Institutional Review Board of the university and each participating facility. All

participants were recruited from an ongoing stroke registry. This secondary analysis was

approved by the University of Florida Health Science Center Institutional Review Board.

 This analysis did not examine differences between intervention and usual care

groups. Rather we examined the differences in ADLs, IADLs, and social participation

between those who did and did not successfully advance to the next ambulation

classification as portrayed by Perry et al. [9]. For example, the participants considered

successful, transitioned from an initial gait velocity of less than 0.4 m/s to 0.4 to 0.8 m/s

or faster or they advanced from an initial gait velocity between 0.4 to 0.8 m/s to greater

than 0.8 m/s. Gait velocity was measured at baseline and repeated at 3 months.

Participants

 All participants were selected from one of 17 medical facilities, all of which were

partaking in an ongoing Kansas City Stroke Registry. All those registered gave informed

consent and permission to be screened for eligibility for future research studies. Those

eligible for the registry had a confirmed diagnosis of a stroke within 3-28 days, were over

age 50, and lived within a 50-mile radius. Registry exclusion criteria included the

following: subarachonoid hemorrhage, being lethargic, obtunded, or comatose,

uncontrolled blood pressure, hepatic or renal failure, NYHA III/IV heart failure, known

limited life expectancy, or pre-stroke disability in self care; or previously lived in a

nursing home prior to the stroke.

 Those in the registry were eligible to be screened for this randomized clinical trial.

Inclusion for the parent clinical trial included: (1) stroke within 30-150 days, (2) ability to

ambulate 25 feet independently, (3) mild to moderate stroke deficits defined by a Fugl-

Meyer score of 29 to 90 for upper and lower extremities, an Orpington Prognostic Scale