Barber’s Left Hand
Occupational Therapy Through Picture Books Series No.1
[ Story ]
This is a short occupational therapy story about Makoto, a barber who experienced a stroke.
Although Makoto could walk and use his right hand, his left arm was still affected. He wanted to return to work at his barber shop, but cutting hair again required more than simple movement training.
Together with an occupational therapist, Makoto practiced how to use his left hand, hold a comb, and regain the skills needed for his work. Step by step, he moved closer to his goal: going back to the barber shop.
Occupational therapy supports people not only in recovery, but also in returning to meaningful activities, roles, and participation in daily life.
Back to work again.
Series: Occupational Therapy Through Picture Books No.1
By Taku Shimizu
Copyright 2022, 2026 Kanagawa Association of Occupational Therapists.
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
[ Message from the Author ]
To help more people learn about occupational therapy, I created this series of picture books.
Each story is based on real experiences with patients I have met in clinical practice.
I would be very happy if many people read these books and discover the value and appeal of occupational therapy.