Following stroke, rehabilitation is important for recovery of movement and functional ability. Often, family members and carers are invited to be involved in overseeing or providing exercises and specific aspects of therapy in the home. We have developed a package of therapy for the arm and hand after stroke, called Mobilization and Tactile Stimulation (MTS). This treatment involves massage and movement of joints in the hand and forearm alongside practicing movements in the hand and is based on what experienced physiotherapists told us they do to improve movement and function of the hand post-stroke.
Our research has shown that daily treatment with MTS, for between 30-60 minutes per day, improves muscle strength and functional ability in people living with stroke, even more than one year post-stroke. However, once formal therapy has been discontinued, stroke survivors are not able to benefit from this treatment, unless their carers or family members can be taught to provide the treatment in the home.
We invite you to take part in an online survey to explore your views and opinions about being asked and trained to provide this therapy to a stroke survivor for whom you are a carer. This might be a family member or a friend.
The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. The results will inform the development of a carer-delivered MTS treatment schedule for stroke survivors, which we could then test in a clinical trial.
What will I need to do if I want to take part in the study?
Read the Participation Information Sheet for more information and give your consent, then click here to access the link to the online survey.
Remi Popoola is leading this research as part of his PhD in the School of Allied Health Professions at Keele University, working under the supervision of Dr Sue Hunter and Dr Jacqui Winter, with ethical approval from Keele University.
If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Remi Popoola (t.a.popoola@keele.ac.uk), or Dr. Sue Hunter (s.m.hunter@keele.ac.uk).