Rehabilitation has been defined as “the combined and coordinated use of medical, social, educational and vocational measures for training and retraining the individual to the highest possible level of functional ability”

1. REHABILITATION
T.NARMATHAN
REG NO: 2012/FM/069
FACULTY OF MEDICINE
UNIVERSITY OF JAFFNA

2. Intervention
Health promotion Specific protection
Early diagnosis
and treatment
Disability
limitation
Rehabilitation

3. Definition
• Rehabilitation of people with disabilities is 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. (WHO)
• Rehabilitation has been defined as “the combined and coordinated
use of medical, social, educational and vocational measures for
training and retraining the individual to the highest possible level
of functional ability” (WHO (1969) Techn.Rep.Ser., No.419)

4. • It includes all measures aimed at reducing the impact of disabling and
handicapping conditions and at enabling the disabled and handicapped
to achieve social integration.
• Social integration has been defined as the active participation of
disabled and handicapped people in the mainstream of community life.
• Previously rehabilitation is looked upon as extra curricular activity of
a physician. But now it is the responsibility of a doctor to restore and
retain the patient to live and work within the limits of his disability but
to the hilt of his capacity.
• The purpose of rehabilitation is to make productive people out of non-
productive people. “Health for All” by 2000AD aimed at providing
“rehabilitation for all”.

5. • Rehabilitation medicine has emerged in recent years as a medical
specialty. It involves disciplines such as:
 physical medicine or physiotherapy
 occupational therapy
 speech therapy
 audiology
 psychology
 education
 social work
 vocational guidance and placement services.

6. The following areas of concern in rehabilitation have been
identified:
a. Medical rehabilitation
• restoration of function
b. Vocational rehabilitation
• restoration of the capacity to earn a livelihood.
c. Social rehabilitation
• restoration of family and social relationships.
d. Psychological rehabilitation
• restoration of personal dignity and confidence.

7. Examples of Rehabilitation
 Establishing schools for blind people.
 Provision of aids for the crippled, reconstructive surgery in leprosy.
 Muscle reeducation and graded exercise in neurological disorders like
polio.
 Change of profession for a more suitable one and modification of life in
general in the case of TB, cardiac patients and others.

8. • Now rehabilitation is a difficult and demanding task that seldom gives
totally satisfactory results.
• It needs enthusiastic cooperation form different segments of society as
well as expertise, equipment and funds not readily available for this
purpose even in affluent societies.
• It is further recognized that interventions at earlier stages are more
feasible, will yield results, and are less demanding of scarce resources.

9. References
 WHO (1969) Techn.Rep.Ser., No.419
 WHO (1981) Techn.Rep.Ser., No.668
 WHO (1984). World health, May 1984

10. Thank you