2025 Volume 34 Pages 120-127
The aim of the current study was to elucidate reasons why a mother of an individual with severe motor and intellectual disabilities refused to transfer her adult child to an adult department as part of transitional medical care. The subject was a mother of an individual with severe motor and intellectual disabilities residing in the Tokai region. The mother refused to transfer her adult child to an adult department as part of transitional medical care. The research methodology consisted of two interviews about the child’s experience with the transfer. Minor events in the transcript were identified, and the through line from one event to another was analyzed. This through line was the main reason for the refusal of the transfer. The analysis revealed two main reasons for refusing the transfer: 1. Continuing to receive necessary medical care: When the severely disabled patient’s condition worsened after the transfer, the pediatric department would not accept the patient, so the mother wanted her child to continue receiving necessary medical care; and 2. Perceived differences in the value of life: Transfer was a matter of life and death for the mother, but the difference was that the medical staff did not seem to feel the same way. As described in the discussion, results suggested that providing an opportunity for family members to talk with the pediatric department is essential.
