Experiences of participating in group‐based rehabilitation programmes: A qualitative study of community‐dwelling adults with post‐stroke aphasia

Abstract

Background: People with post-stroke aphasia tend to have smaller social networks, a higher risk of depression and poorer health-related quality of life than those who do not have aphasia after stroke. Stroke-specific or general rehabilitation programmes offered by community-based organizations are commonly group-based and involve discussions among group members with or without stroke. Research has shown that people with post-stroke aphasia may be unable to participate fully in verbal sharing of experiences and exchange of thoughts. Aims:To explore the experiences of people with post-stroke aphasia in relation to participating in group-based rehabilitation programmes organized by community-based organizations. Methods & Procedures:A qualitative design was adopted, including individual, semi-structured interviews with 20 adults with post-stroke aphasia recruited from community-based rehabilitation centres and support groups. The participants had a mean age of 68.86 ± 13.54 years and a mean post-stroke duration of 9.24 ± 7.72 years. They had participated in at least one group-based rehabilitation programme organized by community-based organizations in the past year. The participants were asked about their experiences of attending group-based programme(s), thoughts and feelings while interacting with the facilitators and group members, and satisfaction with their participation. The interview data were thematically analysed.Outcomes & Results: Three themes were identified: (1) hurdles to active and fulfilling participation including the dominance of verbal sharing, short duration of the programme, being a minority in the group and accumulated negative experiences; (2) strategies adopted to improve participation including accepting a reduced speaking ability, having support from caregivers, and trying mobile apps to vocalize and supplement meanings; and (3) a preference for certainThis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

“You’ll find most people who got involved with the Café couldn’t do without it now” – Socialising in an online versus in-person Aphasia Café

“…According to PwA, rehabilitation goals to improve communication and enhance social engagement should be prioritised by service providers (Cruice et al, 2020). Current research is exploring how these goals may be maximised through the use of in-person (Lo & Chau, 2023) and online groups (Cruice et al, 2020).…”