Conducting Social Research with Elderly: Methodological Concerns for Researchers and Older People in Southwestern Nigeria

The growing rate of elderly population in Nigeria will attract various disciplines to conduct diverse studies on the population bearing in mind that elderly category is one of the most vulnerable groups in the society. However, understanding the appropriate methodological context applicable to categories of elderly, in Social research, increases the quality of research outcomes. Consideration for these contexts is the main interest in this paper. The paper provides information on the criteria relative to conducting social research among the elderly in southwestern Nigeria. Understanding particular methods appropriate for carrying out survey should be considered before the onset of instrument design and to implementation stages. The paper concludes that interviewer-administered questionnaire is appropriate, while understanding appropriate salutation relative to study environment would increase researcher-elderly interaction and foster quality findings.