[Changes in patterns of morbidity over 10 years among elderly patients with stroke who were treated in a...

We examined changes in outcomes among elderly patients with stroke who were admitted to the rehabilitation unit of our hospital from April, 1985 to March, 1995. During that period, 933 patients (489 men and 444 women, average age 71.3 years) were admitted and received physical therapy. During those 10 years, the average age of the patients increased, functional status with regard to sitting up and walking worsened, and the incidence of urinary incontinence at the time of discharge increased. In contrast, the percentage of patients discharged to home (50 to approximately 60%), the degree of impairment of lower extremities, and the onset-to-admission interval (3 to 4 months) did not change.