61 patients with hemiplegia who had undergone hospital rehabilitation were examined 1 year later and 29 patients after an interval of 10--11 years. Special attention was paid to improvements and relapses with respect to walking ability, personal care, and social situation. The investigation showed that 62% of personal living on their own made progress in the activities of daily life; there were no relapses. 14% of those living in a family showed improvement while 29% relapsed. Of patients living in nursing homes only 5% showed improvement, while there were relapses in 42% of cases. The percentages of cases showing improvement (or relapses) with respect to walking ability are as follows: 20% (7.5%), 30% (22%) and 0% (21%). 32% of the patients had regular physiotherapy sessions. A change in the social situation had resulted for 50%; many of these were lonely and missed visitors. Persons looking after themselves showed the best prognosis following rehabilitation.