My husband and I are going to Paris with his parents and my Mom and aunt. We are in our late 30s, they are in their 60s, and some can walk more than others. Four of the 6 of us have already been to Paris, but my Mom and aunt have never been to Europe, so this will be all new to them (so I don't feel we can leave them alone as easily given the language barrier and not being as physically able to walk everywhere).

Have any of you travelled in a family group with diverse physical needs as well as interests?

We have a week in September, and thought we'd choose several things to do in a neighborhood each day, with the important stuff early, then do the more obscure stuff as the day goes so those who want to rest can do so.

Any tips about traveling with their parents and older family would be fantastic. Thanks in advance!

My husband and I tend to head off in the mornings for specific sights/museums, do a bit of walking and look for a light lunch or snack...around 3 or 4, we head back to the hotel and organize a session in a park or pretty square, where we enjoy wine, cheese/snacks, sit on a bench and people-watch...then we figure out dinner, and a post-dinner stroll or a movie... A similar arrangement might work for your group, some may prefer to rest at the hotel before dinner.
Perhaps your inlaws and your mom and aunt wouldn't mind a day or evening apart from you two, so you can have a bit of privacy and enjoy Paris without 'entertaining' everyone else..

How about a private guide for the seniors? They can set their own pace, see what they want to, and rest as needed. Maybe you can hook up for lunch.

Or, they can spend a day or two riding l'Open Tour bus (there are four routes), perhaps stopping off here and there to get a closer look at this or that. The Batobus and Bateaux Mouches excursions are also perfect for the mobility- and language-limited.

http://www.paris-opentour.com/index_eng.htm

http://www.batobus.com/english/index.htm

http://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/English_index.htm

I traveled with my brother and SIL a couple of years ago. My SIL has severe arthritis in her knees and the pain is horrible. My neice was living in London at that time so we went to pay her a visit in London and then went on to Paris for a week. I love my SIL to death but I have to say that at times her lack of mobility was frustrating. We used cabs a lot when ordinarily I would have used the tube or metro. We tried the tube but the stairs were impossible for her...her knees just don't bend. (She is finally old enough that they will consider a knee replacment but at the time of our trip they wouldn't do it). She had to find places to sit everywhere we went and that was not always easy. It put a different "twist" on the trip. We had purchased a package..NOT a tour..and I payed the single suppliment so I had my own room and was so glad because when I was frustrated at the end of the day, I had my own space, things cooled off, and all was well by morning. I did go off shopping by myself one morning, and my brother and I hit a few pubs in the evening without her. I don't know your family dymanics, but hopefully you can perhaps separate a time or two, just for a breather. As, suggested, perhaps you could take a couple of afternoons and take off and do something while others are resting at the hotel, or maybe relaxing in a park or something like that. Or if you are out in the morning and they begin to get tired, you could have lunch and then put them in a cab back to the hotel and you could continue on somewhere else. The thing I found with traveling with someone "disabled" is that no matter what you do it becomes all about them. Just the way it works.

I think it is best, when you have a group, to plan some time together and some time apart. For instance, if you go to the Louvre or the D'Orsay, and you should, split up and agree to meet at a specific place at a specific time for lunch. The idea to hire guides for some or all of you is a good one. For those who walk less or slower, walking to a site and returning by cab may be an option. And for your mother and aunt, a hop on hop off bus is a good start to acquaint them with the city. Meals together are nice but you might want to plan a couple in smaller groups as well.