Rehabilitation of the elderly patient--ways and means.

This paper first considers in retrospect the start made upon rehabilitation in the 1940s. Some of the basic principles of organizing a district geriatric service with potential to rehabilitate its patients are set out. The need for a holistic, multidisciplinary approach is emphasized. The time for starting, and the first measures to apply, are discussed, together with the personnel required, and the necessity for good liaison between all the professions. The paper then discusses the right location for a geriatric rehabilitation department, the combination of a ward and a day hospital, the type of environment to be aimed at within it, and finally the equipment required.