〔Abstract〕 Objective To explore the effect of mind map-guided traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation nursing on the selfcare ability and incidence of adverse events in hospitalized elderly stroke patients. Methods A total of 60 elderly stroke patients admitted to Anyuan County People’s Hospital from January 2021 to April 2022 were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 30 cases in each group. The control group received conventional nursing, while the observation group received mind map-guided traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation nursing. The self-care ability and incidence of adverse events, as well as the quality of life, were compared between the two groups. Results After one month of nursing, the scores of the exercise of self-care agency scale (ESCA) in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group, with statistical significance (P < 0.05). The incidence of adverse events in the observation group was 3.33%, which was lower than the 16.67% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). After two months of nursing, the scores of the short form 36 questionaire (SF-36) scale in all dimensions were higher in the observation group than those in the control group, with statistical significance (P < 0.05). Conclusion To improve the self-care ability and reduce the incidence of adverse events in hospitalized elderly stroke patients, the application of mind map-guided traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation nursing has a significant effect and can enhance the quality of life of patients.