Seventy year old Paari Bai lives with family in a village in Kumbhalgarh block of southern Rajasthan, with farming, rearing animals and wage-labour being the sources of sustenance. Her home and compound has an uneven mud floor. About a decade ago, she injured her leg while farming. Her family took her to the government health centre nearby and to a series of informal providers over the next few months. Many around her including health providers advised going to the ‘bada aspataal’ (big government hospital) in Udaipur for further treatment. Although in pain, Paari was apprehensive, not knowing what would happen there, so she decided to remain at home. While the pain reduced over time, her mobility worsened gradually, till she could move only by dragging herself on the floor with her arms, and walking upright only in places with a wall for support.

A few months later Meena, ARTH’s field worker assigned to contact older persons as part of its Prabal Yatra initiative on healthy ageing, met Paari at her home. On conducting a preliminary health assessment, Meena realised that Paari had strength in her arms to be able to hoist herself up and walk with support. On the next visit, Meena provided her with a light-weight, aluminium walker, adjusted it for height and spent an hour coaching her to walk with it. At first Paari struggled, but slowly started to move with ease, even though the walker appeared unwieldy on uneven ground. On a follow up visit, Paari reported that the walker had reduced the daily struggle to move and also, her isolation – she could now walk over to meet her neighbours. Over time, the increased physical activity tired her but also made her hungrier, she now had a better appetite. Paari is now able to do tasks that she earlier struggled with.

1Identifying Impediments in the Use of Walking Aids among Older Adults in their Home Environment