Healing forward - A guided journal for recovery

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When recovery feels overwhelming, structure helps

Healing Forward is built from lived caregiving experience through JoAnn’s Journey. It gives you one place to capture the details that matter—so appointments, symptoms, medications, therapy goals, and questions for the care team don’t get lost.

This journal helps you:

• Track symptoms and changes over time (so you can spot patterns)
   
• Organize medications, appointments, and follow-ups
   
• Document therapy goals and daily wins (even small ones)
   
• Reduce caregiver “mental load” with a single shared record
   
• Prepare for doctor visits with clearer notes and questions

 Who this journal is for

• Stroke survivors navigating new routines, therapy, and follow-up care
   
• Aneurysm survivors managing recovery and monitoring changes
   
• Brain injury survivors who need structure and encouragement
   
• Caregivers and family members coordinating care across providers
   
• OT/PT/SLP-aligned home recovery support (as guided by clinicians)

What’s inside Healing Forward
Care & recovery tracking

• Daily/weekly check-ins (symptoms, energy, mood, sleep)
   
• Medication and appointment logs
   
• Notes for tests, referrals, and follow-up questions
   

Therapy and progress

• Goal setting (short-term and long-term)
   
• Space to track exercises and milestones
   
• Encouragement prompts to help you stay consistent
   

Caregiver support

• Care plan notes and responsibilities
   
• Contacts list (providers, pharmacy, emergency contacts)
   
• “What worked / what didn’t” pages for smoother transitions

How to start in 10 minutes (simple and doable)

1. Write today’s date and where you are in recovery (hospital, rehab, home).
    
2. List current medications and your next appointment date.
    
3. Write 3 questions you want to ask your care team.
    
4. Choose one small goal for this week (example: a short walk, hydration, one OT exercise).
    
5. Track one win today—no matter how small.

Free companion downloads
To support your journey, you can also download:

• JoAnn’s Journey Stroke Glossary (PDF)
   
• JoAnn’s Journey Aneurysm Glossary (PDF)
   
• JoAnn’s Journey Patient Rights Guide (PDF) JoAnn's Journey
   

Download here: https://joannsjourney.org/downloads JoAnn's Journey

JoAnn’s Journey provides educational resources and is not a substitute for medical advice. If this is an emergency, call 911.