Abstract
Actions link meaning to particular places over time. This study examined how familiar places, in turn, inspired or influenced actions in the rehabilitation process for individuals who had experienced stroke. The aim of this study was to describe the meanings of actions in different places during 1 year of rehabilitation after stroke. The interview data were longitudinal and collected on four occasions during the first year after stroke (e.g., at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months). Seven categories emerged from the data analysis using a constant comparative method: (1) workplace in mind, (2) experiences at home enabling reflection, (3) rehabilitation setting creates uncertainty, (4) retrieving inspiration from familiar places, (5) matching the complexity of tasks across places, (6) understanding the reality by confrontation, and (7) on the way to place integration. From these themes, a core or overarching theme emerged: the desire for place integration inspires engagement in rehabilitation. The central finding in this study revealed a strong relationship between the desire to be reintegrated into familiar places, such as work and home, and motivation to engage in rehabilitation. Further, this desire for place integration was a constant driving force over the year that motivated the participants to find activities on their own that matched the task demands at their workplaces.
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