For the study, researchers examined data from a national survey of Medicare beneficiaries and compared 892 self-reported elderly stroke survivors with 892 elderly people who had not had a stroke, matched for comorbidities and demographics. Researchers found that more than half of stroke survivors required caregiver assistance at an average of 22.3 hours per week compared to 11.8 hours of assistance for those who did not have a stroke.
“Previous studies underestimated the caregiving resources that are used, and we expect the cost of caregiving will only increase as baby boomers age” said the study’s first author Lesli Skolarus, MD, a neurologist with the University of Michigan Comprehensive Stroke Center in Ann Arbor. “We need to plan for other mechanisms to support caregivers and survivors. Hopefully planning now will reduce the future burden.”
