Examining the many aspects and facets of modern woman, the author of this text considers her journey of self-discovery.

People with chronic illnesses often live in the community for many years while the illness becomes progressively more debilitating. Little is known about how they continue to live personally meaningful lives. This book describes a study that employed qualitative research methods and the Occupational Performance Model (Australia) to investigate how people with Parkinsons disease and their partners continue to actively participate as members of their social community. Loss of control over choice and manner of engagement in roles was a significant element of the findings. Sense of self and sense of social fit were identified as major elements that informed participants perceptions of control. The findings support the notion that people with chronic illness are active and knowledgeable participants in health care. Moreover, they demonstrate that people with chronic illness work in tandem with significant role partners to constantly maintain valued partnerships through occupational role performance as the disease progresses. This book is intended for health professionals, health educators, researchers, and people with chronic disability.

Satisfactory performance in personally valued roles is known to be important to a sense of purpose and well-being in everyday life, yet there is little understanding of how the concept of role might be used by the role performer. People recovering from stroke frequently do not resume roles that they previously held and valued, yet this problem is often not effectively addressed in rehabilitation. This study used the conceptual framework of the Occupational Performance Model (Australia) (Chapparo & Ranka, 1997) to examine how a group of men perceived their own occupational role performance following a disabling stroke. Inductive analysis of the data showed that participants used the concept of role to organise their own occupational performance in terms of meaning, personal abilities and time. This book uses the information suggested by the data to discuss the nature of occupational role performance in ways that develop and extend the construct of occupational performance role as described by Chapparo and Ranka and other occupational therapy researchers. It is addressed to health professionals, health educators, and researchers who are working with people with chronic disability.