Fate of stroke patients transferred to a long-term rehabilitation hospital

The rehabilitation outcome of 25 elderly hemiplegic patients discharged from the rehabilitation facilities of an acute general hospital and admitted to a long-term facility hospital was evaluated. Only those patients who had been on a rehabilitation program and were discharged after an average of 11 weeks because of lack of progress or severity of their functional and/or neurological disability were considered for this study. Twenty-two patients were wheelchair bound on admission and severely dependent in most self-care activities. Improvement in function and performance occurred in ten patients, while 13 patients remained unchanged. Among the improved patients, eight became ambulatory and independent in activities of daily living (ADL), eight became independent from a wheel-chair level, and eight returned home or to the community. The average stay of the patients in the chronic rehabilitation care facility was seven months, although all the patients reached their maximum level of performance within six months. It appears from this study that some hemiplegic patients require a long and intensive rehabilitation program.