III. One year after stroke: a follow-up of an experimental study

The long-term effect of an early activation programme in nursing care (APN) during the first four weeks after a stroke was studied in 33 survivors one year after the stroke. Twenty-six patients formed a control group. Functional capacity was tested with an Activity Index (AI). All patients except three were interviewed concerning household work, locomotion, and psychosocial and intellectual activities before and after the stroke. There were no significant differences in functional capacity between the experimental (E) and control (C) groups one year after the stroke. In both groups AI had improved considerably compared with the values on admission. Comparison of the pre- and post-stroke performance revealed that the decrease in median scores was most prominent in household work and psychosocial functions in both groups. A long-term effect of the APN was not proved. The ADL part of the AI had a strong predictive value for one-year survival.