{"id":706,"date":"2022-03-29T11:49:11","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T01:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/caring-futures-institute\/?p=706"},"modified":"2022-03-31T16:29:05","modified_gmt":"2022-03-31T05:59:05","slug":"a-new-approach-to-upskill-and-support-carers-of-stroke-survivors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/caring-futures-institute\/2022\/03\/29\/a-new-approach-to-upskill-and-support-carers-of-stroke-survivors\/","title":{"rendered":"A new approach to upskill and support carers of stroke survivors"},"content":{"rendered":"

If someone close to you suddenly suffered a stroke, what information would you need to support them in the weeks, months and years ahead? And how would you want to access that critical information?<\/p>\n

These important questions are being investigated by Flinders Caring Futures Institute researcher Dr Elizabeth Lynch<\/a> and her team as part of a hospital-based project.<\/p>\n

The team, including fellow Institute researcher Professor Gillian Harvey<\/a>, is investigating how to support and upskill people who are transitioning to the role of carer of someone with stroke. They aim to do this by creating and seeking feedback on new information resources designed to improve health literacy as well as working with hospital staff to improve systems of providing information to patients and their families.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s estimated more than 100 Australians experience stroke on any given day.<\/p>\n

\u201cOftentimes the person who has the stroke is fit and well, going about their business, and suddenly their life and the lives of those around them is changed forever,\u201d Dr Lynch says.<\/p>\n

In most cases, the people closest to them must immediately take on the responsibility of caring for them, especially if the survivor has become unconscious or drowsy, or their language or cognition have changed.<\/p>\n

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Dr Elizabeth Lynch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAround 66% per cent of people who have a stroke will need some sort of assistance, so it\u2019s up to the carer to make decisions and advocate for better care,\u201d Dr Lynch explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir major role in the hospital period is to get as much information as they can for themselves and for the stroke survivor, to set themselves up for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

A wide range of decisions need to be made \u2013 everything from returning to work and maintaining social connections to organising finances and aged care services for older stroke survivors. How carers of people with stroke make those important decisions is reliant on accessing correct and timely information.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that people who have unmet information needs are more likely to score highly on the anxiety and depression scales. While we can\u2019t change the trauma around the stroke itself, we can reduce unnecessary stress by giving people the information they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, not-for-profit organisation the Stroke Foundation provides a comprehensive range of resources. However, in the period immediately after the stroke, Dr Lynch says it\u2019s often necessary for the survivor\u2019s loved ones to take the initiative to ask specific questions and make appointments, at a time when they are already feeling the pressure. Furthermore, the carers may not absorb all that information when they are emotional and still coming to terms with the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to create a suite of resources that people can pick and choose from, because no two strokes are the same and everyone will come from a different level of experience and have different expectations,\u201d Dr Lynch says. \u201cWe are also working with hospital staff to look at ways they can provide the information people need, at the time they need it, in a way people can understand and use that information.\u201d<\/p>\n