Make Sure The Family’s Involved
Post-stroke recovery and function can be significantly affected by the involvement of patient’s nearest and dearest. New research shows that incorporating family-assisted exercise therapy to the standard physical therapy regimen of a stroke patient had many positive results. Motor function, balance, distance walked and ability to perform daily living activities all had noticeable improvement.
And it’s not only the patient who benefits. Participating family members felt empowered and less stressed.
“Instead of adding burden to the caregiver, participating in exercise actually enabled the family member to do something practical for their loved one in hospital,” said Emma Stokes, Ph.D., the study’s principal investigator and Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.
