The role of social support in the family and community integration of right-hemisphere stroke survivors

The goal of this project was to understand better the communicative processes by which social support can assist right-hemisphere stroke survivors in the process of community integration. Open-ended interviews were conducted with 12 right-hemisphere stroke survivors and their family caregivers. The transcribed interviews revealed 7 challenges (physical, cognitive-perceptual, emotional, relationship, employment, financial, and challenges to activities of daily living) and three types of resources (formal external, informal external, and internal). Stroke survivors' internal resources were shown to be essential for facilitating community integration. Implications for researchers and health care providers are discussed within the framework of Hobfoll's (1988) conservation of resources theory.