Continuity and discontinuity: the quality of life following stroke

The purpose of this existential-phenomenological study was to investigate the experience of life after stroke rehabilitation, to provide a holistic view for nurses and others in providing care. Analysis involved a part-to-whole dialectic; selected transcripts, including the bracketing interview, were analyzed in an interpretive research group. There were 14 participants, with a 2-year median length of time since stroke; participants exhibited various disabilities. The world of the stroke survivor is grounded in a life of loss and effort from which emerged interrelated themes: independence/dependence, in control/out of control, and connection/disconnection with others. A fundamental aspect of these themes is a sense of continuity that coexists with discontinuity in the experience of self. The findings have implications for how nurses interact with stroke survivors, for goal-setting, and for specific strategies that focus on meanings for clients.