LIFE AFTER STROKE: PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS - AN INNER CITY AFRO-CARIBBEAN EXPERIENCE

There is a prevalence of stroke amongst ethnic minority groups in the United Kingdom. Whilst a body of work explores chronic illness experience, less attention has been paid to life after stroke. To investigate the experience of life after stroke and the needs of individuals living within a diverse inner city community, everyday activities were analysed. A functional, psychological and social approach identified the effects of stroke on daily living, and the lived experience of life after stroke examined how Afro-Caribbean women managed on a daily basis. Using a specially designed electronic database, data from 213 patients attending an outpatient clinic was analysed within four groupings (White, Afro-Caribbean, Asian and Others). The men were significantly more dependent on support than the women. Asian men (n = 21) reported significantly (p<.013) lower Barthel Indices, dressing difficulties (p<.05), feeding (p<.007), sleeping (p<.017), required more carer support (p<.04) and had low health ratings (p<.001). For the women, the only difference was that the Asian women needed significantly (p<.016) more help with bathing.
Six semi-structured interviews with Afro-Caribbean women were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The master themes encapsulating participants’ experiences of life after stroke that emerged were ‘understanding my health’, ‘re-telling the stroke attack: the knowledgeable body - a medium for sense making’ and ‘the journey: identity and negotiating a new life’. Most of the interviewees had firm religious beliefs and viewed their health as granted and justly deserved. After a stroke, the body has to adapt to new ways of performing. This involves negotiating a post-stroke identity. Cultural upbringing and Caribbean heritage influences and shapes the way participants would like their health service to be administered. This mixed methods approach has led to understandings of benefit for both healthcare practitioners and clients, and to a greater cultural sensitivity in care planning with respect to ethnic groupings.