Stroke patients

With stroke being one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, families and social systems may face strain as they adjust to a caregiving role. This strain may be amplified in family systems living in rural areas due to limited access to resources. Thus, it is important for helping professionals such as couple, marriage, and family therapists to understand what facets of this disability are linked with caregiver strain as well as to explore and understand various interventions that may ease caregiver burden.

Aim: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to contribute to the literature surrounding caregivers of persons with stroke and to understand the caregivers' perspective on leisure participation and quality of life. Methods: Caregivers (n = 4) of clients with stroke were recruited for the study via convenience sampling. Participants were audio-recorded during a semi-structured interview lasting 60–80 minutes. The interview guide included open-ended questions about the participant's leisure participation and quality of life.

Introduction: Caring for stroke survivors may be burdensome with adverse consequences on caregivers' physical health. This study examined the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and associated factors among family caregivers of stroke survivors in Nigeria. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study involving 90 stroke caregiver and stroke survivor dyads was conducted. Data on the participants' demographics and post-stroke duration were obtained.

Introduction: Stroke causes disability that affects the life of patients, their relatives and the society in general. Global healthcare policies, suggest the sooner possible discharge of stroke patients from hospitals, but the transition to home is a stressful experience for family caregivers who are suddenly faced with the responsibility of homecare provision.

The Adult Carer Quality of Life questionnaire (AC-QoL) is a reliable and valid instrument used to assess the quality of life (QoL) of adult family caregivers. We explored the psychometric properties and tested the reliability and validity of a Chinese version of the AC-QoL with reliability and validity testing in 409 Chinese stroke caregivers. We used item-total correlation and extreme group comparison to do item analysis.

Informal carers underpin community care policies. An initial cohort of 105 informal live-in carers of new stroke patients from the South Coast of England was followed up before discharge, six weeks after discharge and 15 months after stroke with face-to-face interviews assessing physical and psychological health, and social wellbeing. The carer cohort was compared to a cohort of 50 matched non-carers over the same time period. Carer distress was common (37–54%), started early on in the care-giving experience and continued until 15 months after stroke.

The author discusses activities of a social inclusion team working at George Spencer Academy, which specializes in aiding the learning of young carers. He cites a research by BBC, which suggests that schools should identify the support needs of such vulnerable group of students by looking out for particular factors signifying that the student is a young carer. Among various facilities, the policy also offers individualized support, staff training, and reasonable allowances.

Aims and objectives. To investigate anxiety in informal carers of stroke survivors in the first three months after discharge. Background. Informal carers, also called caregivers, play a vital role in supporting stroke survivors. However, caring for stroke survivors can have adverse consequences amongst carers such as burden, stress and reduced quality of life. Emotional distress is also commonly reported but anxiety has received less attention than depression. Design. Prospective, longitudinal, descriptive study. Method.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify time caring, burden and health status in carers of stroke patients after discharge from rehabilitation; to identify the potentially modifiable sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with these outcomes. METHODS: Patients and carers prospectively interviewed 6 (n=71) and 12 (n=57) months after discharge. Relationships of carer and patient variables with burden, health status and time analysed by Gaussian and Poisson regression. RESULTS: Carers showed considerable burden at 6 and 12 months.