Abstract TP177: Stroke Camp Provides Respite for Caregivers of Stroke Survivors

Abstract

Background: Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the US. Approximately one in four patients with stroke is disabled. Providing daily care to stroke survivors long term is very burdensome to the family. The wellbeing and respite of the care givers (CG) has not been studied well in the past. In this study, we focused on quality of life (QOL) of the CGs of stroke survivors. The Retreat and Refresh Stroke Camp (RRSC), initiated in 2004, offers respite, opportunities to develop new relationships, and provides education/access to resources to CG. Methods: QOL of a convenience sample of stroke CG attending the Retreat and Refresh Stroke Camp (RRSC) in 2016 -2018 was assessed using the Adult Carer Quality of Life Questionnaire (ACQOLQ). The ACQOLQ addresses 8 subcategories of QOL: support for caring, caring choice, caring stress, financial matters, personal growth, sense of value, ability to care, and care satisfaction. A high (11+) subcategory score indicates high quality of life in that category and a low score (0-5) indicates a low quality of life and potential difficulties. Emails were sent to all CG with a link to the survey on Survey Monkey. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Student t test was used to compare QOL between females and males. Results: A total of 149 CG were assessed including 123 (83%) females and 26 (17%) males. The majority (91%) were Caucasian Americans. The average age was 61.8 (SD=11.7) years old with a range of 27 to 86 years. More than half (56.1%) worked over 40 hours per week. The average of caring time was 7 (SD=6.6) years. The average total score of ASQOLQ was 62.4 (SD=8.9) and the average score in eight subcategories varied between 6.4 and 10.1, indicating a moderate quality of life. Females had a higher score of caring stress than males (6.7 vs 5.2, p=0.027), but no difference was found in other subcategories. Conclusion: Women are the primary caregivers for stroke survivors and bear a significantly higher burden of caring stress. Society should focus more attention to provision of resources to assist in relieving this burden. A camp opportunity for supporting caregivers and survivors may help in providing respite to these family members