Prof. Cath Sackley of the School of Health Sciences, has been awarded £740,000 by The Health Foundation and Department of Health to investigate the effects of physiotherapy and occupational therapy on people with stroke in a care home setting. The study will form part of the professor's inaugural public lecture, Step to It - Mobility and Health, which takes place at 5.15pm on 6 May at the University's Barber Institute of Fine Arts.
More than 400 people from nursing and residential homes in Birmingham and the West Midlands will take part in the three-year study, which aims to assess the benefits of a targeted occupational therapy and physiotherapy intervention for people in care homes, following a stroke. In particular, it will evaluate the ability of therapy to improve mobility, improve independence and reduce immobility related complications and falls hazards.
The study will also be accompanied by an economic evaluation, which will document costs of providing therapeutic services in care-homes. The economic consequences of rehabilitation provision are especially important in influencing change once the study is finished. If the study demonstrates any benefits for stroke survivors, Prof. Sackley and her team will use the results of the study to influence change to policy of access to rehabilitation services for residents of care-homes in the UK.
Findings show that stroke is the most common cause of admission to long-term care and many others have strokes once they are resident. The exact proportion of people living in care-homes with a stroke is unknown, but it is thought to be around 50 per cent of all residents.
Prof. Sackley said: "Our research has shown that people living in a care-home often experience the adverse consequences of stroke-related immobility, such as dependency in self-care ability, falls, reduced bone density, pain, pressure sores and emotional distress. Quality of life can be poor and residents are commonly disadvantaged in their access to NHS healthcare. Our recent work has shown that despite the potential for recovery in this group, few residents have any access to rehabilitation.