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This study aimed to explore the perspectives of working-aged adults with post-stroke aphasia (PWA) towards what has or would help them in living well with aphasia (LWA). This paper reports the findings in relation to stroke care and its relevance for LWA. This qualitative study was designed with input from a Public and Patient Involvement advisory group. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 14 PWA. Data were analysed following principles of reflexive thematic analysis. Support services and LWA spanned five themes: Inpatient care; Support in the community; Speech therapy; Mental health; and Aphasia education and training. Per the findings, all aspects of stroke care were affected and challenged by aphasia. Access to services and information was variable. PWA of working-age, their families and children need access to person-centred stroke care and information responsive to their changing needs at all stages of recovery. Healthcare workers must be equipped with aphasia competency. The results highlight a need for equitable, transparent, responsive access to services, information and stroke liaison support. The findings extend knowledge of the importance of stroke care for supporting working-aged adults and their families to live well in the context of aphasia. There is a need for equitable, transparent access to a responsive integrated pathway of stroke care to support living well with aphasia. People with aphasia post-stroke and their families need access to person-centred stroke care and information responsive to their changing needs at all stages of recovery. This includes flexible access to mental healthcare and speech and language therapy. In order to access relevant care, people with post-stroke aphasia need access to information and stroke liaison support. Training to improve aphasia competency is imperative for healthcare workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study reports the results of open-ended questions from a follow-up survey of adults with sensory loss and their spouses who had previously taken part in an online study. In total, 111 participants completed the survey (72 adults with a sensory loss and 39 spouses). Open-ended questions asked about the overall experience of living with sensory loss, sensory loss-related challenges, and support and coping mechanisms. Thematic analysis was used to identify dominant themes in participants' responses. Three core themes capturing their overall experience emerged: (1) sensory loss-related challenges, (2) support and coping, and (3) adjustment and readjustment. Sensory loss was characterized as a challenging experience, causing communication and emotional disturbances. Coping strategies reported by both partners included the use of assistive technology, positive re-appraisal, acceptance and/or denial of the loss, while support strategies were mostly derived from the comments of spouses (for AWSLs), family members and peer networks (for both partners). Finally, respondents described sensory loss as an adventurous learning experience. Our findings underscore the significance of considering sensory loss from a social relational/family perspective and highlight the importance of addressing the needs of both adults with sensory loss and their partners in treatment and rehabilitation. Study highlights the need to consider sensory loss from a relational/family perspective. Healthcare professionals should try to increase the involvement of significant others and close family members (e.g., spouses, parents, children) into the rehabilitation process. Greater emphasis should be placed on exploring and reinforcing positive experiences and attitudes associated with sensory loss during counselling/rehabilitation sessions. Improved education about sensory loss for both the general public and health care professionals could minimize the adverse outcomes associated with sensory loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to understand the views of falls service practitioners regarding: their role in supporting self-management of falls prevention; and a transition pathway from National Health Service (NHS) exercise-based falls interventions to community-run exercise programmes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with physiotherapists, nurses, and rehabilitation assistants (n = 8) who worked in an NHS falls service. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Certain aspects of supporting patients in self-management were deemed to be within or beyond the scope of falls service practitioners. Challenges in supporting transition to community-run programmes included: practitioner awareness and buy in; patient buy in; and patient suitability/programme availability. Practitioners sought to be patient-centred as a means to engage patients in self-management of falls prevention exercises. Time-limited intervention periods and waiting list pressures were barriers to the promotion of long-term self-management approaches. A disconnect between falls service interventions and community-run programmes hindered willing practitioners from supporting patients in transitioning. Unless falls risk and prevention is seen by healthcare providers as a long-term condition which requires person-centred support from practitioners to develop self-management approaches, then falls services may only be able to offer short-term measures which are potentially not long lasting. Falls rehabilitation practitioners need to take a person-centred approach to engage patients in self-management of falls prevention exercises. Providing information and signposting to exercise opportunities such as community-run programmes following falls service interventions should be viewed as being within the scope of the role of falls service practitioners. Rehabilitation practitioners should consider viewing falls risk as a long-term condition, to promote longer-term behavioural change approaches to ongoing engagement of exercise for falls prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-disability following musculoskeletal injury causes a significant burden for individuals and healthcare systems. Research into work-disability prevention has investigated the ability