LIVING WITH THE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES 11-13 YEARS AFTER STROKE: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

Objective: To follow up an original research project of persons 11-13 years after stroke, in order to describe and understand the impact of stroke on everyday life experienced during these years. Design: Eleven persons who had had a stroke were interviewed 11-13 years after the original research project. Data were collected and analysed using the empirical phenomenological psychological method. Results: Three main characteristics were identified from analysis of participants' experiences during the years after stroke: (i) going through the loss of the previous life; (ii) struggling to reclaim the former existence; (iii) finding meaning in a "new" and different world. Conclusion: This study provides an understanding of the complexity of the lost connection between body and world occurring for a long time after stroke. This understanding provides support for the need for long-term and intermittent support and guidance to enable the re-creation of meaning and participation in everyday life in order to find a "new" self-identity after stroke, especially among persons with residual cognitive impairment.