title: Study of the Recovery Patterns of Elderly Subacute Stroke Patients in an Interdisciplinary Neurorehabilitation Unit.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study seeks to establish the facts of the improvement over time in elderly poststroke patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was performed with regard to 106 subacute stroke patients aged older than 65 years, who were treated in an interdisciplinary neurorehabilitation unit. Three assessment points were established (on admission, 6 months post-onset, and 12 months post-onset), with the scores relative to 10 assessment scales having been collected at each point.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By means of a principal component analysis, a first component was obtained, which is taken to represent a combined index of the 10 scales and to express the overall health status of the patient. An analysis of variance of this first component enabled a clear improvement trend to be identified, with this being more marked during the first 6-month period (72.7%) than the second 6-month period (27.3%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The elderly stroke patients underwent an interdisciplinary rehabilitation program lasting 1 year, experimented an initial period of rapid recovery during the first 6 months followed by a less marked period of improvement. However, no stabilization period in the patients' progress was found.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Physiotherapy, Department de Physiotherapy, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain. Electronic address: laura.lopez@uv.es.
authors.forename: Mercè
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balasch I Bernat
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Statistics and Operational Research and Quality, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Sebastià
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Balasch I Parisi
authors.affiliation: Neurorehabilitation Service at Hospitales NISA Valencia al Mar, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Noé Sebastián
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Physiotherapy, Department de Physiotherapy, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Lirios
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dueñas Moscardó
authors.affiliation: Neurorehabilitation Service at Hospitales NISA Valencia al Mar, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ferri Campos
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Physiotherapy, Department de Physiotherapy, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lopez-Bueno
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000066530:Neurological Rehabilitation; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Elderly people; outcome assessment scales; rehabilitation; stroke