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Rehab is a common word for rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is a process through which an individual may recover from an injury or illness in order to regain function, mobility, and optimal health. Multiple forms of rehabilitation are available for consumers today, and each focuses on different goals. Rehabilitation is also designed to teach strategies that help individuals overcome challenges caused by physical, mental, or emotional issues.
Common Forms of Rehabilitation
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Physical
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Emotional
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Drug addiction
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Alcoholism
Physical rehabilitation is designed for individuals suffering from injuries such as fractures, stroke, amputations, spinal cord damage or dysfunction, cardiac conditions, and any other illness or injury that reduces mobility and function. The goal of physical rehabilitation is to increase range of motion, mobility, function and quality of life.
Emotional rehabilitation may be considered a form of psychiatric or psychotherapies, designed to help individuals overcome abuse, fears, and phobias. Drug addiction rehabilitation and alcoholism rehabilitation begin with the process of detoxification, which basically reads the body of harmful and toxic substances before new lifestyle, habits and issues can be dealt with through group, drive it, or exposure type rehabilitative procedures, treatments and programs.
Who Performs Rehabilitative Services?
Rehabilitative therapists and experts may be involved in a wide range of fields and services. Some of the most common include but are not limited to:
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Physiotherapists
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Occupational therapists
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Speech pathologists
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Social workers
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Rehabilitation nurses
In most cases, individuals are referred to a rehabilitation facility to their family physician, a hospital, or other health agencies and professionals. The design and function of the rehabilitation specialist or team will depend on the need of the individual. For example, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center offers advice on treatments as well a substance-abuse rehabilitation programs available to the community. Physical and occupational rehabilitation is designed to restore function and mobility the injured individuals, while a cardiac rehab specialist will work with individuals who have suffered from heart attacks or stroke to regain mobility and function caused by lack of oxygen to various body organs or parts as well as helping to restore the strength of the cardiac muscle itself. Cardiac rehabilitation is medically supervised and includes education on heart healthy living, exercise training and proper diet and nutrition for optimal health benefits. Rehabilitative nursing is a field in which nurses aid individuals who have been affected by physical disabilities or chronic illnesses. Such care helps individuals adapt to current limitations or disabilities as well as achieve reasonable goals and enhanced function in mental and physical capabilities.
Who Benefits from Rehabilitation?
Anyone who has been injured in an accident or has suffered from musculoskeletal or neural damage caused by illnesses or disease processes may benefit from physical and occupational rehabilitative services. Those addicted to drugs or alcohol also benefit from rehab programs designed to encourage individuals to undergo detoxification programs that enable new lifestyles and habits to form without relying on drugs or alcohol to function.
Cost of Rehabilitation Services
the cost of any type of rehabilitative service or program will depend on the needs of any given individual. Physical and occupational therapy may be covered by health insurance plans in the United States if injuries are covered under that plan. Drug, alcohol or other substance abuse programs may or may not be covered. Depending on need, rehabilitation services may cost anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars for treatment. Individuals seeking rehabilitative services in foreign destinations such as Europe, South Africa, South America, and Asia are able to save enormous sums of money. Most international medical destinations offer between 20% and 70% discounts on services as opposed to those performed in the United States. This is not because services are substandard, but because medical malpractice insurance and healthcare costs in foreign destinations are less expensive than those in the United States.
Who Performs Rehabilitative Services?
Rehabilitative services should be performed by trained and certified therapists who specialize in their field. Occupational and physical therapists should be long to associations or organizations such as the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, or specialize in rehabilitation and recovery, disabilities, vocational rehabilitation or others that have been certified and accredited by the country of origin as well as those countries in which the physician practices.
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