Family-carers’ perspectives of involvement in stroke rehabilitation of a family member

Ripley, Wendy and Wilby, Helen ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6976-2052 (2014) Family-carers’ perspectives of involvement in stroke rehabilitation of a family member. In: College of Occupational Therapists 38th Annual Conference and Exhibition, 3-5 June 2014, Brighton, UK.

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Abstract

Stroke has the potential to have a major impact on health and quality of life (Stroke Association, 2012). Occupational therapy supports people to participate in meaningful occupations and return home post stroke (Edmans, 2010). Since the target of 45 minutes of rehabilitation on five days out of seven was recommended (Kwakkel et al, 1997), creative ways to help meet this target have been explored and promoted. Family involvement in rehabilitation has been identified as one option for extending rehabilitation opportunities (Stroke Association, 2012). On return to home following inpatient rehabilitation, many people receive informal care from family members (Kniepmann, 2012). The purpose of this small-scale, qualitative study was to explore the nature of carers’ participation in their family members’ rehabilitation, carers level of involvement, and the support and preparation families felt they needed. Family carers were recruited to the study via a voluntary organisation for people post stroke. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore participants’ perspectives. Data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis. Ethical approval was gained from the University of Cumbria and permission granted by the charity. The study was self-funded by the researcher. Four family carers participated in the study. Six key themes were identified: Carer involvement, Satisfaction with involvement, Desired level of involvement, Working hours, Carer role, and Information and support. These findings highlight the challenges raised and additional support required by carers. These findings could assist decision-making regarding the involvement of carers and the development of strategies to aid their participation. Such investment could enable and support family carers in making a valuable contribution to their family members’ rehabilitation and to the achievement of the NICE rehabilitation intensity targets, both in in-patient units and on return to home.

Edmans, J. (2010). Occupational therapy and Stroke. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell.
Kniepmann, K. (2012). Female family carers for survivors of stroke: occupational loss and quality of life. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, Vol 75(5), p.p. 208–216.
Kwakkel, G., Wagenaar, R. C., Koelman, T. W., Lankhorst, G. J., & Koetsier, J. C. (1997). Effects of Intensity of Rehabilitation After Stroke. Stroke, Vol(28), pp. 1550–1556.
Stroke Association. (2012, Spring). Struggling to Recover. from Stroke Association: Available at: http://www.stroke.org.uk/sites/
default/files/files/StrugglingRptFIN%20lowres.pdf (Accessed: September 10, 2013).

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Poster)
Journal / Publication Title:	British Journal of Occupational Therapy
Publisher:	College of Occupational Therapists
ISSN:	1477-6006
Departments:	Academic Departments > Health, Psychology & Social Studies (HPSS) > Rehabilitation
Additional Information:	Poster P133. Wendy Ripley qualified as an occupational therapist in 2013 at the University of Cumbria. Her interests include neurological conditions and carer involvement. Helen Wilby is a Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, University of Cumbria. Her interests include development of research capacity, assessment and clinical reasoning.
Depositing User:	Anna Lupton
Date Deposited:	10 May 2019 11:27
Last Modified:	12 Jan 2024 12:46
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/4756

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