ArticleThe Gerontologist2026
Participatory approaches with older adults in technology and innovation research: a scoping review of reviews.
Article in The Gerontologist, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesCompared to other age groups, older adults are often marginalized in the design processes of digital technologies leading to digital and social exclusion. While these aspects have been discussed in several reviews, an overarching perspective on how older adults are involved in participatory approaches (PA) in technology and innovation development is currently missing. This scoping review of reviews provides an overarching view on the narratives, trends, and gaps in PA in different fields of innovation and proposes future research and practice directions. RESEARCH DESIGN AND
methodsThe study followed the Arksey and O'Malley's protocol for scoping reviews and the PRISMA-ScR checklist as the reporting guideline. Seven databases were screened for studies with a thematic focus on older adults, applying PA in technology and technology-related innovation, and published between 2014 and 2024. Twenty-two reviews were included.
resultsPA with older adults have seemingly evolved over the years with an increased focus on values, equity, empowerment, power-sharing, and mutual learning. Nevertheless, deficit narratives on aging and ageism still constrain meaningful participation. A "participation gap" persists in which: terminology remains inconsistent; older adults are predominantly assigned roles of informants or testers rather than co-designers or equal partners; methods are mainly data-extractive; marginalized subgroups remain systematically underrepresented; and the technology scope remains predominantly care-centric. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Identified gaps highlight the need for standardizing meaningful participation by creating a seal of quality for participatory approaches, improved reporting, and stronger inclusion of underrepresented populations and life domains of older persons.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42786589What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.