Living with stroke : a Wales context

• Main Author: Heyworth-Thomas, Elizabeth Mary
• Other Authors: Robinson, Catherine ; Seddon, Diane
• Published: Bangor University 2018
• Subjects: 300
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.760210

This thesis reports the findings of a doctoral study which sought to explore the everyday lives of survivors of stroke and their caregivers, who live in Wales, UK. Through an exploratory multi-method approach to research, data collected from survivors of stroke, their caregivers, and Stroke Club observations provided in-depth insight into the participants' lives, and the contribution of Stroke Clubs to the personal support networks of the study participants. The findings of this study provide an insight into post-stroke life in Wales. The findings also highlight the value of social enterprise (Stroke Clubs) in the context of supporting survivors of stroke and their caregivers, in the months and years after stroke. The key conclusions of this study are that survivors and caregivers benefit from life-long support. Furthermore, the social enterprise sector provides an avenue of informal support and has the potential to meet the aims of policy makers, by filling the gaps in existing service provision. This thesis contributes to the fields of sociology, social policy, social enterprise, and research methods for research involving vulnerable adults. Recommendations for practitioners, policy makers, and social entrepreneurs are underpinned by the study findings and include suggestions for effective collaboration between the sectors. The limitations of this study are that the sample consisted of eight (of nine) participants who engaged with Stroke Clubs. Therefore, a contrast between those who attended Stroke Club and those who did not could not be established. However, this thesis does form the basis of such study in the future as it highlights what the participants perceive to be benefits of Stroke Club.