Stroke management of the elderly in Great Britain

Management of stroke in the elderly has been neglected in the past in Britain, but in recent years interest has taken an encouraging upturn. Obviously, the most satisfactory solution to the problem would be prevention, and epidemiologic research may prove important in this respect. Meanwhile, for those who are stricken, the best British physicians can offer is a careful and thoughtful approach to rehabilitation, carried out by a multidisciplinary team. The effects of rehabilitation need much more study; the main stumbling block to such research is the methodologic problem, to which more attention is now being paid. Each year in Britain, over 100,000 middle-aged and elderly people suffer a stroke, and many are disabled. Community services for these survivors need improvement so that care does not end with hospital discharge.