Television as a Sensemaking Cue in Post-Stroke Recovery: Stroke Survivors' Interpretations of Health Messages in a Community-Based Rehabilitation Setting

This study examines how stroke survivors interpret healthy lifestyle messages from Metro TV's Go Healthy television program in a community-based rehabilitation setting. Using a qualitative interpretive approach and Karl E. Weick's perspective of understanding, the study positions stroke not simply as a medical event but as a disruption that alters survivors' bodies, routines, social relationships, identities, and recovery expectations. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and documentation involving stroke survivors in the KRESHNA rehabilitation community. Findings indicate that television health messages function as meaningful cues rather than linear media stimuli. Survivors selectively attend to physician explanations, simple medical language, dietary advice, physical activity guidance, medication adherence, and stress management messages. The community also plays a crucial role as a space to validate, discuss, and maintain the meaning of health. The study concludes that television can support post-stroke recovery when its messages are socially interpreted and translated into practical routines.