Filipino stroke ICs experience substantial strain primarily driven by work interference and intensive caregiving hours, with spouses and female caregivers disproportionately affected. Interventions should prioritize employment support for female spouses providing prolonged daily care.Implications for rehabilitationInformal caregivers of stroke survivors in the Philippines experience substantial burden, particularly when caregiving interferes with employment and requires intensive daily commitment.Female spouses providing prolonged daily care represent a particularly vulnerable group requiring targeted support from rehabilitation services.Rehabilitation teams should routinely assess caregiver work disruption and daily care hours as part of comprehensive stroke care planning.Employment-focused interventions, such as flexible appointment scheduling and liaison with employers, should be integrated into community-based rehabilitation programs to reduce work-care conflict.Rehabilitation professionals should prioritize training family caregivers in strategies that promote survivor independence and reduce intensive care demands over time.
Ong et al. (Wed,) studied this question.