Stroke is one of the major causes of neurological disturbances. Efforts have been made in order to reestablish of patients’ lives. Functional assessment can help Physical Therapists on their practice for neurological cases, giving guidance for the patient’s evolution after stroke. The aim of this study was to apply two functional assessments: Barthel Index and Functional Status on thirty patients who suffered from stroke and were sent to Physical Therapy at University of Sacred Heart. These indexes to check on the changes were applied before and after eighteen Physical Therapy sessions. The results obtained from Barthel Index demonstrated that patients’s score went from M1 (pre-therapy) to M2 (post-therapy), indicating improvement. For functional status the lower the score received, the better is the performance, and there was a decrease on the scores from M1 to M2, representing better performance of patients. Lower scoring demonstrated more functional independence performing daily dutis. By using and analysing these assessments it was possible to detect loss of functions and to conduct the therapy sessions based on patients’ real difficulties. Functional assessments must be used to help Physical Therapists to think about therapy, and also to offer measurable aids important to visualize and systematize a follow-up of patients.

KEY WORDS: physical therapy; stroke; functional status; Everyday activities