The present study examines how mothers of severely mentally and physically handicapped children who require tracheostomy care at home are able to rebuild their lives. A semi-structured interview was conducted with six mothers who have been caring for their child at home for six months or longer. The comments they made during the interview were converted to data, which was then analyzed using a revised grounded theory approach. The analysis found three categories; building a life of my own, manpower that supports my life, and the development of my confidence as a mother. When the mothers started home care for their children, their strongest feeling was "anxiety on the day of discharge from the hospital" that stemmed from a fear of unforeseeable problems. Thereafter, they underwent the process of reorganizing and rebuilding their own life, moving from "being wrapped up in daily life" to "days of trial and error," which led them to reach a "daily life when things seem less difficult than I had imagined." In this process, the manpower that supported them with their daily life comprised the cooperation of family members, including "the active involvement of the child's father" and "help from the child's siblings," as well as "association with other mothers who had a child with the same difficulties, with whom they could empathize."
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