Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part A (2025)

Background: Stroke-related hemiplegia causes long-term disability, depression, and reduced quality of life (QoL), particularly among elderly individuals in rural communities. This study evaluated functional status, QoL, and depression in community-dwelling elderly post-stroke hemiplegic patients and examined the relationships between these variables.

Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted on 127 community-dwelling post-stroke hemiplegic patients aged 60-80 years from 12 villages in Ahmednagar district, India. Functional status was assessed using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), QoL using the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (SS-QOL) scale, and depression using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation were used; p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Mean SS-QOL score was 146.64±34.04, reflecting moderate QoL impairment, with marked limitation in mobility, upper extremity function, and work domains. Mean FIM score was 59.59±16.75, indicating substantial dependence in activities of daily living. Mean BDI score was 31.96±3.78, demonstrating predominantly moderate to severe depression in the sample. SS-QOL showed a strong positive correlation with FIM (r = 0.7258, p = 0.0001) and a weaker but significant positive correlation with BDI (r = 0.1308, p = 0.0001)

Conclusion: Elderly community-dwelling hemiplegic patients in rural areas exhibit significantly reduced functional independence and QoL with a high prevalence of depression. Comprehensive rehabilitation programmes integrating functional training and psychological management are essential to enhance independence and QoL in this population.