Puzzles for Stroke Patients: Rebuild Language, Math & Logic Skills to Live a More Fulfilling Life Post-Stroke

Laugh while you learn! I bought this book for my 82 year old father who suffered from a stroke last year. Physically he was regaining movement of his arms and hands with physical therapy. Still he was having trouble remembering things. His doctor suggested trying "Puzzles for Stroke Patients" to exercise and challenge his mind. Now we do 10 to 12 questions from this book every day and Dad has made tremendous improvements in logic , memory and self-esteem . He actually asks to solve problems from his "Thinking Book" as he calls it. It is wonderful to see him so enthusiastic about learning again. As one of his caregivers, I enjoy the fun and laughable tone of many of the questions and puzzles myself. Dad and I have learned dozens of fun facts from this entertaining resource.A Hollywood, movie star theme is used in much of the book which has us reminiscing about all our all-time favorite movies and famous movie stars. Dad was always a big Elvis fan and the Elvis Presley word search is his favorite. I make copies before we solve each puzzle so that we can do them over again. Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis - all of our best loved Hollywood celebrities are there!The Film Trivia pages are great too. We are learning so much. I actually have Dad using the computer again to search the internet for the answers. He was surprisingly good with his desktop before the stroke and now he has an IPad so he can "Google" the missing words in the movie titles, like: Andy Hardy's Private ______. (Go ahead - look it up!)We love remembering old TV Shows. "I Love Lucy", "All in the Family" and "Mash" were shows we never missed. Dad also loves British Comedy and the "Keeping Up Appearances" word search puzzle had me, Dad and his other caregiver, Violet (yes, really) hysterical recollecting the antics of Hyacinth Bucket (Bouquet) and her family.The Art Therapy coloring pages were difficult for Dad at first, even so, he enjoyed the fun traffic signs and strange facts on those pages, like the French sign from Canada about watching out for collisions with moose! Now that his manual dexterity has improved, he whips thru the coloring exercises like a pro.Sudoku number logic puzzles were a big challenge for me and Dad (even before the stroke). To get us started, I look up the answers and fill in several of the 3x3 groups. In the beginning we needed to cheat on about 5 3x3's, but now we are down to only 3. We are working on it!! Dad is certain he will be able to do Sudoku on his own in a matter of weeks.The author of "Puzzles for Stroke Patients" must have travelled extensively in the US and Europe. There are photo picture puzzles from all over globe, including Paris. This book has it all, even the word square puzzles have the added Words of the Wise sayings on each page and the 10 letter word searches also quizzes you on US state capitals. The more Dad and I use this book, the more we love it - it never gets boring - we laugh and learn with clever challenges every day!

I’ve worked in healthcare for many years as a certified activity director. I’ve worked closely with therapy departments in multiple rehabilitation centers, and I truly wish I had found this resource much sooner.“Puzzles for Stroke Patients” offers a variety of puzzles, brain teasers, and creative/educational opportunities for individuals recovering from a stroke. The author has created a resource for patients at each and every stage of their recovery journey. From simple math problems and word search puzzles to thought-provoking questions and complex word games, Toth includes over a dozen types of puzzles. There’s truly something for everyone.While patients can certainly complete many of the puzzles on their own, I’d highly recommend completing them with a loved one or caregiver. The book is quite big—the large print version has 458 pages, so you can easily skip any sections that may be too challenging and save them for later with absolutely no worry of running out of engaging activities.I particularly love that Toth includes adult coloring pages. While these pages do have basic instructions, coloring gives patients a respite from complex word games and puzzles, reducing any frustration or fatigue.I do recommend using a pencil with an eraser for the word problems, as some of the puzzles require trial and error, such as the “Joy with Words” sections.Many resources that I’ve used to help stroke patients are monotonous, leaving the patient uninspired and bored. The patient may experience memory problems and/or difficulty concentrating. “Puzzles for Stroke Patients” changes things up frequently, warding off boredom and keeping the patient engaged.While this book will certainly be helpful for any and all stages of recovery, I’d recommend working on these puzzles within the first 3 months of recovery, which is the timeframe in which patients see the most improvement.I’d also encourage patients to skip around and complete the pages that pique their interest. With that being said, some of my favorite puzzles wound up being the ones I initially skipped, such as the “find and circle” pages. I’ve included a photo of one of these puzzles with my review.I’d like to thank the author for this excellent stroke recovery resource. Many people desperately want to help their loved one, but have no idea where to start. In addition to helping the stroke victim, this book has the ability to bring people together. Post-stroke can be a very isolating time for patients, often resulting in depression, which can impede recovery. Connection is often the antidote to the hopelessness and sadness patients often experience.To loved ones: This book is a gift that will not only work as a recovery aid, but also strengthen the bond between you and your loved one. Rather than simply giving this book to the patient, please use it to work with them in tandem. There’s no better gift than time and connection.I’m thankful this resource exists.

This book sounded like it would be just the ticket to help my partner in recovering from his aphasic stroke, but we were disappointed in it. Yes, there are a huge number of puzzles and exercises packed into it, and some of them are possibly useful, but instructions were confusing, there seemed little overall system or organization, and the whole thing seemed rather slapdash. Many of the exercises assumed factual knowledge the reader/patient might not have rather than be simply skill-based, and --worst of all for a book aimed at language recovery-- there were numerous typos, as though the author had not given the book a second look after compiling it.

Utterly cr*p. Utterly cr*p. Utterly cr*p. Utterly cr*p. !Apart from a handful of pages for colouring in, it is pages and pages of exactly the same kind of 4x4 or 5x5 grid letter-puzzle. The kind of stuff you can get at any newsagent or pound shop.I can't convey how bad this is. Other than it is simply page after page of exactly the same thing. The author allegedly has a Masters, no, two Master's degree's (MA, MPhil), but they can't be used in this book. I have *literally* seem the same type puzzles in newsagents for a quid or two.Don't waste your money - Go the pound shop, buy the same kind of stuff there, and maybe your stroke patient would actually have a chance of picking it up (rather than this brick) and doing some of the puzzles.Cr*ptastic

They are terrible!

great although maybe a bit too heavy and bulky

Excellent book that I would highly recommend to anyone who needs a little extra help with a stroke patient or brain trauma. I gave only 4 star as I live in Canada and some of the references within the book are not widely understood unless you are from the USA and can therefor be frustrating for a stroke patient. Otherwise the book is very large and for the few references made of presidents etc would not deter me from purchasing again.

my mom had a mild stroke and she says the book is helpful. All the references are American, but it can still be enjoyed