Increase in the functional capacity and quality of life among stroke patients by family caregiver empowerment program based on adaptation model.

The study was quasi-experimental and did not describe random allocation, so groups may have differed in ways not measured. The intervention combined many components, including education, coping, mobility, daily activity training, and caregiver support, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. Functional capacity group scores at the sixth month were not significantly different in the table (P = 0.217), although the repeated-measures analysis reported a significant difference. Quality of life group differences appeared only at the sixth month, not at earlier follow-up points. Family caregivers' ability to facilitate exercises was not measured, so differences in caregiver skill were not considered. The program was tested only in patients with mild to moderate disability, and its effect in complex or severe stroke was not shown. The sample was recruited in Indonesia, with family caregivers under 60, so results may not transfer to other settings. Only 40 patients per group completed the study.

The supplied text does not report funding or conflicts of interest.

Do not read this as proof that caregiver exercise training alone improves stroke recovery. The program combined education, coping, mobility, daily activity training, and caregiver support, and the study was quasi-experimental rather than randomised.