Review of “Stroke Rehabilitation: A Function-Based Approach” Textbook

I’ve had my hands on an OT book for the past few weeks by Glen Gillen called “Stroke Rehabilitation: A Function-Based Approach.”

The book has already improved my confidence as a clinician working with such a large population of strokes. In this post, I’ll share with you why it’s such a great resource if you’re working with strokes.

Supplement Your Stroke Knowledge

I’d been meaning to purchase the book on Amazon ever since I got my inpatient rehab position in the beginning of the year. I briefly used the book back in OT school a couple of years ago when my thesis group and I were writing our thesis on the effectiveness of the Saeboflex.

After working in the adult rehab setting for the past year with 70% neuro patients, I needed something more to supplement my stroke knowledge.

If you are also working in the adult inpatient or acute rehab setting, you also will more than likely treat your fair share of patients affected by stroke.

While you likely touched on treatments and interventions in school, if you’re anything like me you don’t remember as much as you’d like. We all remember the basic hemi-dressing technique and safe transfer strategies, but there really is so much more to learn if you’re working with this population. 

Stroke Rehabilitation: A Function Based Approach (4th ed.)

Because of this, I definitely suggest picking up a copy of Stroke Rehabilitation: A Function Based Approach (4th ed.). At the time of writing this, there were several very reasonably priced used options via Amazon.

The book is categorized into three extensive sections:

1. Foundations of Stroke Rehabilitation

This section includes pathophysiology/medical management of stroke, the task-oriented approach, activity-based intervention, and improving participation through occupation.

2. Maximizing Participation in Everyday Activities

This includes ADL adaptations, functional mobility, gait awareness, work after stroke, driving/community mobility, parenting, sexual function, and caregiving after stroke.

3. Maximizing Outcomes for Specific Problem Areas Following Stroke

This is the meatiest section which covers the most. Part of what it includes (but is not limited to) psychological aspects of stroke rehab, motor control dysfunction, balance impairments, vestibular rehabilitation, upper extremity function & technologies.

The section also includes orthotic devices, managing visual and visuospatial impairments, treating cognitive-perceptual with function, wheelchair seating/mobility, dysphagia, home modifications, and more.

My New Go-To Book for Working with Strokes

This book is the best comprehensive, evidence-based stroke textbook for Occupational Therapists. It emphasizes function versus less-than-client-centered interventions that we see too often in the clinics.

There are older editions of this book available, but due to the ever-changing research I recommend getting the current 4th Edition to keep up to date.

To learn more about the author, Dr. Glenn Gillen, you can check out his website here to see his extensive experience as an OT working in neurorehabilitation in acute care and inpatient rehabilitation.

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If you purchase the book from this Amazon link, My OT Spot gets a small commission at no additional cost to you and goes to support the day to day operations of the website. I only recommend educational products that I personally use and would recommend to my closest friends.

I hope this review helps if you were on the fence about purchasing the book. It personally has really helped me improve my stroke interventions and become a better clinician with this population.

Have you used this book yourself? I would love to hear about it in the comments!