Stroke Survivor Caregiver Education

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe (a) content of stroke survivor caregiver education provided by occupational therapy practitioners, (b) methods used to provxde the education, (c) therapists' perceptions of the effectiveness of each method, and (d) how effectiveness was evaluated.Method: A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 500 occupational therapists who were members of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and who had worked with stroke survivors. Two hundred thirty-three completed surveys were returned (47%), of which 207 were usable (41%).Results: Demonstration or observation of the therapist and verbal instruction were used most often to educate caregivers of stroke survivors. They were also usually deemed to be the most effective methods. Return demonstration by the caregiver was favored by therapists to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching.Conclusion: The occupational therapists in our study used demonstration or observation of the therapist almost exclusively to train caregivers of stroke survivors. They deemed it an effective method, and had caregivers do a return demonstration to evaluate learning. Follow-up studies are needed to evaluate the post-discharge carryover of demonstration as a teaching method to prepare caregivers of stroke survivors for their new role.