Supportive Environmental Design for Post-stroke Rehabilitation: A Participatory Concept Mapping Study
Marie Elf, Ruby Lipson-Smith, Laila de Vries, Hélène Pessah-Rasmussen, Frida Smith, Maya KylénPurpose
To explore home and neighborhood environment aspects that support post-stroke rehabilitation.
Background
The design of healthcare environments influences rehabilitation outcomes, however, evidence for outpatient contexts, particularly the home and neighborhood remain limited.
Method
We used descriptive statistics and cluster analysis to explore stakeholders’ perspectives on environmental factors that support rehabilitation and to identify patterns in how environmental features were organized and rated.
Results
Several home and nearby environmental features were clustered around engagement in rehabilitation and participation in everyday activities. Patterns suggested that accessibility, proximity to routine services, and opportunities for social contact tended to co-occur with higher perceived support for rehabilitation.
Conclusions
The immediate environment appears to play a role in community-based recovery after stroke, with design, social context, and care processes intertwined. The findings highlight that many feasible actions such as strengthening communication, ensuring adaptive home environments, and improving neighborhood accessibility can help align housing and local planning with everyday rehabilitation after stroke. While recognizing the exploratory nature of the findings, architectural planners and healthcare practitioners could draw on these insights to inform housing planning and more inclusive environments.