New Stroke Rehabilitation Guidelines Released by AHA/ASA

SAN FRANCISCO - Amzeal -- The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association today released the 2026 Guideline for Adult Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery (https://newsroom.heart.org/news/stroke-rehab-sh...), the first comprehensive update in a decade. Stroke Onward (https://strokeonward.org/), a national nonprofit supporting the emotional journey in recovery, welcomes the new guidance and applauds it for naming emotional recovery and carepartner support as central to healing.

The guideline replaces the 2016 version and reframes recovery as more than physical restoration. It better describes recovery as non-linear where stroke survivors "reconstruct identity and gradually reconnect with meaningful roles and relationships." The guideline also names carepartner education, training, and well-being as critical to recovery, and recommends mental health screening for depression and anxiety throughout rehabilitation, not just during initial hospital stays and early treatment.

"After my stroke, I could find world-class physical and occupational therapy. What I could not find was help for the hardest part, which is rebuilding identity, adapting to a changed life, and finding new meaning," said Debra Meyerson, PhD, stroke survivor and co-founder of Stroke Onward. "These guidelines solidify the truth that stroke survivors have been living. Recovery is not a return to a previous self, it is the development of a new one."

"For more than a decade our family has lived the reality that a stroke happens to a whole family, not just one person," said Steve Zuckerman, co-founder of Stroke Onward and carepartner to his wife, Dr. Meyerson. "These guidelines finally name what carepartners have long needed: education, training, and support for the people who walk this road alongside survivors. When carepartners are supported, recovery is stronger for everyone."

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Stroke Onward has championed emotional recovery in national rehabilitation guidance since its founding in 2019. Meyerson and Zuckerman have authored columns for the American Stroke Association since 2020, including "The Hardest Part of My Recovery (https://www.stroke.org/en/stroke-connection/stroke-onward/the-hardest-part-of-my-recovery)" and "Did We Have a Stroke? (https://www.stroke.org/en/stroke-connection/stroke-onward/did-we-have-a-stroke)" about the carepartner journey. Their book, "Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke (https://strokeonward.org/identity-theft-book/), Second Edition" has reached survivors, carepartners, and clinicians worldwide, and serves as the grounding text for the creation and work of Stroke Onward.

The new 2026 guidelines were written by volunteers, including two stroke survivors, and are a deeply welcomed publication that will improve both the physical and emotional wellbeing of the nearly 800,000 people who have a stroke annually, in the United States.

The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association today released the 2026 Guideline for Adult Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery (https://newsroom.heart.org/news/stroke-rehab-sh...), the first comprehensive update in a decade. Stroke Onward (https://strokeonward.org/), a national nonprofit supporting the emotional journey in recovery, welcomes the new guidance and applauds it for naming emotional recovery and carepartner support as central to healing.

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The guideline replaces the 2016 version and reframes recovery as more than physical restoration. It better describes recovery as non-linear where stroke survivors "reconstruct identity and gradually reconnect with meaningful roles and relationships." The guideline also names carepartner education, training, and well-being as critical to recovery, and recommends mental health screening for depression and anxiety throughout rehabilitation, not just during initial hospital stays and early treatment.

"After my stroke, I could find world-class physical and occupational therapy. What I could not find was help for the hardest part, which is rebuilding identity, adapting to a changed life, and finding new meaning," said Debra Meyerson, PhD, stroke survivor and co-founder of Stroke Onward. "These guidelines solidify the truth that stroke survivors have been living. Recovery is not a return to a previous self, it is the development of a new one."

"For more than a decade our family has lived the reality that a stroke happens to a whole family, not just one person," said Steve Zuckerman, co-founder of Stroke Onward and carepartner to his wife, Dr. Meyerson. "These guidelines finally name what carepartners have long needed: education, training, and support for the people who walk this road alongside survivors. When carepartners are supported, recovery is stronger for everyone."

Stroke Onward has championed emotional recovery in national rehabilitation guidance since its founding in 2019. Meyerson and Zuckerman have authored columns for the American Stroke Association since 2020, including "The Hardest Part of My Recovery" and "Did We Have a Stroke?" about the carepartner journey. Their book, "Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke, Second Edition" has reached survivors, carepartners, and clinicians worldwide, and serves as the grounding text for the creation and work of Stroke Onward.

The new 2026 guidelines were written by volunteers, including two stroke survivors, and are a deeply welcomed publication that will improve both the physical and emotional wellbeing of the nearly 800,000 people who have a stroke annually, in the United States.