Birmingham, England

When it comes to home health care, it's not only the patient who needs attention. The caregiver needs a helping hand, too - and the caregiver who gets one copes better.

That's the conclusion of a study by the University of Birmingham, which at hospital discharge assigned 267 stroke victims and their families to receive either normal care or special care from a support group sponsored by England's Stroke Association.

Six months later, the caregivers who had received support - home and hospital visits, phone calls and information - rated higher in mental and physical function, energy and vitality, general health and quality of life compared with those who had not.

In another study regarding stroke victims, researchers found that those treated in special stroke units fared better than those treated at home or by stroke teams in general hospital wards.

The study, by Guy's, King's and St. Thomas' School of Medicine in London, shows that patients who received care in a specialized stroke unit "were less likely to die or be institutionalized compared with those managed at home or managed by the stroke team (in hospital wards)." They also had fewer disabilities and were more likely to live independently a year after their stroke, the report says.