Reinterpreting and reconciling: A qualitative study of out-of-home mobility among mild cognitively impaired older adults in urban China

Abstract

IntroductionCognitive decline can diminish older adults’ out-of-home mobility. The new mobilities paradigm offers a fresh lens to understand the relationality between mobility and aging, namely, how older adults experience and perceive mobility during the aging process. However, existing literature has paid little attention to cognitively impaired older adults––a group that tends to face additional challenges in out-of-home mobility. Thus, this study explored how older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) perceive their daily out-of-home mobility in urban China. MethodsInformed by a phenomenological approach, this study recruited participants through a mix of purposive and convenience sampling of community-dwelling older adults with MCI in Zhengzhou, China (N = 34). They participated in face-to-face, in-depth interviews. We performed a thematic analysis on participants’ experiences and perceptions of changing out-of-home mobility in relation to their cognitive declines. ResultsThree themes emerged: recognizing changes in out-of-home mobility; adapting to changing out-of-home mobility; and reinterpreting and reconciling with out-of-home mobility. These themes highlighted participants’ perceptions of the interdependence of their cognition, mobility, and aging. By reinterpreting out-of-home mobility from performance of tasks of daily living to walking exercise, participants reconciled with cognitive decline and restricted mobility. ConclusionThe present study identified three aspects of the evolving interdependence of mobilities: (a) mobility and cognition, (b) aging and mobility, and (c) mobility, cognition, and aging. Findings highlight the need for urban renewal projects in urban China and beyond to center community-dwelling older adults’ needs related to changes in their cognition and mobility.