THURSDAY, Sept. 8, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- Those who care for stroke victims at home can benefit from additional support, both from family and medical professionals, a new study finds.
Reporting in the Sept. 9 online issue of Stroke, British researchers determined that the ages of the stroke victim and the caregiver played a part in perceived quality of life, as did whether other relatives or friends offered to help. Formal training in nursing skills also made a difference to caregivers.
"Caregiving is a very important task that we understand very little," study author Lalit Kalra, a professor of stroke medicine at Guy's, King's and St. Thomas' School of Medicine in London, said in a prepared statement. "We need to learn what exactly caregivers want, and what determines the burden they experience, because their role is very important in determining the long-term outcome for stroke patients."
Up to 80 percent of stroke survivors return home, but 25 percent to 74 percent need help with the basics of daily living, such as eating, dressing and getting in and out of bed, the researchers noted.
The study involved 232 stroke survivors, average age 74 and 52 percent male. Their caregivers were 65.7 years old, on average, and two-thirds were women. Almost three-quarters of the caregivers were the spouses of the victims.
Half of the caregivers were given customary support services from the rehabilitation center, which included general instructions on care, and advice on services and benefits after discharge. The other half was given formal training in the care of stroke victims, including hands-on training in nursing skills. Both groups were questioned on perceived burdens and quality of life at three months and one year.
The older the caregiver was, the more likely a high score on caregiver burdens and a low score on quality of life. Lack of family support and formal training also affected the scores, the researchers said.
"Caregiving is a major transition in people's lives, associated with lots of anxiety and stress, but making people confident about their own abilities really does help," Kalra said. "We need to change our focus in rehabilitation and start looking at patients and their caregivers as a unit."
More information
For more on stroke, go to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
