About a quarter of  people who have a stroke are under 65. Work takes up a large part of our normal day. If the person is unable to return to work they may lose contact with friends. A lack structure to the day may lead to boredom or depression. There may be financial losses and a loss of status, which may lead to worries and feelings of a loss of control over their life.

Finding alternatives can take time and in the early stages after stroke the person may be fatigued and cannot cope with full time work. Depending on the type of work, there may be help available from a return to work scheme or vocational rehabilitation. If the employer has an occupational health department it may be useful to keep in touch with them as the person recovers so if the workplace needs to have any adaptations or if phased return to work is a possibility this can be discussed.

For more information please see Topic 4: Care At home – Self help – Getting back to work on this website.