THE USE OF FOCUS GROUPS WITH THE DISABLED ELDERLY

The study objective was to examine the feasibility of using focus grou ps as a research method with physically disabled elderly (75+ years) p eople. Participants were cognitively intact,female patients in the ger iatric rehabilitation ward of a general hospital in Sydney, Australia. The researchers acted as moderator and scribe. Sessions were tape-rec orded, transcribed, and content analyzed. Five focus groups were condu cted. Group size and length of session were reduced because of partici pants' age and disabilities. Insightful interactions occurred and crit ical issues emerged. Using the guidelines outlined, focus groups could be used more widely with disabled elderly people.