Rewire Your Brain, Rewire Your Life: A Handbook for Stroke Survivors & Their Caregivers [Paperback]

Bob Guns (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1595942629 | ISBN-13: 978-1595942623 | Publication Date: September 26, 2008 | Edition: 1

Breakthroughs in brain-imaging technology (CT scans, fMRIs, etc.) and pioneering brain research show the brain is still capable of learning and changing despite stroke or aging. Such findings give new hope for stroke survivors. That’s why this handbook was written. Rewire Your Brain, Rewire Your Life builds the case for hope, tells the stories of Strong Stroke Survivors and provides sound, practical counsel from Powerful Caregivers. Moreover, it outlines a program- RAISE (Reflect, Analyze, Identify, Start, and Evaluate) that can improve a survivor’s specific capability up to 40% or even higher. This handbook is designed to build capability and hope for those stroke survivors who feel they have reached their limits.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Rewire Your Brain, Rewire Your Life is a handbook for stroke survivors and caregivers. It outlines:

* the reason for hope- stroke survivors, under certain conditions, can pursue a real opportunity to increase their capability (even 50 years after a stroke)

* characteristics of Strong Stroke Survivors- realistic; motivated and optimistic; focused and disciplined; purposeful and determined; and resilient

* personal stories of eleven Strong Stroke Survivors- whose stories are likely to inspire and motivate other survivors struggling with significant 'deficits'

* the role of Powerful Caregivers- how they fulfill the ongoing needs of their survivors by acting as a model, learner, and teacher, and sequentially as an advocate, coach and coordinator (based on interviews with five of these caregivers)

* RAISE, a 3 week self-improvement process- its steps of Reflect, Analyze, Identify, Start, and Evaluate are used to develop a targeted, specific capability

As a stroke and brain surgery survivor myself, I decided to take my own RAISE program before anybody else- to improve my computer keyboard skills. I increased my speed 43% while reducing my error rate 86%.

Since then a number of other stroke survivors have made significant gains in improving some specific capability by applying the RAISE program.

This handbook can open a door of opportunity for stroke survivors who thought that door was closed to them.

About the Author

The author has practiced as teacher, school administrator, coach, lecturer, management trainer, business consultant, publisher, presenter, and author. Along the way, he acquired a Ph.D. and later on, a stroke that required brain surgery.

When initially recovering from his stroke, Bob asked why his life had been spared (about 80% of those who experienced a similar stroke died immediately). His answer? To prevent stroke and help stroke survivors.

Besides working on his own recovery, Bob started up a stroke support group in his community and acts as a `You're the Cure' volunteer advocate for the American Heart & Stroke Association.

Bob's writing career spans business writing (a book, a chapter, and several articles), screenwriting; memoirs (over 70 unpublished pieces so far); and stroke articles in `Stroke Connection' magazine.

Bob currently resides (he has moved 35 times) in Mooresville, NC with his loving, supportive wife, Veronica and two mutually jealous shelties, Danny and Dixie. His son, Kevin, resides in Victoria, Canada, and his daughter, Laura (a model), lives on the most recent flight in or out of Charlotte.

Product Details

• Paperback: 163 pages
• Publisher: WingSpan Press; 1 edition (September 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595942629
• ISBN-13: 978-1595942623
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #192,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Strokes
  • #47 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Physical Impairments

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong Survivors, Powerful Caregivers, October 26, 2008

By 

JMR (VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rewire Your Brain, Rewire Your Life: A Handbook for Stroke Survivors & Their Caregivers (Paperback)

Using the stories of real survivors and caregivers, Dr. Guns has created a simple yet powerful method for rebuilding skills after stroke. It's one of those books that you can refer over and over again.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A step by step approach to assist in the healing process, October 30, 2008

By 

Melissa M. Baker "strokesurvivor" (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rewire Your Brain, Rewire Your Life: A Handbook for Stroke Survivors & Their Caregivers (Paperback)

Dr. Guns has an excellent view of how to approach a new idea to the stroke survivor and empathy for the caregiver, as he is a survivor himself.

He and his program RAISE the hopes and help to revitalize the survivor's outlook on life.
Using basic concepts of Reflect, Analyze, Identify, Start, and Evaluate (RAISE) emphasizes thinking and preparation for obtaining a goal or goals for the stroke survivor, giving both the survivor and the caregiver the written tools, which they themselves create, to follow and remember/review. The key in the program success is for the survivor and the caregiver to create their own plan, not have it pushed at them by someone else.

This program can be used by anyone struggling to set goals along the way to overcoming a challenge.

Having used and continue to use/update the program and my goals as a survivor, it still continues to amaze me at how much these simple steps have improved my life.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rewire Your Brain, Rewire Your Life, November 30, 2008

By 

Charles D. Thorpe "DeanT" (Kansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rewire Your Brain, Rewire Your Life: A Handbook for Stroke Survivors & Their Caregivers (Paperback)

The book was easy to read, understand, and apply. The author gives very practical and extremely useful information for stroke survivors. He understands the issues because he himself is a survivor. The stories in the book were motivating and encouraging.