Rehabilitation and the geriatric patient.

The true challenge in the care of the elderly is to keep people at home, in the community, with a high degree of functional ability. This is beneficial to the individual and, from a financial point of view, to the community and public. Maintenance and restoration of function are best accomplished within a framework that considers the psychosocial and developmental needs of the geriatric patient and in a setting specifically intended for the geriatric rehabilitation patient. Unlike the rehabilitation process in younger age groups, which is often dramatic, successful work with geriatric patients is likely to be subtle, but it will result in a return to the community and allow patients to experience a higher level of satisfaction (both emotional and functional) at the end of their lives. The needs of this population are many, and the health care provider must consider disease, physiologic changes associated with aging, and developmental needs when planning and implementing care. Initial research has pointed to the efficacy of geriatric rehabilitation programs; this would seem to indicate a need for a true specialization in geriatrics within the field of rehabilitation.