title: Experiences of participation in everyday occupations among persons aging with a tetraplegia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to gain understanding of participation in everyday occupations through life stories of persons aging with a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI).
  
  
  METHODS
  A narrative method was used for data collection and a paradigmatic analysis was used to analyze data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis resulted in three themes that illustrate how the participants acted to participate in everyday occupations, how that changed over time, and some concerns about their future. The first theme illustrates how participants following SCI acted to become agents of their lives and participate in everyday occupations. The second theme illustrates how participants had to prioritize participation in meaningful occupations due to personal and environmental factors. The third theme shows how they had to try new strategies to continue participation in occupations, due to secondary health complications related to aging.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study captures how persons aging with tetraplegia acted to participate in everyday occupations from soon after the injury until several decades later. In addition, their ability to act and participate changed over time. Our findings provide knowledge that can guide clinicians in their work within this complex area of rehabilitation. Besides, it can also guide the work with policy recommendations for healthcare and social service systems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aging with a SCI is a complex daily struggle in order to be able to continue acting and participating in everyday occupations, and thereby this gives implications for a lifelong support. This study provides knowledge that can guide clinicians in their work within this complex area of rehabilitation. Knowledge from this study can guide the work with policy recommendations for healthcare and social service systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences - Health and Rehabilitation, Luleå University of Technology , Luleå , Sweden and.
authors.forename: Ulrica
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lundström
authors.forename: Margareta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lilja
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Gunilla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Isaksson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011788:Quality of Life; D058992:Social Participation; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014937:Work
keywords: Aging; occupation; participation; rehabilitation; spinal cord injury; tetraplegia