Rehabilitation in the Elderly Stroke Patient
Robert W Teasell, MD, FRCPC, Professor and Chair-Chief, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, St Joseph's Health Care, London, University of Western Ontario, London, ON.
Timothy J Doherty, MD, PhD, FRCPC, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON.
Defining Stroke Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation has been defined as an active process by which those disabled by injury or disease can realize their optimal physical, mental and social potential with integration into the most appropriate discharge environment. Comprehensive stroke rehabilitation programs are staffed by a full range of rehabilitation professionals--nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, social workers, recreational therapists and physicians. An interdisciplinary team skilled in the care of stroke patients provides a comprehensive rehabilitation program for each patient. Brandstater and Basmajian,1 and Roth et al.