Title: Micro-adjustments to later-age mobilities in Indian households
Abstract
Mobility in later age is often encountered by multiple challenges which can be
physiological, economic or related to one’s living and care setting. The focus of recent
research has predominantly been on the outdoor mobilities, out in the city. In India,
much like everywhere else, the most crucial part of later-age mobilities was the indoor
movement, be it horizontal (on the same floor) or vertical (climbing stairs). However,
much of the extant literature on mobilities and ageing has completely missed studying
movement within the house. As part of the Meaningful Mobility project in India, we
studied the data of twenty-eight older adults, across seasons, to understand their
mobility needs, barriers and coping strategies. The data included in-depth interviews
with older adults and their carers across different seasons and also their geospatial data
points. The aspect of micro adjustments emerged from the limited agency that most
older adults exercised. These adjustments were material in nature, in the form of
customising footwear or architectural changes to the house. Secondly, the changes were
also physiological and psychological. These micro-adjustments showed both the jugaad
(ingenuity) that is necessitated by lack of age-friendly resources and also the exercise of
agency to make households an age-friendly space. The findings will have implications for
interventions in later-age mobilities and living environments in the Global South.
About the researcher
Dr. Prajwal Nagesh is an assistant professor at the Madras Institute of Development
Studies, Chennai, India. He is a sociologist and works on urban geographies of mobility.
He earned a PhD from Utrecht University. His recent research engages with equitable
access to mobility, with particular emphasis on urban areas and ageing. He specialises
in qualitative and ethnographic methods, and his prior work spans issues in political
economy of urbanization such as health, caste, and livelihood
Here is the Teams recording link:
Recap: SCPHRP Weekly Meeting 2026 (Hybrid) 17 February | Meeting | Microsoft Teams
