Henna Luoma-Halkola’s doctoral dissertation focuses on how older adults organise their daily lives and mobilities when they face mobility difficulties. The thesis is based on different types of qualitative interviews conducted with older adults living in a Finnish suburb in the city of Tampere.
Seemingly mundane trips to run daily errands can be meaningful and support well-being
The dissertation provides insight into the diverse meanings of everyday mobilities. The findings highlight that even seemingly mundane trips to run errands can be meaningful and support well-being in many ways. For example, grocery shopping trips can provide opportunities to meet acquaintances and strangers, build social relationships, create a meaningful daily rhythm, maintain physical fitness, and enjoy the outdoors. Sometimes, fetching a carton of milk from the store can be more of an excuse to get out of the house and meet people, as one participant mentioned. Thus, the dissertation emphasises the importance of local services as social places.
In recent years, digitalisation has been increasingly seen as a cost-effective way to support ageing in place. Digital services have rapidly increased in both the public and private sectors. Luoma-Halkola challenges the idea that digital services can meet all the same needs as physical trips to visit services, which can be about much more than just about running errands.
“However, it is important to remember that older adults are a heterogeneous group of people with different life situations and lifestyles,” Luoma-Halkola points out.
Previous research has shown that for some, digital services and home delivery services are welcome ways to ease life and free up time for other more important things in life. Many still long for face-to-face interactions, and not everyone has the necessary digital skills. Therefore, alongside digital services, it is important to develop ways to support physical access to services despite mobility restrictions.
Age-friendly environments and transportation services should be developed together with older adults
The dissertation emphasises the importance of age-friendly and accessible residential environments and transportation services for the independent living of older adults with mobility restrictions. Luoma-Halkola’s research focuses especially on a dial-a-ride bus service, which offers door-to-door transport to local services for persons with mobility difficulties. Luoma-Halkola made shared bus trips with 12 users of the dial-a-ride service. For the participants, the dial-a-ride bus was a very important service, as it enabled them to run errands independently and also served as a meaningful social place.
In Tampere, the dial-a-ride bus service operates mainly on weekdays from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM, except for one service area with extended schedules. Many participants wished that transportation would be available in the evenings and weekends as well.
“Although my dissertation mainly focuses on trips to run daily errands, it is important to consider the role of transportation services in supporting ageing in place much more broadly. Life is not only about going to the grocery store and running errands. It’s equally important to support access to culture and events – also in the evenings and weekends. And why couldn't transportation services also, for example, offer transport to accessible nature destinations,” Luoma-Halkola notes.
In her dissertation, Luoma-Halkola emphasises that instead of designing age-friendly transportation services and environments for older adults, they should be developed together with older adults – recognising that older persons are not a homogeneous group of people. A wide range of people living in different situations and with different lifestyles should be included in developing age-friendly environments and services.
Public defence on Saturday 24 May
M.Soc.Sc. Henna Luoma-Halkola’s doctoral dissertation in the field of social policy titled Ageing in Place: Older adults’ views of their everyday (im)mobilities, will be publicly examined at Tampere University’s Faculty of Social Sciences at 12.00 o’clock on Saturday 24 May 2025. The venue is auditorium 1096 at the Pinni B building on the city centre campus (address: Kanslerinrinne 1, Tampere). The Opponent will be Professor Virpi Timonen (University of Helsinki). The Custos will be Professor Liisa Häikiö from the Faculty of Social Sciences at Tampere University.