Habitar Condicionado. A metamorfose do Ser e da Casa no evoluir imprevisível da esclerose múltipla

Abstract

This dissertation explores the relationship between an inhabitant with multiple sclerosis and their home. The neuro-degenerative disease has an unpredictable evolutionary character, which makes this symbiosis between the Being and the House the subject of a reflection that follows its development. A progression chart is presented, structured in 3 key moments that define the way the inhabitant understands and experiences the living space. Initially, the inhabitant is in a standing position, aided by a walking stick, which confronts the house with the first difficulties and needs inherent in the first reduction in mobility. In a second moment, the illness forces the inhabitant to assume a predominantly sitting position, which reveals the constraints that the wheelchair imposes on the home. Finally, the lying down position marks the total reduction of mobility and emphasises the importance of the haptic dimension in the home, bringing up the last reflections on the subject. The research intends to analyse the perceptions, difficulties and needs faced by the resident with reduced mobility in his relationship with his home and his family during the progression of the disease.