Intensive Rehabilitation Program in Older Adults with Stroke: Therapy Content and Feasibility-Preliminary Results from the BRAIN-CONNECTS Study

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health 2023-03, Vol.20 (6), p.4696
• Main Authors: Morgado-Pérez, Andrea, Coll-Molinos, Maria, Valero, Ruben, Llobet, Miriam, Rueda, Nohora, Martínez, Andrea, Nieto, Sonia, Ramírez-Fuentes, Cindry, Sánchez-Rodríguez, Dolores, Marco, Ester, Puig, Josep, Duarte, Esther
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Adults; Age; Aged; Brain; Caregivers; Comorbidity; feasibility; Feasibility Studies; Female; Gait; Geriatrics; Gériatrie; Health aspects; Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis; Human health sciences; Humans; intensive rehabilitation program; Male; Multidisciplinary teams; Occupational Therapy; Occupational Therapy - methods; older adults; Older people; Patients; Physical therapy; Pollution; Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health; Rehabilitation; Sciences de la santé humaine; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Speech; Speech therapy; Stroke; Stroke - therapy; Stroke Rehabilitation; Stroke Rehabilitation - methods; Therapists; Upper Extremity
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20064696

The main objective was to assess the feasibility of an intensive rehabilitation program (IRP) for stroke patients; and secondly, to detect eventual age-related differences in content, duration, tolerability, and safety in a prospective observational cohort of patients diagnosed with subacute stroke, admitted to inpatient rehabilitation (BRAIN-CONNECTS project). Activities during physical, occupational and speech therapy, and time dedicated to each one were recorded. Forty-five subjects (63.0 years, 77.8% men) were included. The mean time of therapy was 173.8 (SD 31.5) minutes per day. The only age-related differences when comparing patients ≥65 and