Concerns and Anticipated Challenges of Family Caregivers following Participation in the Neuropsychological Feedback of Stroke Patients
Forty-five family caregivers participated in the feedback session on the neuropsychological test results of their close ones, victims of stroke. Following the feedback session, the caregivers were presented with an open-ended list of concerns, and were asked to identify the concerns which they had with regard to the patients’ level of functioning and personal needs. A hierarchy of concerns was established based upon their frequency and the challenge they represented to caregivers. The results indicated that ‘safety’, ‘knowing what the patients’ future needs will be’, and ‘knowing what to do in the situation in which the patient is unable to perform the activity independently’ are the most important concerns which caregivers have. The hierarchy of concerns is discussed from the perspective of its relevance to clinical work and the need for clinicians to incorporate it in plans for rehabilitation. The benefits of the neuropsychological feedback for the education of the family caregiver and for the rehabilitation and care of the stroke patient are also discussed.