Caregivers of stroke survivors: new role and new responsibility

ABSTRACT

A stroke is a massive blow not only to the patient, but also to his/her relatives and friends. II may produce a dramatic change in life style and in the patient's role within the family. The care at home for the stroke survivors is often transferred to a family member with no previous experience in caring for someone who suffered from stroke. However, since stroke survivors often are left with long-term disabilities, families are usually the informal health system, which the patient is likely to depend on for sometime. So it was important to assess knowledge and practice of family care-givers of stroke survivors. It was also important to assess the psychological effect of having to care for a stroke patient at home for a long time. Fifty caregivers of stroke survivors were included in the study. They were chosen from El-Manial University Hospital. Tools for data collection included [A] Data about stroke survivors; [1] demographic data sheet, which included data regarding age, sex, weight and height, and [2] index of Activities of Daily Living [ADL]. [B] Data about caregivers; [1] demographic data sheet which included data such as age, sex, marital status, education, occupation and relationship to patient, [2] a structured questionnaire to assess the care-givers' knowledge regarding risk factors and warning signs of stroke, also knowledge regarding medication management and side effects., diet and exercise, and [3] Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HDRS], Data were collected through an initial visit in the hospital and two follow-up home visits which were one month apart. Scores of the ADL in the initial visit were used to divide stroke survivors into tow groups group [1] patients with very severe disability, and group [2] patients with moderate disability. Results revealed that more than three quarters of caregivers were females. A little over half of the care-givers in the sample were single which may explain their readiness to perform the caregiver's role. The study results revealed lack of knowledge of most care-givers regarding balanced diet and side effects of prescribed medications. This result may reflect unsatisfactory discharge planning. In relation to Hamilton Depression Scale, results indicated that' while only group one caregivers developed depression starting from the first visit, both groups developed depression by the third visit. Generally, more attention should be given to preparing caregivers for their new role. Also, adequate information and training need to be made available to caregivers. This will positively be reflected on the quality of life of both stroke patients and their caregivers