Relationship between burden of care at home and functional independence level after stroke]

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between functional disability assessed with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and burden of care in hemiplegic stroke patients living at home. METHOD: The population is constituted of stroke survivors, initially treated in an academic inpatient Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation unit. Assessments included an evaluation of impairments (aphasia, negligence, cognitive impairment, motor impairment : Fugl-Meyer (FM) scale), disability (Functional Independence Measure (FIM) ), and burden of care (physical assistance and supervision). RESULTS: Forty-five subjects and their caregiver completed the assessments. Time spent on physical assistance and supervision were significantly correlated with FM and FIM scores. Cognitive deficits correlated with supervision time but not with physical assistance time. DISCUSSION-CONCLUSION: These results confirm the predictive value of functional independence measure relative to burden of care in a population of stroke patients with hemiplegia living at home. These results show that cognitive impairments are more specifically correlated with supervision time. This must be confirmed by studies taking into account functional and cognitive conditions of the patient, functional and psychological conditions of life of caregiver and also economical and environmental conditions of life.