Returning an elderly woman to an active life through resuming contact with friends by e-mail:

A case study

Abstract

An occupational therapist intervened for three months in an elderly woman with post-lingual deafness who was in the hospital for humeral neck fracture and heart failure primarily to improve her dysfunctions. She remained unconfident in spite of improved ADL. Therefore, based on the Model of Human Occupation, the occupational therapist aimed to resume the woman’s contact with her friends by e-mail and provided her with gradual supports to be able to send and check e-mail using a mobile phone. As a result, she could send and check e-mail herself and resume contact with her friends. She also developed a stronger sense of self-efficacy and was able to maintain relationships more widely during hospitalization than before. Therefore, this case suggests the importance of contact with friends, as well as the significance of e-mail as an instrument of communication.