults (including older women and men) living with disability (LWD) are understudied despite their negative stigmatizations and consequences in different contexts such as in healthcare and employment.

    U.S. stereotypes of older adults living with disabilities: How perceptions vary based on gender, disability, and older age · 2025 · DOI

  • Research on the health status and on socio-economic inequality in the health status of Portuguese adults with 50 years of age or more is scarce, but urgent, so that policy-makers can better understand the type of burdens that this ageing process will place on social welfare policies.

    Ageing (un)equally and (un)healthily: On the health status of Portuguese people aged 50+ · 2021 · DOI

  • We hope that redefining ageism and analytically separating it from ableism (without suggesting that both concepts should be studied independently from one another) will provide guidance for researchers who study ageism and will allow for more specific policy guidance on how to solve difficulties experienced by older workers.

    Is part of ageism actually ableism? · 2021 · DOI

  • To better understand such open questions, we present the HIDECO (HIstorical changes in DEvelopmental COntexts) theoretical framework to structure and integrate potential pathways of historical change in (a) population distributions of key resources for successful aging, (b) social and family life, (c) modern technological and scientific progress, and (d) Zeitgeist and norms including societal definitions of social roles, attitudes, and age norms.

    The role of historical change for adult development and aging: Towards a theoretical framework about the how and the why. · 2019 · DOI

  • A pilot study conducted by the school of teaching and communication (Voksenskolen For Undervisning og Kommunikation) offers evidence for the benefits of prolonged educational programmes for people with dementia in maintaining decision-making, cognitive function and social interactions, with limited evidence of the impact on memory.

    Going back to school – An opportunity for lifelong learning for people with dementia in Denmark (Innovative practice) · 2018 · DOI

  • THE PREVALENCE OF living alone during later life varies widely throughout the world, though everywhere its social relevance has grown substantially in recent decades.

    Living Alone in Later Life: A Global Perspective · 2018 · DOI

  • Despite the reality that every living person potentially joins every age group, ageism remains relatively underresearched (comparatively rare in prejudice literature), underappreciated (overlooked as a prejudice), and under the radar (subtle in nature; North & Fiske, 2012).

    A prescriptive intergenerational-tension ageism scale · 2018 · DOI

  • In this commentary, we consider how Balcetis’s proposals may interface with the study of motivation and emotion in lifespan developmental psychology, pointing to open questions regarding the distance perception of long-term chronic goals as well as age-related shifts from informational to emotional goals.

    Emotion, Goals, and Distance: A View From the Study of Adult Development and Aging · 2015 · DOI

  • Yet, from a socio-psychological research perspective, little is known about the experiences of people who continue to live at home during late old age (85 years and over), a period when challenging problems associated with ageing escalate and threaten to compromise independence.

    ‘At home it's just so much easier to be yourself’: older adults' perceptions of ageing in place · 2014 · DOI

  • Questions discussed here include the following: what is driving age-structural change in human populations? how can we create 'age-friendly' societies and promote 'ageing-in-community'? what tools will effectively promote social engagement and prevent social detachment among older individuals? is there a risk that further extension of human lifespan would be a greater burden to the individual and to society than is warranted by the potential benefit of longer life?

    The challenges of human population ageing · 2014 · DOI

  • It identifies key issues in understanding the transition to old age for people with learning disabilities, including how the ageing process may be different for this group, lack of agreement as to what constitutes old age for people with learning disabilities, the heterogeneity of this population and the inadequacy of service responses to their changing needs.

    Transition to old age — what can we do to aid the process? · 2008 · DOI

  • In this paper we report on an exploratory study with a group of 13 older women with intellectual disability in Sydney, Australia, to add to the limited knowledge about how they perceive their lives as they grow older.

    “Having the Time of My Life”: An Exploratory Study of Women With Intellectual Disability Growing Older · 2006 · DOI

  • Though the quantitative features of changing age structures are widely known and generally undisputed (a higher proportion at the 'older' ages, however defined), the social implications are as yet little known, and often subject to considerable debate and speculation (Day, 1992).

    Living Arrangements and Social Networks of Older Adults · 1996 · DOI

  • In conclusion, the topic of aging and conservatism is a virgin re- search area in which much remains to be learned. So far, it may seem to the reader that little is known about aging and conservatism and that little is knowable, in view of the meth- odological problems which plague research on this topic.

    Aging and Conservatism · 1974 · DOI

  • (Britton & Britton, 1969; Riley, 1971). (b) Contact.—Closeness of contact and life experiences of respondents may also be a factor in determining views of older people, although evidence is contradictory on this point (Adams, 1968; Bekker & Taylor, 1966; Drake, 1957; Fox, 1937, Nimkoff, 1931; Pihlblad et al., 1967; Rosencranz & McNevin, 1969; Tuckman & Lorge, 1958a; Tuckman et al. (1953). (c) Kinship system.—Aspects of the kinship system are also proposed as explanations for attitudes about old people (Kahana & Kahana, 1970). Related factors include birth order or family size (Rosen, 1964; Singer, 1971), family conflict and (Cavan, 1956; Dinkel, 1943), factors bearing on family solidarity and socialization patterns such as relations affiliation or (Dinkel, 1944), and perceptions of old people may derive from the developmental stage of a young person (Kahana, 1968).

    Perceptions of Old People: A Review of Research Methodologies and Findings · 1971 · DOI

  • approximations, that the cortex is not understood It is strongly emphasized to be able to ‘perceive’ directly the limit of motor action, as related to the motor readiness of the limb involved: rather does it utilize feed-back from the muscular effects of its excitatory or inhibitory commands in task.

    Non-aging fore-periods and simple reaction time · 1971 · DOI

  • This gap in knowledge should lead to moderation in planning and sensitivity to the need for instructing older people to deal with new features of their environment.

    Planning Environments For Older People · 1970 · DOI

  • Whether this parallellism is of any significance in the origin of the senile amnestic syndrome or purely coin- cidental remains unknown at the present time. The signifi- cance of this relationship which has its parallel in the higher incidence of senile dementia in females is poorly understood (11).

    Neuro-Psychiatric Observations In An Old Peoples Home Studies Of Memory Dysfunction In Senescence · 1958 · DOI

  • CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that student nurses generally have positive attitudes towards old age, although ageist beliefs and discriminatory behaviours were identified and should be studied in greater depth.

    Ageism and nursing students, past or reality?: A systematic review · 2023 · DOI

  • BACKGROUND: Knowledge about ageing from the perspective of people with intellectual disability is extremely scarce, which means a lack of evidence-based interventions for healthy ageing adjusted to their needs.

    Good life in old age: Qualitative interviews about ageing with older adults with mild intellectual disability, prior to an educational intervention · 2023 · DOI

  • In applying these lifespan developmental notions, we carve out some open questions that will help extend the current knowledge base including a consideration of issues regarding operational definitions of solitude.

    A lifespan psychological perspective on solitude · 2022 · DOI

  • Therefore, using the country’s own experience to solve the problem of rapid aging of the nation and take measures to improve the quality of life of older people and their social integration into society is insufficient, as changes in the age structure of the population may occur for the first time.

    Comparative Study of Population Aging Trend in Iran and Poland · 2021 · DOI

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122 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 5,576 Aging and Gerontology Research papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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