social support after a stroke

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Stroke is the most common cause of long-term disability in the western world. In the Health Survey for England, 2.3% of men and 2.1% of women reported having had a stroke2 . More than 50% of people who survive a stroke are left with physical disabilities3 and 15% with marked communication problems (aphasia)4 . The cost of stroke care exceeds 4% of the NHS expenditure1 . All this suggests that stroke and its resulting disability have a considerable impact in modern society and in health service provision. The National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke1 identify as key aims of stroke rehabilitation: to maximise the clients' sense of well-being/quality of life and their social position/roles. However, few stroke outcome measures tap into these domains. The ones that do, commonly, are not useable with the sub-group of stroke survivors that is most prone to social isolation and exclusion: people with aphasia. This is because aphasia affects people's ability to understand and use language. There are currently three stroke-related quality of life scales: the SS-QOL (Stroke specific quality of life scale5), the SIS (Stroke impact scale6)