title: Support/services and family carers of persons with stroke impairment: perceived importance and services received.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine what family carers of persons with stroke impairment perceive as important support and service quality characteristics in relation to their experienced strain/burden, and to explore to what extent family carers receive support/services perceived as important.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from a cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 183 family carers in Sweden, 64 experiencing lower and 119 experiencing higher strain/burden, a subsample of the EUROFAMCARE project.
  
  
  METHODS
  Carers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There are few differences between carers experiencing high and low strain/burden in what they perceive and receive in terms of important support and service quality characteristics. Information, relief, and counselling support/services are highly valued. It is also important that services improve quality of life, and have good process qualities regarding interaction with staff and individualization. Most services regarded as important are received by less than 60% of carers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The variation is rather high on an individual level in terms of what carers regard as important, indicating that factors other than negative impact may influence their perceptions of support/service and service quality. Thus, it is important to know carers' perceptions in order to individualize support/service, and thus make it more available and efficient.
authors.affiliation: Division of Physiotherapy, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden. barbro.krevers@liu.se
authors.forename: Barbro
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Krevers
authors.forename: Birgitta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Oberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003376:Counseling / Q000592:standards; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011786:Quality Control; D011788:Quality of Life; D012144:Respite Care / Q000592:standards*; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden