THE ESSENCE PROJECT

ESSENCE TERMS

Rehabilitation


[SOURCE: Glanz A and Knapp M (2017) Understanding substantive and theoretical issues in long-term care. Glossary of key terms. From: Social Protection Investment in Long-Term Care Project, HORIZON 2020 - Grant Agreement No 649565. European Union. (The resource is accessible here)]

Rehabilitation is a process or action (service, therapy or training) to restore someone to health or normal life following illness or disability or (in other contexts) after imprisonment or addiction. It helps the individual to regain lost skills and independence (fully or partly). The World Health Organization website (accessed 10 February 2017) defines rehabilitation of people with disabilities as ‘a process aimed at enabling them to reach and maintain their optimal physical, sensory, intellectual, psychological and social functional levels. Rehabilitation provides disabled people with the tools they need to attain independence and self-determination.’ A Cochrane review of physical rehabilitation operationaliased the concept as ‘Physical rehabilitation was defined as those interventions that aim to maintain or improve physical function’ (Crocker et al. 2013).

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