Mild impairment of cognition impacts on activity participation after stroke in a community-dwelling Australian cohort

Ongoing disability following stroke can severely impact activity participation and quality of life. The authors investigated the association between cognition and mood and activity par ticipation in 30 survivors of stroke living in the community, using quantitative assessment tools. Non-parametric correlation analyses quantified the presence and strength of association between variables. Differences for those with cognitive impairment or with depressive symp toms were investigated. Survivors of stroke with cognitive impairment of even mild severity had significantly reduced participation in all activity domains. Significant differences in activ ity participation were not found with mood, although relatively few were identified as being depressed. The findings suggest that mild cognitive impairment after stroke is associated with participation limitations that are important for occupational therapists to consider when plan ning intervention.