Family Involvement in the Rehabilitation of a Stroke Patient (A Case Report)

Abstract

Background and purpose: Family involvement is important for the successful rehabilitation outcome of a stroke patient. Very little has been published on this positive aspect, with most of the published literature focussing on the negative effects of a stroke on family functioning (i.e. caregiver burden). This retrospective case report highlights the importance of family participation in the rehabilitation of a stroke patient.

Case description: A 72 year old female patient with right hemiplegia is the subject of the report. The Barthel Index (BI) was used to evaluate the patients functional abilities. Her main problem was the inability to plan functional activities.

Intervention: An inpatient rehabilitation programme was designed for the patient with contributions from the multi-disciplinary team, including the family. The patient followed a routine daily program, receiving physiotherapy in the mornings and repeating the same activities in afternoon with her family assisting her. She received 10 treatment(s) sessions as an inpatient and four as outpatient.

Outcomes: Her BI score improved from 15 to 65 points and the self expressed short term goals were achieved by the end of her rehabilitation.

Conclusion: Early intervention and family support played a major role in the functional outcome of this patient, supporting the importance of family involvement in stroke rehabilitation.