The purpose of this survey was to study the biomechanical characteristics of the elderly over 60 years of age. A sample of 27 elderly people, 11 males and 17 females, in the age range of 60 years to 88 years, from elderly homes in Delhi and Mumbai were tested using standardised instruments. Various biomechanical characteristics were studied and recorded. India is in a phase of demographic transition. As per the 1991 census, the population of the elderly in India was 57 million, as compared with 20 million in 1951. There has been a sharp increase in the number of elderly people between 1991 and 2001, and it has been projected that by the year 2050, the number of elderly people will rise to about 324 million. Over the past decades, India’s health programmes and policies have been focusing on issues like population stabilization, maternal and child health, and disease control. However, current statistics for the elderly in India give a prelude to a new set of medical, social, and economic problems that could arise if a timely initiative in this direction is not taken by the programme managers and policy makers. There is a need to highlight the medical and socio-economic problems that are being faced by the elderly people in India, and strategies for bringing about an improvement in their quality of life also need to be explored.

The purpose of this survey was to study the biomechanical characteristics of the elderly over 60 years of age. A sample of 27 elderly people, 11 males and 17 females, in the age range of 60 years to 88 years, from elderly homes in Delhi and Mumbai were tested using standardised instruments. Various biomechanical characteristics were studied and recorded. India is in a phase of demographic transition. As per the 1991 census, the number of elderly people in India was 57 million, as compared with 20 million in 1951. There has been a sharp increase in the number of elderly people between 1991 and 2001, and it has been projected that by the year 2050, the number of elderly people will rise to about 324 million. Over the past decades, India’s health programmes and policies have been focusing on issues like population stabilization, maternal and child health, and disease control. However, current statistics for the elderly in India give a prelude to a new set of medical, social, and economic problems that could arise if a timely initiative in this direction is not taken by the programme managers and policy makers. There is a need to highlight the medical and socio-economic problems that are being faced by the elderly people in India, and strategies for bringing about an improvement in their quality of life also need to be explored.

In the present day scenario, where homes are getting smaller and the needs of each member of the family are increasing, it is very important to look into the needs of all and, at the same time, make the place enjoyable. In each house, there are on average 2 children, and this gives an opportunity for the design of furniture for students. The project is an attempt to understand and correlate the three main aspects of the furniture system: product, user, and environment. This was achieved by case studies of homes; feedback through questionnaires; and dimensional specifications of different components. The concept is to integrate the informality and comfort of home with the exciting environment required by students for studying. The conceptualisation borrows clues from the study done and thereby formalises the product, taking into consideration all the aspects of the system. The aim is to create an organised work space to make studying at home a comfortable and enjoyable experience for the children.

The rapid increase in the elderly population in India and all over the world provides several opportunities to design for this segment of society. For the project, initiated by the Department of Science and Technology of India, I chose to work on mobility as the basic premise, as it is the second largest cause of disability in India. The project, titled "Mobility Aid for the Elderly", is aimed at better: -Functionality-Aesthetics The project necessitated an understanding of the various stages of walking with a cane, as well as insights for building design solutions. The project inspired me to look for shortcomings in the current walking aid designs and look for possible design solutions to the same to help the elderly walk better. The final product must be a full-scale working prototype of the walking aid that is applicable to Indian conditions.