of psychosocial factors to predict return-to-work in workers with musculoskeletal injuries. Recent research indicates that both return-to-work expectations and workplace supports influence return-to-work outcome. However, how these mechanisms operate to influence outcome is still largely unknown. We undertook a qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with workers from diverse backgrounds who were undergoing vocational rehabilitation in New Zealand following a musculoskeletal injury. Interviews investigated the injured workers' experiences of workplace supports and asked in-depth about what contributed to their expectations of returning to work. Thematic analysis was used to analyse and interpret the data. Analysis identified four key themes. We found that what workplace supports were offered and how they were taken up was related to systemic factors, and trust. We also identified a link between the offer of support from the workplace and return-to-work expectations. Finally, the actions of workers' compensation and healthcare providers during workers' recovery were reported to influence supports, expectations and the confidence injured workers experienced in their return-to-work outcome in both overt and subtle ways. This study indicated that actions of the workplace, healthcare providers and workers' compensation parties can all influence workplace supports, return-to-work expectations and return-to-work outcome. These findings therefore implicate the actions of these stakeholders in work-disability prevention efforts. Positive return-to-work expectations are increasingly shown by research to be related to positive return-to-work outcomes for injured workers. Trust between the worker and the company can underpin the provision of supports for return-to-work, which in turn can influence worker confidence and expectations of return-to-work. Consideration of workplace culture and relationships when healthcare providers interact with employers can be crucial in fostering trust and enabling appropriate workplace supports. The ways in which workers compensation processes are executed can also affect workplace relationships, and therefore influence the provision of appropriate return-to-work supports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To help enhance participation, the study aims to identify and document a comprehensive list of environmental barriers for people with SCI in the broad travel setting. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among four stakeholder groups: people with SCI (n= 39), caregivers and family members of people with SCI (n= 24), therapists who work with people with SCI (n= 9), and travel professionals specializing in accessible travel (n= 11). Five major categories of travel barrier emerged from the interviews: Partial Accessibility, Systemic Ignorance, Travel Hassles, Poor Service Performance, and Lack of Support. Detailed barriers in each category are described. The analysis of multi-stakeholder perspectives indicates while respondents with SCI offered the most specific information about the barriers, family members/caregivers were most concerned about the impact of systemic ignorance on their loved ones. Therapists focused on offering their clients tools to overcome barriers, and travel agents emphasized their limitations of serving customers with disabilities. Results of the study should help not only health and travel professionals better assist individuals to reintegrate into society after SCI, but also travel and hospitality businesses to better meet the accessibility needs of people with SCI. Travel is important to full participation in society for people after SCI. The study has identified five categories of barriers to travel participation after SCI: partial accessibility, systemic ignorance, travel hassles, poor service performance and lack of support. While traveling is important for participation in society for people with SCI, rehabilitation professionals should work together with policy makers, travel and hospitality businesses and agencies to lower the found barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity confers many physical and psychosocial benefits for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors, yet most are not active enough to accrue benefits. Parental support for physical activity may be important to consider when exploring factors that influence physical activity in this population. Explore adolescent and young adult cancer survivors' experiences of parental support for physical activity received and their parents' experiences of support provided. Ten adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (Mage = 17.4 ± 3.2 years; 70% male) and one of their parents (50% fathers) were interviewed separately. Data were analyzed thematically. Participants' experiences were summarized into three main themes: (1) the basics – instrumental, informational, and emotional support, (2) companionship support – doing it together, and (3) role modeling – a double-edged sword. In general, there was congruence between participants' perceptions of the types of support provided and received for physical activity. However, parents felt their role was to provide instrumental, informational, and emotional support, whereas adolescent and young adult cancer survivors emphasized the importance of companionship support. Findings underscore the complexity of parental support for physical activity among adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. Developing and testing resources to empower adolescent and young adult cancer survivors to ask for parental support and to enable parents to support their child's physical activity is imperative. Many adolescent and young adult cancer survivors do not participate in enough physical activity to acquire physical and psychosocial benefits. Parental support may represent a key factor that influences physical activity participation. Rehabilitation professionals should consider the influence parents may have on adolescent and young adult cancer survivors' physical well-being post-diagnosis. Promoting co-participation may be a viable strategy to enhance physical activity participation among adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]