Two interventions for improving stroke caregiver knowledge, stabilizing family function, promoting patient adjustment, and enlisting the use of social resources after stroke were compared with routine medical and nursing care of stroke patients (n = 61) at a 440-bed Veterans Administration Medical Center. The education intervention (n = 64) consisted of classroom instruction for caregivers about basic stroke care principles. The counseling condition (n = 63) consisted of education plus seven follow-up problem-solving sessions with a social worker (for the caregiver). Six months and 1 year after the stroke, both interventions significantly improved caregiver knowledge and stabilized some aspects of family function better than routine care. Counseling was consistently more effective than education alone and resulted in better patient adjustment at 1 year. Neither intervention influenced the use of social resources.
To determine what effect stroke might have on family interaction, common stroke outcome variables were used to predict family function for a sample of 78 families in which one member had recent onset of stroke. Traditional stroke-outcome predictors were not useful in accounting for variance in family function. The nature of family dynamics after disability may require additional research because the relationship is complex.
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