The Community Ageing Research Study 75+ (CARE 75+)

The Community Ageing Research Study 75+ (CARE75+) is a national cohort study of community-dwelling older people (≥75 years) (UKCRN 18043) established in 2015 as part of a programme of studies within the Older People’s Theme of the Collaboration & Leadership in Applied Health Research & Care (CLAHRC) Yorkshire & Humber (http://clahrc-yh.nihr.ac.uk/). The theme aims to understand how to better identify and manage frailty within primary care. 

CARE75+ collects an extensive range of health, social and economic outcome data. Participants complete researcher led assessments in their home at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months and 48 months. Participants can optionally complete a modified protocol online or telephone at 6 months. The cohort has well-characterised frailty status from multiple frailty measures including from the electronic Frailty Index (eFI)

As well as providing longitudinal data, CARE75+ is a platform for additional studies (sub-studies). During consent to CARE75+, participants optionally consent to data linkage, to be contacted about sub-studies and for their data to be used as control data. To date CARE75+ has provided participants for two qualitative studies: The Study of Resourcefulness in Later Life (SoReLL); and the Communication Study. Additionally CARE75+ has provided data to support research proposal development in areas including pain, loneliness, cold homes and quality of life. CARE75+ is set up using a Trials within Cohorts design (TwiCs) so that in the future it can support randomised controlled trials.

For further information on this study, please contact Dr Andrew Clegg, Andrew.Clegg@bthft.nhs.uk; or Dr Lesley Brown, Lesley.Brown@bthft.nhs.uk