Authors (including presenting author) :
Fung KT, Hong KY, Cheng MHD, Ngai KC, Liu LY, Lam WT, To TS, Tsang KY, Chan YL
Affiliation :
Occupational Therapy Department, Kowloon Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Stroke rehabilitation
Keyword 2: :
Dependent patients
Keyword 3: :
Discharge preparation
Introduction :
Retrospective review of 825 stroke patients admitted to Kowloon Hospital (KH) Rehabilitation Building in 2023–2024 revealed that 42.2% (n=348) were highly dependent on self-care (FIM-Motor ≤26). These patients had a longer average length of stay (35.5 days) than lower dependency patients (FIM-Motor ≥ 26) (25.9 days) and 80% of them (n=273) remained high dependency upon discharge. Dependency in self-care significantly elevates caregiver stress (Tziaka et al.,2024). To address their complex needs and empower caregivers, KH occupational therapists often offer repeated individual-based hands-on training sessions. Regarding caregiver education for high dependency stroke patient, a survey revealed that KH occupational therapist contribute around 100-120 minutes in total for each dependent stroke patient. Despite continuous effort from therapists, early care plan decisions are still influenced by the unavailability of caregivers, repeated training needs, and difficulties in information assimilation among family members. Therefore, a structured group-based intervention was developed to equip caregivers with knowledge and skills, manage their expectations on rehabilitation goals, and drive them to decide care plan earlier.
Objectives :
The project aims to support caregivers in formulating care plans during the first week of admission through equipping caregivers with common caring knowledge and skills, promoting caregivers’ insight into the patients’ functional abilities and their own competence, and enhancing efficiency of caregiver education delivery.
Methodology :
Thirty-eight caregivers of dependent stroke patients joined the group between May and December 2025. They received interventions including early educational videos on daily care, environment preparation, and complication prevention within the first week after admission, followed by hands-on practice with occupational therapists. Feedback was collected via satisfaction survey.
Result & Outcome :
Thirty-eight caregivers completed the survey. Over 80% agreed or strongly agreed the video enhanced their caring knowledge and confidence. Around 70% reported the program supported discharge planning, with 12 of them considered OAH care after the group session. 10 considering home-care had scheduled subsequent hands-on training for early discharge preparation. From therapists’ perspective, above 85% agreed the educational videos package enabled flexible and self-paced learning, clarified caring requirements, and facilitated early care planning. All noted better caregiver preparedness with an average reduction of approximately one-third in face-to-face training time.
