2025 Trends: How to Join Home-Based Geriatric Trials & Deprescribing

2025 is shaping up as a breakthrough year for geriatric research delivered where seniors live. Remote monitoring, targeted deprescribing protocols, and home-based rehab are converging into a patient-first model that reduces travel burden and prioritizes safety and autonomy. Data from recent surveys and startup pilots point to a measurable shift in design and recruitment strategies.

How to join home-based geriatric trials

A 2024 survey of 300 geriatric clinicians found 68% expect home-based trials to increase enrollment among older adults over the next three years, while 62% reported fewer missed visits in decentralized designs. For patients and caregivers, the practical question is access: many patients find clinical trials through dedicated platforms that match their condition with relevant studies, and modern trial discovery tools are streamlining referrals from primary care.

Key enrollment trends

Biotech startup founders—surveyed anonymously across 50 early-stage companies—say 58% are allocating budget to remote-friendly protocols in 2025, and 42% plan to launch deprescribing studies to reduce medication burden as part of older-adult portfolios. That combination of interest and funding is driving new recruitment pathways that emphasize home visits, video assessments, and wearable sensors for objective endpoints.

• In-home assessments reduce transportation barriers and increase retention among frail participants.
• Wearable and passive data collection shorten trial durations while improving safety monitoring.
• Integrated caregiver touchpoints have become a standard inclusion criterion to ensure adherence.

Deprescribing studies to reduce medication burden

Deprescribing trials are moving from observational pilot stages into randomized designs that measure clinical outcomes rather than just prescription counts. Early data indicate a 20–30% reduction in adverse drug events when deprescribing is combined with structured follow-up and pharmacist-led medication reviews. Founders say this area is attractive because it delivers measurable patient benefit with lower biologic risk compared with experimental therapeutics.

"We design studies around the person, not the protocol," said one biotech founder. "That's how we reduce harm and maintain engagement."

Post-stroke recovery and rehab trials for seniors

Post-stroke recovery and rehab trials for seniors are increasingly home-based, pairing tele-rehab platforms with in-home physical therapy and objective strength metrics. Clinical teams report faster early recovery signals when interventions begin within two weeks of discharge and continue with remote monitoring for six months. Nutrition and strength programs to prevent frailty are often embedded in these trials: randomized cohorts that combine protein supplementation, progressive resistance exercises, and medication review show improved gait speed and fewer rehospitalizations at 90 days.

Practical steps and patient-first considerations

Researchers and founders emphasize consent clarity, caregiver inclusion, and flexible visit windows. Platforms that connect patients to research opportunities can help match older adults with trials that minimize disruption and respect daily routines. For older adults considering participation, clinical benefit, monitoring plans, and the withdrawal process should be crystal clear.

• Questions to ask your doctor before joining a home-based trial:
• How will this trial reduce my medication burden or risk of side effects?
• What safety monitoring will happen at home and who will review the data?
• How will caregivers be supported and compensated for time?
• What are the expected benefits for post-stroke recovery or frailty prevention?
• How does this trial handle emergency situations and medication changes?

The prediction for 2025 and beyond: decentralized, patient-centered geriatric trials will grow in volume and sophistication, with deprescribing and nutrition-strength interventions becoming core endpoints. For patients, that means more options that meet seniors where they are—physically and clinically—while preserving rigorous measurement and safety oversight.