A survey to assess customized safety harness for home-based dance training in patients with chronic stroke.

BACKGROUND
Early dance-based exergaming (DBExG) trials in people with chronic stroke (PwCS) have shown promising results, but there remains a lack of knowledge if PwCS are interested in receiving such training at their home and the applicability of a fall protection safety harness in the home environment.


OBJECTIVE
To survey people with chronic stroke to understand the perspective and preference of a customized safety harness for DBExG (ShA - DBExG) to provide home-based rehabilitation.


METHODS
Participants were included in this survey study if they had a stroke, lived in the community and understood English. Participants completed a study-specific safety harness survey via mail, in-person, or online. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and survey responses.


RESULTS
One hundred and two survey responses were returned. The majority of participants voted for a door mountable harness (51%), side release style buckle (58%), and preferred to receive a manual to explain how to use the harness (51%). Seventy-eight percent of the participants required permission to install or use a harness system in their home. Over half of the participants preferred exhibiting independence by strapping the harness themselves (68%), along with choosing to live independently (the ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, comfortably, and can also perform their activities of daily living, regardless of physical ability level) (89%).


CONCLUSIONS
People with chronic stroke opted to use ShA DBExG at their homes. The current survey serves as a guideline to develop, customize, and prescribe home-based ShA DBExG rehabilitation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.