PhysicalTherapy.com Phone: 866-782-6258


Post-Stroke Apathy

Shannon Compton, PT, DPT, NCS, CBIS

July 14, 2020

Share:

Question

What is post-stroke apathy and the clinical features of post-stroke apathy?

Answer

Recently, research has moved towards redefining apathy as a loss of goal-directed behavior, since behavior is something external, which we can both observe and measure. I just wanted to take a moment to recognize how we, as physical therapists frequently describe our patients. So this loss of goal-directed behavior, what does that mean, and how do we typically document it? Think about how many times you have seen or documented yourself that someone has, "poor task initiation", or "poor task persistence" or my favorite, that "they exhibit self-limiting behavior". These phrases describe aspects of apathy, but we're sort of talking around the issue with these phrases. We're not saying that this person has post-stroke apathy or apathetic affect.  I would like to propose to you today is that perhaps we should be documenting things specifically as this patient has an apathetic affect or they have apathy so that we can make sure that not only do they have access to the correct resources or the correct interdisciplinary care team after their stroke but also that we're using that to document why further skilled intervention is necessary or making sure that they make it to the appropriate level of care after their discharge.

Post-stroke apathy occurs in about one-third of patients after a stroke. Clinical features include low motivation, reduced initiation, loss of self-activation, or emotional indifference. There does not seem to be any stronger association between apathy and either ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. And as we know as therapists, optimal stroke recovery involves participating in a high volume of repetition of tasks. So these are the patients with low self-activation, low motivation, and reduced initiation. These are the patients who are going to require extra attention in facilities, whether it be inpatient rehab, skilled nursing, or long term care to ensure that they're being prompted by family, by nursing, by rehab throughout the day to engage in meaningful activities and get the number of repetitions that they need to be able to see optimal recovery. So what factors might indicate to you that someone might have apathy as a co-presentation? Apathy is associated with impaired cognition, typically measured by the MOCA. It's associated with aphasia, lower FIM scores, lower Fugl-Meyer scores, and the presence of neglect. There is no association between apathy and gender, age, chronicity of stroke, or years of education. 
 

What tends to happen to these individuals with apathy? Well, it does not tend to change very much throughout the more acute phases of the stroke, or even over the first year of stroke recovery, it tends to be fairly persistent. And these patients are more likely to be discharged from the acute care hospital to either skilled nursing rather than inpatient or more likely to be discharged to a skilled nursing facility rather than home. And they do tend to require more support From caregivers, whether institutional caregivers or family caregivers because they do have those lower levels of initiation. These individuals also tend to see lower levels of functional recovery irrespective of neurologic recovery.

For more information on post-stroke apathy, check out the course: Post-Stroke Apathy and Depression: Addressing Psychosocial Barriers to Patient Success 


shannon compton

Shannon Compton, PT, DPT, NCS, CBIS

Shannon Compton is a physical therapist with extensive experience in rehabilitation across the continuum of care for individuals with stroke and traumatic brain injury.  She received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She is an ABPTS Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy and a Certified Brain Injury Specialist. She currently practices in outpatient at the Healthy Aging and Neurology clinic of Northwest Rehabilitation Associates in Salem, OR.


Related Courses

Post-Stroke Apathy and Depression: Addressing Psychosocial Barriers to Patient Success
Presented by Shannon Compton, PT, DPT, NCS, CBIS
Recorded Webinar

Presenter

Shannon Compton, PT, DPT, NCS, CBIS
Course: #3694Level: Intermediate2 Hours
  'Very interesting and great content'   Read Reviews
Apathy and depression are two common complications of stroke which can negatively impact a person’s recovery. This course will review possible contributions of psychosocial and neuroanatomical factors to the development of post-stroke apathy and depression, and use case examples to illustrate how physical therapists can overcome these complications to improve patient outcomes. This course is directly related to the practice of physical therapy and is therefore appropriate for the PT/PTA.

Innovative Treatments for Patients Post-Stroke Across the Continuum of Care – Evidence-Based Strategies to Improve Outcomes
Presented by Shannon Compton, PT, DPT, NCS, CBIS
Recorded Webinar

Presenter

Shannon Compton, PT, DPT, NCS, CBIS
Course: #3697Level: Intermediate2 Hours
  'Great video examples'   Read Reviews
This course uses case studies to explore how a program of high-quality, evidence-based, intensive physical therapy can help patients post-stroke achieve their true full potential through applied motor learning and motivational principles. Participants will gain ideas for fostering patient motivation and increasing independence in self-care across a variety of practice settings, with specific ideas for how to modify activities based on equipment and personnel availability – including telehealth applications. This course is directly related to the practice of physical therapy and is therefore appropriate for the PT/PTA.

Mobile Physical Therapy - What Is It and How Do I Do It?
Presented by Rachel Botkin, PT, MPT, Advanced Competency in Home Health
Recorded Webinar

Presenter

Rachel Botkin, PT, MPT, Advanced Competency in Home Health
Course: #4145Level: Intermediate2 Hours
  'Very educational'   Read Reviews
Are you feeling pressure in your home health practice to discharge patients quickly? Do you have a high cancellation/no-show rate in your outpatient practice due to transportation/accessibility issues? The answer to both of these dilemmas may be Mobile PT. This course is directly related to the practice of physical therapy and is therefore appropriate for the PT/PTA.

Caregiving For The Spinal Cord Injury Patient
Presented by Alaena McCool, MS, OTR/L, CPAM
Recorded Webinar

Presenter

Alaena McCool, MS, OTR/L, CPAM
Course: #4921Level: Introductory1 Hour
  'Some good considerations to thinking about the patient as a whole and their caregivers after they leave inpatient rehab and the challenges they will face and resources they will require'   Read Reviews
This course will explore how to identify caregiver challenges, as well as resources and creative problem-solving solutions available for caregivers and patients with spinal cord injuries. Case studies will be discussed at the end of the course to engage providers to think critically and ask questions to advance our treatment plans.

Mindfulness: Beyond Guided Meditation
Presented by Jennifer Stone, PT, DPT, OCS, PHC, TPS, HLC
Recorded Webinar

Presenter

Jennifer Stone, PT, DPT, OCS, PHC, TPS, HLC
Course: #3902Level: Intermediate2 Hours
  'The guided practice was a unique component'   Read Reviews
Mindfulness can be a really powerful cognitive-behavioral tool and has many relevant applications when treating patients with pain, especially chronic pain. Many courses for rehabilitation professionals teach guided meditation, which is an amazing tool. However, mindfulness has many other applications and opportunities for use in the treatment of patients with pain. This session discusses the history and science behind mindfulness, as well as provides a variety of practical mindfulness tools for the everyday practitioner. This course is directly related to the practice of physical therapy and is therefore appropriate for the PT/PTA.

Our site uses cookies to improve your experience. By using our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy.