Abstract
This study aimed to conduct a document analysis of a 20-year diary of a woman suspected by her family of having dementia. The study utilized Kurt Lewin’s life space as a framework to depict the modification of her life space. The results revealed modifications of relational factors (relationship between the author and the diary and the characters) and temporal factors (temporal continuity and time orientation) in the life space. The author’s life space was depicted as undergoing a qualitative modification from a period considered the life space of a typical adult (Phase I), to a period in which the boundaries of the life space region become blurred with aging and dementia (Phase II), and finally to a period in which interests become more present-oriented, and the range of movement within the life space is narrowed (Phase III).
