The American Stroke Association estimates that about 4,800,000 stroke survivors are alive today and about 700,000 people have a new or recurrent stroke each year.  After a Stroke: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier is addressed to this wide audience.  Because hospital and rehabilitation stays after a stroke have become shorter over recent years, this book focuses on the recovery process at home.  It helps individuals and their families make the transition from patient back to a person.  The information in this book is also very applicable and useful for persons with traumatic brain injuries as well as brain tumors or brain infections because of its emphasis on practical strategies at home and in the community.

  The author, a twelve-year stroke survivor and nurse, gives readers tips that she learned and used during her recovery.  She addresses topics such as communication, emotional lability, safety issues, personal care, relaxation techniques, and intimacy.  Tips cover everything from dressing, hair care, cooking, and airline travel to using a computer and managing pain.  There are strategies for how to accomplish daily living routines, combat fatigue, enjoy recreational activities, and how to turn deficits into assets.  Changes in self-esteem are frankly discussed along with the use of humor as a healing tool. No subject is off limits.  Hutton leaves no gaps in relating what families and fellow survivors need to know to live a full life again.

  With over 300 tips to help survivors, this book offers tried and true methods for coping with the aftermath of a stroke  or any acquired brain injury.  It is a very useful reference guide and can be read in sections depending on the reader's area of interest.  The book's mission is to foster independence for people living with stroke and promote healing through a positive outlook.  After a Stroke is an essential tool for all survivors and their families.