Despite the improvements that have been made in health care over the years, stroke remains a serious public health problem in low, middle and high-income countries. Informal caregivers are particularly important in low resourced settings. The aim of the study was to establish the impact of caregiver education on stroke survivors and their carers. This was done using a randomised controlled trial with a total of 200 patients and their caregivers. From the study, the one-year case fatality was 38%. About 78% of the patients were functionally dependent at 12 months post discharge. Caregiver education had the effect of improving the BI scores by one and 0.7 at the three and 12 months follow ups respectively and improved patients' EQ-5D scores by a factor of three at 12 months. The patient ability to socialise and participate in community issues post-stroke is currently poor due to poor functional ability levels, necessitating dependency on caregivers. Structured and individualised caregiver training has the effect of improving patients' quality of life and can help reduce deaths among stroke survivors.

"Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient car -- not only in the hospital or ambulatory treatment facility, but also of community-based care and the care performed by family members. Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with additional funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has prepared this comprehensive, 1,400-page, handbook for nurses on patient safety and quality -- Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0043)." - online AHRQ blurb, http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/

This scholarly book focuses on stroke in Africa. Stroke is a leading cause of disability among adults of all ages, contributing significantly to health care costs related to long term implications, particularly if rehabilitation is sub-optimal. Given the burden of stroke in Africa, there is a need for a book that focuses on functioning African stroke survivors and the implications for rehabilitation within the African context. In addition, there is a need to progress with contextualised, person-centred, evidence-based guidance for the rehabilitation of people with stroke in Africa, thereby enabling them to lead socially and economically meaningful lives. The research incorporated in the book used a range of primary and secondary methodological approaches (scoping reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, descriptive studies, surveys, health economics, and clinical practice guideline methodology) to shed new insights into African-centred issues and strategies to optimise function post-stroke.

Research has shown that caregivers face strain associated with the devastating effects of a stroke to a family member. The unexpected effects of a stroke can cause caregivers to experience physical, mental, and spiritual strain. Changes often have to be made to their own personal and financial plans to accommodate appropriate care. The Modified Caregiver Strain Index (MCSI) can be used to assess the constraints of a stroke on caregivers and their family. Nurses have the responsibility of taking care of their patients and their caregivers as a whole. A stroke education folder including mandatory stroke education, a flyer for a free weekly "Homeward Bound" class, Krames "Stroke Recovery: A Caregiver's Guide" pamphlet, and a Caregivers Guide to Stroke pamphlet will be developed. A study by Mant, Carter, Wade, and Winner (1998) found that information packs increased education, satisfaction, and attributed to better caregiver mental health.

Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.

This book is a comprehensive and articulate intorduction to the emerging field of microlearning. In public institutions, in small and medium-sized enterprises and in informal contexts we are all dealing with increasingly complex learning requirements, more fragmented knowledge, demands for greater cultural flexibility, and rapid technological change. As a result, new approaches are required, focusing on microcontent, medial fluency and spaces of learning.