Returning to Work after a Stroke: An Important but Neglected Area

Abstract

Work is key to participating in society. This paper reports two independent studies, which addressed different aspects of returning to work after a stroke. Study I, using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and the Role Checklist, established the perception of returning to work of 26 participants aged 34–55 years post-stroke. Study II, using interviews, established the support required and obtained for six participants who returned to work post-stroke. Both studies found that the participants considered work to be important, that they wished to return to work and that help was needed to do so. Study II found that occupational therapists had a limited role in providing support and recommends their greater involvement in work rehabilitation service provision for those who have had a stroke. The findings of these studies suggest that there is a gap in providing appropriate support to enable people to carry out an occupation that both they and society value.