Hands-on Training for Caregivers of Post-Stroke Inpatients

Objective: To assess the impact of active training (“hands- on training”) caregivers on their attitudes for handling the patients and to examine the effectiveness of hands-on train-ing in improving psychosocial outcomes for stroke patients and their caregivers.Method: The subjects were 59 stroke patients and their family caregivers. They were randomly divided into two groups: a control group and a training group. The training group received active hands-on training about personal care with handling techniques. We collected the data through interviewing the patients and their caregivers on admission and at discharge. The stroke patients and caregivers were evaluated with the functional status, caregiver appraisal scale, psychological state, quality of life.Results: Caregivers in the training group experienced a significant reduction in caregiving burden and anxiety (p＜0.05). There were no differences in depression or physical health between the two groups, although caregivers in the intervention group were found to have significantly better mental health. Patients in the caregiver training group also experienced less anxiety and better mental health (p＜0.05), and had a modest benefit in functional status (independence in activities of daily living) (p＜0.05).Conclusion: A hands-on training for caregivers of post- stroke inpatients resulted in reducing burden of care and anxiety while improving psychosocial outcomes for care-givers, proving that the hands-on training might be helpful in caregivers of stroke inpatients. (J Korean Acad Rehab Med 2010; 34: 270-277)Key Words: Stroke, Caregivers, Depression, Anxiety, Quality of life서론