Dr. Rhea Rogers: Shift Focus to Trial Objectives, Not Personal Cures

Board-certified physician Dr. Rhea Rogers advises older adults to focus on a study’s scientific goal rather than personal cure expectations when considering clinical trial participation.

Rogers states that shifting the mental framework from asking whether a trial will help an individual to asking what the trial aims to answer clarifies the participant's role. She notes that many individuals view trials as a final option after other treatments fail, but the primary benefit is immediate access to future therapies, devices, and treatments that remain unavailable to the general public for years.

Participants can locate studies through the ClinicalTrials.gov website, by consulting their primary care physician, or by contacting academic centers and disease-specific organizations that conduct independent research. Rogers explains that many trials provide close medical monitoring and access to specialists. Financial support is common, with some studies covering gas costs or providing direct payment to participants.

Aging expert Amy O’Rourke points to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) list that identifies which clinical trials compensate participants. She emphasizes that participants must understand they may receive a placebo instead of the active drug. O’Rourke advises that entering a study should not rely on the expectation of receiving the new medication or guaranteeing improved health outcomes.

O’Rourke reports that clients who joined a local clinical trial group found value in the social support provided. She recalls that social workers within the trial structure offered support groups and connected participants with community resources they previously did not know existed. These resources, combined with access to medical specialists, created substantial value for older participants.

Gerontologist Sam Cradduck argues that older adults are frequently excluded from research, a phenomenon she describes as leaving the demographic "evidence free." Cradduck explains that medication metabolizes differently in older bodies compared to younger ones. Without older adult participants, researchers lack the data necessary to understand how new drugs affect the aging population. She states that a new medicine cannot receive approval without clinical trials, meaning these studies are required for any new drug to reach the market.

Cradduck addresses the common concern that participants are serving as test subjects. She states that by the time a study reaches the phase involving healthy adult volunteers, the treatment has undergone repeated testing. She notes that adverse effects exist for all prescribed treatments, but the rigorous testing phase mitigates unknown risks. The inclusion of older adults ensures that future medications are safe and effective for the demographic most likely to need them.