Disability and rehabilitation
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Acceptance has been discovered to be successful in improving quality of life when adjusting to chronic pain. Instead of avoiding and controlling the pain, the goal is to confront the pain and to live a value directed life. Thus far, there has not been an instrument in Finnish to assess the acceptance of chronic pain. This study aimed at translating the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire-(CPAQ)-into Finnish and assessing its reliability and validity. ⋯ In conclusion, the Finnish version of the CPAQ is a reliable and valid method for measuring chronic pain acceptance.
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The importance of addressing mental well-being while stroke patients are in hospital has been recognized by policy makers but there is a gap between rhetoric and reality. This study explored the potential for using a person-centred, artist facilitated, one-to-one arts programme to improve the emotional and mental well-being of patients, which may be adversely affected as a result of the negative experiences arising from stroke and hospitalization. ⋯ Arts interventions such as the one implemented and evaluated in this study provide a positive and valuable experience for longer staying stroke patients, contributing to their mental well-being during an otherwise distressing illness and hospital stay.
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Engagement in valued activities is often difficult for people who have experienced stroke. A deeper understanding of the process of re-engagement in personally valued activities would be helpful to those designing interventions to address participation post-stroke. ⋯ Rehabilitation practice that addresses and supports autonomy, social connection, risk taking, adaptation and hope among stroke survivors may help individuals regain personally valued activities post-stroke.
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Family caregivers provide essential support as stroke survivors' return to community living, but it is not standard clinical practice to prepare or provide ongoing support for their care-giving role. In addition, health care professionals (HCPs) experiences with providing support to caregivers have not been explored previously. The objectives of this qualitative study were to: (1) explore the support needs over time from the perspective of caregivers, (2) explore the support needs over time from the perspective of HCPs, and (3) compare and contrast caregivers' and HCPs' perspectives. ⋯ Caregivers' needs for support and the individuals most suited to providing support change across the stroke survivor's recovery trajectory. Changes to service delivery to better support caregivers may include: (1) addressing caregivers' changing needs across the care continuum; (2) implementing a family-centered model of care; and (3) providing 7-day per week inpatient rehabilitation.
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Psychometric properties of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS-II) in stroke have received some attention recently, mostly using classical approaches, but there is still an absence of investigation from a modern psychometric perspective. This study aimed to test the reliability and validity of the WHODAS-II in stroke, using modern psychometric analysis. ⋯ WHODAS-II provides a reliable and valid instrument for measuring disability and components of "activities" and "participation" in stroke survivors. Various combinations of the item set may provide a range of scales to suit most research needs.