Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-w7rtg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-20T10:44:54.078Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Meanings of disrupted everyday (im)mobilities in later life: running daily errands before and during the pandemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 September 2024

Henna Luoma-Halkola Open the ORCID record for Henna Luoma-Halkola [Opens in a new window]
Henna Luoma-Halkola*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
*
Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study contributes to an emerging body of research that combines new mobilities and gerontological perspectives. Most previous studies on older adults’ mobilities have analysed data collected at a single point in time and there is a need for studies that explore the meanings of movement and non-movement over time, especially in relation to unexpected life events. This work explores the meanings of older adults’ abruptly changing everyday (im)mobilities before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. It draws from qualitative interviews conducted with 11 older adults in a Finnish suburb in autumn 2019 and spring 2020, and focuses on grocery shopping, which most of the participants did themselves before the pandemic, but not during it. The findings provide insight into how meanings of everyday (im)mobilities are formed as older individuals (re)negotiate their relationships with their changing places of ageing. The participants’ views of their disrupted everyday mobilities were shaped by active person–place engagements. On one hand, the findings highlight that individuals are not at the mercy of their circumstances; they possess agency that can enable maintaining a sense of self and independence even in restricted mobility situations. On the other hand, the findings reveal relationalities that explain why sudden mobility loss often leads to diminished wellbeing. The relational nature of the meanings of (im)mobility implies that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to supporting older adults who face mobility difficulties while ageing in their homes. It is crucial to recognise the diversity of older adults and to support their individual lifestyles.

Keywords

ageing in placegeographical gerontologyimmobilitymobilities turnmobilitynew mobilities paradigm
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , First View , pp. 1 - 19
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adey, P (2006) If mobility is everything then it is nothing: Towards a relational politics of (im)mobilities. Mobilities 1(1), 75–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450100500489080.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alidoust, S, Bosman, C and Holden, G (2019) Planning for Healthy Ageing: How the Use of Third Places Contributes to the Social Health of Older Populations. Ageing & Society 39, 1459–1484. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X18000065.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ali, N and Suleman, R (2017) (Im)Mobilities of older pakistani female migrants and material culture: A multigenerational perspective on gift‐giving. Population Space and Place 23(3), . https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2067.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andrews, GJ (2017) The relational making of people and place: The case of the Teignmouth World War II homefront. Ageing & Society 37, 725–752. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X15001415.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andrews, GJ, Cutchin, MP and Skinner, MW (2018) Space and place in geographical gerontology. In Skinner, MW, Andrews, GJ and Cutchin, MP (eds), Geographical Gerontology: Perspectives, Concepts, Approaches. Abingdon: Routledge, 11–28.Google Scholar
Andrews, GJ, Evans, J and Wiles, JL (2013) Re-spacing and re-placing gerontology: Relationality and affect. Ageing & Society 33, 1339–1373. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X12000621.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anttonen, A and Häikiö, L (2011) From social citizenship to active citizenship? Tensions between policies and practices in Finnish elderly care. In Newman, J and Tonkens, E (eds), Participation, Responsibility and Choice: Summoning the Active Citizen in Western European Welfare States. Amsterdam University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anttonen, A and Karsio, O (2016) Eldercare Service Redesign in Finland: Deinstitutionalization of Long-Term Care. Journal of Social Service Research 42(2), 151–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2015.1129017.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berg, J and Henriksson, M (2020) In search of the ‘good life’: Understanding online grocery shopping and everyday mobility as social practices. Journal of Transport Geography 83, . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102633.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berg, J, Levin, L, Abramsson, M and Hagberg, J-E (2014) Mobility in the transition to retirement–the intertwining of transportation and everyday projects. Journal of Transport Geography 38, 48–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2014.05.014.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burnett, P and Lucas, S (2010) Talking, walking, riding and driving: The mobilities of older adults. Journal of Transport Geography 18, 596–602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2010.05.006.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ciobanu, RO and Hunter, A (2017) Older migrants and (im)mobilities of ageing: An introduction. Population Space and Place 23, . https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2075.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cresswell, T (2011) Mobilities I: Catching up. Progress in Human Geography 35, 550–558. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132510383348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cutchin, MP (2018) Active relationships of ageing people and places. In Skinner, MW, Andrews, GJ and Cutchin, MP (eds), Geographical Gerontology: Perspectives, Concepts, Approaches. Abingdon: Routledge, 216–228.Google Scholar
