Stroke is a major cause of mortality in the community and the most common cause of disability. At one year, a third of patients who have had a stroke have died, and 37% of survivors are dependent. In the acute phase of ischaemic stroke, patients should receive thrombolysis (within 4.5 hours of stroke onset), aspirin (within 48 hours of onset), and early access to a stroke unit. Care in a stroke unit significantly reduces the risk of death or dependency irrespective of stroke severity. A multidisciplinary team to manage the range of problems after stroke (e.g. swallowing difficulties, communication problems, mobility) is central to rehabilitation. Much rehabilitation is orientated toward physical function whereas returning to their social roles is more important to patients. While the emphasis of rehabilitation is on targeted therapy interventions to improve function and finding compensatory strategies to increase independence--the goal of community exercise is to improve general physical fitness and activity levels. The marked loss of physical fitness evident in stroke survivors can be at least partly reversed by physical fitness training, and leads to improvements in physical function. Group exercise also improves self-confidence and social integration. Pharmacological therapies play a key role in secondary prevention, and must be started as soon as possible to reduce the risk of early recurrence.