Introduction to Rehabilitation

Through the process of rehabilitation, a person who has experienced an illness, an accident, or other life-altering events can regain their full capacity to function in society. Rehabilitation aims to assist the disabled person in making the best possible use of his or her remaining abilities in order to function as normally as possible.

Concept of rehabilittion:

There are key ideas that serve as the foundation for rehabilitation practice, including:

• Uniqueness of each individual:
  • The process of rehabilitation involves making the best possible use of a person's abilities or resources in order to promote development and functioning. It values each person's individuality and wholeness and sees each person and environment as interconnected systems. The views, perspectives, support system, age, sex, social relationships, and requirements of the same person with the same problem are all different. The rehabilitation team can offer better support to help the patient reach their goals for recovery when they are aware of their individuality.
• The dynamic nature of the person:
  • The dynamic nature of the rehabilitation process places a strong emphasis on each individual's contribution to the team of medical professionals' decision-making. The actualization of a person's full potential is enhanced by exchange, which is aided by close friends, family, and/or community members. They each have unique powers, and the team is able to reveal both their hidden and present abilities.
• Individual's involvement in decision making:
  • It boosts self-esteem and is a crucial tool for encouraging active involvement in rehabilitation programs. The secret to all activities' success is active participation.

Meaning of Disability:

According to WHO, "Disability is an umbrella term covering impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. Impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations. Thus disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person's body and features of the society in he or she lives"

When referring to a human, the word "disability" is used to describe any condition that makes it difficult to complete daily tasks.

• Physical impairments: Affecting movement, such as muscular dystrophy, post-polio syndrome, spina bifida and cerebral palsy.
• Cognitive impairments: Such as Autism or Down Syndrome.
• Psychiatric conditions: Such as depression and schizophrenia.
• Neurological impairments: Such as epilepsy or dysautonomia.
• Sensory impairments: Such as visual or hearing impairments.

Types of Disability:

• Primary disability:
  • Disabilities that are directly related to disease or injury, or that may only be transitory, such as a fracture that prevents the patient from using the affected bodily part. The function should return whether or not there are any lingering effects.
• Secondary disability:
  • It results directly from immobility or incorrect exercise and is brought on by primary impairment. Effective nursing care and patient education can help to prevent it. As an illustration, consider a pressure sore, a UTI, calculi, contracture, etc.
• Progressive disability:
  • It could be manifested by symptoms returning and making a patient's limitations worse. In a severe type, there may be no symptoms, but the condition deteriorates or gradually becomes worse until death, as in the case of muscular dystrophy.
  • Disability may be transitory, as in the case of a patient with a simple fracture, or it may be permanent, as in the case of amputation.