Stroke survivors' experiences with rebuilding life in the community and exercising at home: A qualitative study.

Lisa Van Dongen,Ingibjörg Hjaltadóttir,Thóra B Hafsteinsdóttir,Ingibjörg Bjartmarz,Helga Jónsdóttir,Ethna Parker

doi:10.1002/nop2.788

Lisa Van Dongen, Ingibjörg Hjaltadóttir + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.788

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Abstract

AimThis study aimed to explore how stroke survivors deal with stroke‐related impairments when rebuilding their lives in the community and their experiences of exercising at home.DesignAn explorative and descriptive qualitative study.MethodsA purposive sample of ten stroke survivors residing at home was recruited to explore experiences of rebuilding their lives in the community and exercising at home. One focus group interview was conducted followed by semi‐structured interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThree main themes were identified: “Framing exercise within the context of everyday life” describes how stroke survivors integrate exercise in everyday activities with varying success and the social importance of exercising; “Managing the challenges of physical impairment” describes the taxing undertakings in daily living, loss of concentration and identity; “Long‐term challenges of everyday life” describes how the stroke survivors manage depression and live with a sense of uncertainty.

Highlights

Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability globally (WHO, 2015a, 2015b)
Stroke survivors report a wide range of needs which included: (i) cognitive, psychological and physical function needs; (ii) activity and participatory needs; and (iii) environmental needs, like support, safety and accessibility (Krishnan et al, 2017)
The focus group interview was held at a local rehabilitation centre, and individual interviews were held at a location preferred by the participant

Summary

Introduction

Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability globally (WHO, 2015a, 2015b). Stroke survivors are discharged early from inpatient care and need to continue rehabilitation in the community (Lou, Carstensen, Møldrup, et al, 2017; Nordin et al, 2015). This early home-based rehabilitation may reduce disability and increase quality of life (Rasmussen et al, 2015). Discharge from inpatient care might represent major challenges for stroke survivors who face long-term functional impairments, new medications, rehabilitation goals, fragmented care and poor communication with healthcare providers (Geng et al, 2019; Nordin et al, 2015). There is considerable amount of literature concerning unmet needs of home-dwelling stroke survivors (Lin et al, 2019)

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