Generalisation of the effects of leisure rehabilitation for stroke patients.

A randomised controlled trial was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a leisure rehabilitation programme on functional performance and mood. The subjects were randomly allocated to three groups: a leisure rehabilitation group, a conventional occupational therapy group and a control group. The subjects assigned to the leisure and conventional occupational therapy groups received individual treatment at home on discharge from hospital. Baseline assessments were carried out on admission to the study and at 3 and 6 months after discharge from hospital by an assessor who was 'blind' to group allocation. The subjects receiving leisure rehabilitation performed significantly better in mobility and psychological wellbeing than the subjects in the other two groups.