85+ Lifestyle Leaders Panel
Around the globe, the population of people ages 85 and over is expected to more than triple between 2015 and 2050. Within the United States, the 85+ population is the fastest growing age group.
Join NowThe MIT AgeLab convenes bimonthly meetings of people ages 85 and over to better understand the opportunities and challenges created by unprecedented longevity. The 85+ Lifestyle Leaders Panel brings older adults from the greater Boston community into the MIT AgeLab in Cambridge to complete surveys and participate in guided discussions, formal presentations, and interactive workshops. The goal of this ongoing project is to gain insights and perspectives from the 85+ population, and to expand the scope and relevance of AgeLab studies addressing issues faced by the "oldest-old."
The 85+ Lifestyle Leader meetings delve into such topics as age-friendly design, caregiving, technology adoption, mobility, transportation, financial decision-making, meaning-making, and health and well-being. While the findings from the panel are not generalizable to all individuals ages 85 and over, they provide a vivid illustration of the experiences and worldview of a certain set of a generation that is in the midst of celebrating and contending with life in advanced old age.
Due to COVID-19, the Lifestyle Leaders panel currently meets virtually over the Zoom videoconferencing platform. The MIT AgeLab is recruiting nationally within the United States for participants ages 85 and older who would like to participate in remote surveys and focus groups. If you are interested in joining the 85+ Lifestyle Leaders Panel, please complete this online questionnaire in order to determine your eligibility and help researchers learn a bit about you. After completing the questionnaire, an AgeLab researcher will contact you shortly.
Questions about the 85+ Lifestyle Leaders Panel can be directed to lifestyle-leaders@mit.edu.