Rehabilitation in the elderly.

Prevention of disease should be every physician's goal, however, when primary or secondary prevention fail, rehabilitation of the patient becomes an additional goal. Elderly patient can be as successfully rehabilitated as younger patients, but their special needs are most successfully met by a multidisciplinary team. Almost every patient with a disability warrants a trial of rehabilitation aimed toward placing the patient in the least restrictive environment possible. Rehabilitation is especially useful in patients with arthritis, and following stroke, joint replacement, and amputation.