Formal And Informal Care After Stroke: A Multicentric Longitudinal Study.

Introduction: Although several studies have been conducted on stroke survivors during the post-rehabilitation discharge period, very few studies have focused on the formal and informal care received by stroke survivors during the first year after home discharge.Aims: To describe the type and the amount of formal and informal care received by stroke survivors during the first year after home discharge and to identify the baseline predictors. Methods: A 12-months longitudinal study was adopted. The linear mixed effects model was also used to identify the baseline predictors of formal and informal caregiving needs. Results: A sample of 415 stroke survivors was enrolled. Survivors were 70.6 years old and predominantly male at 52.7%. Regarding formal care, physiotherapy and speech therapy decreased significantly over time, but nursing care and occupational therapy remained stable. Regards paid informal care, stroke survivors received a mean of 17 h of paid informal care per week and these hours did not significantly decrease after one year from discharge. Higher numbers of paid informal caregiving hours per week were predicted by older age, higher education levels, lower BI scores and living without unpaid informal caregivers. Indeed, higher numbers of unpaid informal care hours per week were predicted by lower BI scores and living with unpaid informal caregivers. Conclusions: Especially during the first few months after rehabilitation hospital discharge, survivors need further care, both nursing and physiotherapy, because they are often discharged before achieving independent functioning