Rehabilitation measures for patients after stroke. Recommendations to the family doctor and the patient

Every year, approximately 17 million people in the world suffer a stroke. Of them, 5 million die, and another 5 million remain functionally disabled forever, which puts a burden on the family and the state. The burden of stroke is significant at the population, societal, and individual levels. Despite advances in stroke care, the longer-term outcome remains poor for many, often with overall unmet needs. The prevalence of depression is 31%. 1 year after a stroke, 40% of patients still have a lack of hand function, 40% have a swallowing disorder, and ⅓ of patients have aphasia. Frequent consequences of a stroke are memory loss, impaired attention and concentration, lack of perception, lack of awareness of space, apraxia. A large proportion of stroke survivors require assistance with activities of daily living. In this article, the authors provide sound recommendations to the stroke patient and the family physician on improving health and quality of life.