Dahlberg, L, Andersson, L, McKee, KJ and Lennartsson, C (2015) Predictors of loneliness among older women and men in Sweden: A national longitudinal study. Aging and Mental Health 19, 409–417. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2014.944091.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Finlay, JM, McCarron, HR, Statz, TL and Zmora, R (2021) A critical approach to aging in place: A case study comparison of personal and professional perspectives from the Minneapolis metropolitan area. Journal of Aging and Social Policy 33(3), 222–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2019.1704133.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Finnish government (2020) Government, in cooperation with the President of the Republic, declares a state of emergency in Finland over coronavirus outbreak. Press release 140/2020. Available at https://valtioneuvosto.fi/en/-//10616/hallitus-totesi-suomen-olevan-poikkeusoloissa-koronavirustilanteen-vuoksi.Google Scholar
Franke, T, Sims-Gould, J, Chaudhury, H, Winters, M and McKay, H (2020) Re-framing mobility in older adults: An adapted comprehensive conceptual framework. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health 12, 336–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1575269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gardner, PJ (2011) Natural neighborhood networks—Important social networks in the lives of older adults aging in place. Journal of Aging Studies 25(3), 263–271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2011.03.007.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gatrell, AC (2017) Mobilities and ageing: ‘We’re quite outgoing people’. In Skinner, MW, Andrews, GJ and Cutchin, MP (eds), Geographical Gerontology: Perspectives, Concepts, Approaches. Abingdon: Routledge, 216–228.Google Scholar
Golant, SM (2019) Stop bashing the suburbs: Mobility limitations of older residents are less relevant as connectivity options expand. Journal of Aging Studies 50, . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2019.100793.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Graham, H, De Bell, S, Flemming, K, Sowden, A, White, P and Wright, K (2020) Older people’s experiences of everyday travel in the urban environment: A thematic synthesis of qualitative studies in the United Kingdom. Ageing & Society 40, 842–868. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X18001381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grenier, A, Griffin, M, Andrews, G, Wilton, R, Burke, E, Ojembe, B, Feldman, B and Papaioannou, A (2019) Meanings and feelings of (im)mobility in later life: Case study insights from a ‘new mobilities’ perspective. Journal of Aging Studies 51, . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2019.100819.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grove, H (2021) Ageing as well as you can in place: Applying a geographical lens to the capability approach. Social Science and Medicine 288, . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113525.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hutchison, ED (2011) A life course perspective. In Hutchison, ED and contributors, Dimensions of Human Behavior: The Changing Life Course, 4th edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 1–38.Google Scholar
Kaufmann, V (2002) Re-Thinking Mobility: Contemporary Sociology. Aldershot: Ashgate.Google Scholar
Kellerman, A (2012) Potential mobilities. Mobilities 7(1), 171–183. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2012.631817.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kohijoki, AM and Koistinen, K (2022) The city centre as an age-friendly shopping environment: A consumer perspective. Ageing & Society 42, 2735–2756. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X21000295.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, C and Buffel, T (2020) Aging in place and the places of aging: A longitudinal study. Journal of Aging Studies 54, . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2020.100870.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lowe, T, De Haas, B, Osborne, T and Meijering, L (2022) Older adults’ adaptations to life events: A mobility perspective. Ageing & Society, published online 16 November 2022, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X22001283.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luoma-Halkola, H and Häikiö, L (2022) Independent living with mobility restrictions: Older people’s perceptions of their out-of-home mobility. Ageing & Society 42, 249–270. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X20000823.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luoma-Halkola, H and Jolanki, O (2021) Aging well in the community: Understanding the complexities of older people’s dial-a-ride bus journeys. Journal of Aging Studies 59, . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2021.100957.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meijering, L (2021) Towards meaningful mobility: A research agenda for movement within and between places in later life. Ageing & Society 41, 711–723. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X19001296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Musselwhite, C and Haddad, H (2010) Mobility, accessibility and quality of later life. Quality in Ageing and Older Adults 11(1), 25–37. https://doi.org/10.5042/qiaoa.2010.0153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Musselwhite, C and Haddad, H (2018) Older people’s travel and mobility needs: A reflection of a hierarchical model 10 years on. Quality in Ageing and Older Adults 19(1), 87–105. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAOA-12-2017-0054.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nyberg, J, Strandberg, T, Berg, H-Y and Aretun, Å (2019) Welfare consequences for individuals whose driving licenses are withdrawn due to visual field loss: A Swedish example. Journal of Transport and Health 14(3), . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2019.100591.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Official Statistics of Finland (n.d.) Population projection. Available at: https://stat.fi/en/statistics/vaenn (accessed 21 December 2023).Google Scholar
