Article

Long-term disabilities are common among stroke survivors and are associated with
reduced quality of life (QoL). Research on occupation-based intervention for
chronic stroke survivors is sparse. The objective of this study was to examine
the effectiveness of neurofunctional treatment (NFT), an occupation-based
client-centred treatment approach, for attaining individualised goals in chronic
stroke survivors. A pilot randomised control study with a crossover design was
employed. The participants were randomly allocated to treatment or control
groups, with the intervention replicated for the control group after three
months. Twenty three community dwelling stroke survivors,
at least one year
post-stroke attending a community day centre participated in this study. The
12-week intervention included NFT with individualised occupational goal setting.
The treatment methods included task-specific training, environmental or task
adaptation, assistive devices, motivation recruitment, and advocacy. Significant
differences between the groups were found on occupational performance measures,
but not on QoL. These findings were replicated after crossover for the control
group. The results support the efficacy of NFT for attaining occupational goals
in individuals in the chronic stage after stroke, yet further research is needed
to validate these findings in additional treatment settings and over time.

Langue : ANGLAIS