統合失調症と聴覚障害を重複する人への地域生活支援—クライアント中心の作業療法の実践

Community life support for individuals with co-occurring Schizophrenia and Hearing Impairment: Client-centered occupational therapy practice

要旨：聴覚・精神の重複障害を抱える人は意思疎通の問題から適切な支援を受けられず，地域生活に生きづらさを抱えることがある．今回，精神科病院への入退院を繰り返し，家族や支援関係者から生活能力が乏しいとみられていた統合失調症と聴覚障害を抱えるクライアントに対し，筆者であるOTRが地域生活支援員として作業療法の視点でクライアントを理解し支援を行った．その結果，クライアントが本来持つ生活能力が引き出され，多機関による支援を受けながら希望する生活につなげることができた．統合失調症と聴覚障害の重複障害を抱える人の地域生活支援において作業療法士が関わることの有効性が示唆された．

　People with multiple disabilities, including hearing and mental health, may not receive appropriate support due to communication problems, and may have difficulty living as a member of society. In this study, the author, an Occupational Therapist (OT）, provided support for a client with Schizophrenia and Hearing Impairment, who had been in and out of a psychiatric hospital repeatedly and had been considered by her family and support personnel to have limited capacity for living as a member of society. The OT explored her capability from the perspective of occupational therapy as a community life support worker. As a result, the client's built-in ability to live as a member of society was brought out, so the client was able to live as she wished while receiving support from multiple institutions. Thus, occupational therapy may support individuals with co-occurring Schizophrenia and Hearing Impairment to live as a member of society.