Osborne, T and Meijering, L (2023) ‘We may be long in the tooth, but it makes us tough’: Exploring stillness for older adults during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Social and Cultural Geography 24, 447–466. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2021.2000019.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parkhurst, G, Galvin, K, Musselwhite, C, Phillips, J, Shergold, I and Todres, L (2014) Beyond transport: Understanding the role of mobilities in connecting rural elders in civic society. In Hagan Hennessy, C, Means, R and Burholt, V (eds), Countryside Connections: Older People, Community and Place in Rural Britain. Bristol: Policy Press, 125–157.Google Scholar
Parviainen, J (2021) Kinetic values, mobility (in)equalities, and ageing in smart urban environments. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 24, 1139–1153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10677-021-10249-6.Google Scholar
Peacock, A and Pemberton, S (2019) The paradox of mobility for older people in the rural-urban fringe. Journal of Rural Studies 70(2), 9–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2019.08.002.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phoenix, C and Bell, SL (2019) Beyond “Move More”: Feeling the Rhythms of physical activity in mid and later-life. Social Science and Medicine 231(June), 47–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.05.006.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Plath, D (2008) Independence in old age: The route to social exclusion? British Journal of Social Work 38, 1353–1369. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcm045.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Portacolone, E (2011) The myth of independence for older Americans living alone in the Bay Area of San Francisco: A critical reflection. Ageing & Society 31, 803–828. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X10001169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rantakokko, M, Portegijs, E, Viljanen, A, Iwarsson, S, Kauppinen, M and Rantanen, T (2016) Changes in life-space mobility and quality of life among community-dwelling older people: A 2-year follow-up study. Quality of Life Research 25, 1189–1197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-015-1137-x.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rantakokko, M, Portegijs, E, Viljanen, A, Iwarsson, S, Kauppinen, M and Rantanen, T (2017) Perceived environmental barriers to outdoor mobility and changes in sense of autonomy in participation outdoors among older people: A prospective two-year cohort study. Aging and Mental Health 21, 805–809. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2016.1159281.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schwanen, T, Banister, D and Bowling, A (2012) Independence and mobility in later life. Geoforum 43, 1313–1322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2012.04.001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwanen, T and Ziegler, F (2011) Wellbeing, independence and mobility: An introduction. Ageing & Society 31, 719–733. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X10001467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sheller, M and Urry, J (2006) The new mobilities paradigm. Environment and Planning A 38, 207–226. https://doi.org/10.1068/a37268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siren, A and Hakamies-Blomqvist, L (2009) Mobility and well-being in old age. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation 25(1), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1097/TGR.0b013e31819147bf.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siren, A, Hjorthol, R and Levin, L (2015) Different types of out-of-home activities and well-being amongst urban residing old persons with mobility impediments. Journal of Transport & Health 2(1), 14–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2014.11.004.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Skinner, MW, Andrews, GJ and Cutchin, MP (2018) Space and place in geographical gerontology. In Skinner, MW, Andrews, GJ and Cutchin, MP (eds), Geographical Gerontology: Perspectives, Concepts, Approaches. Abingdon: Routledge, 3–10.Google Scholar
Skinner, MW, Cloutier, D and Andrews, GJ (2015) Geographies of ageing: Progress and possibilities after two decades of change. Progress in Human Geography 39, 776–799. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132514558444.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stjernborg, V, Wretstrand, A and Tesfahuney, M (2015) Everyday life mobilities of older persons–a case study of ageing in a suburban landscape in Sweden. Mobilities 10, 383–401. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2013.874836.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valokivi, H, Carlo, S, Kvist, E and Outila, M (2023) Digital ageing in Europe: A comparative analysis of Italian, Finnish and Swedish national policies on eHealth. Ageing & Society 43, 835–856. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X21000945.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waight, E and Yin, Y (2021) Using non-representational theory to explore older people’s travel to and from the supermarket. Mobilities 16, 537–552. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2021.1889753.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiles, J (2005) Conceptualizing place in the care of older people: The contributions of geographical gerontology. Journal of Clinical Nursing 14(8B), 100–108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2005.01281.x.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wiles, JL, Leibing, A, Guberman, N, Reeve, J and Allen, RES (2012) The meaning of ‘aging in place’ to older people. The Gerontologist 52, 357–366. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnr098.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yarker, S, Doran, P and Buffel, T (2023) Theorizing ‘place’ in aging in place: The need for territorial and relational perspectives. The Gerontologist 64(2), . https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnad002.Google Scholar
Ziegler, F and Schwanen, T (2011) ‘I like to go out to be energised by different people’: An exploratory analysis of mobility and wellbeing in later life. Ageing & Society 31, 758–781. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X10000498.CrossRefGoogle Scholar