Advantages and Disadvantages of the Home Setting for Therapy: Views of Patients and Therapists

A qualitative study was undertaken to explore patients' views and perceptions of a home-delivered therapy service. Fifteen subjects with hemiplegia were recruited from one health district, 10 women and 5 men. All subjects had experienced at least three consecutive sessions of both home-delivered therapy and hospital-based therapy in the preceding 18 months. A semi-structured interview was undertaken with each subject. Transcribed data were analysed using the grounded theory approach (Glaser and Strauss 1967). Five main themes were identified: ‘Convenience’, ‘Therapeutic environment’, ‘Social contact’, ‘Control’ and ‘Grateful recipient?’ Two discussion groups were held with six therapists after the data collection phase to explore their perceptions of the themes emerging from the interviews. The subjects identified convenience and being comfortable within the home as two significant advantages of home therapy. The therapists highlighted the greater relevancy of the home environment for intervention and goal setting. The disadvantages identified by the subjects included the lack of equipment and floor space and the demotivating effect of the home setting. The therapists identified the difficulty of determining control within a therapy session. The study demonstrated that the assumptions about the advantages and disadvantages of community-based rehabilitation services made by service providers are not necessarily experienced by the users of such services.