Rehabilitation of the geriatric patient. Stroke rehabilitation, the rehabilitation team, and the usefulness of functional assessment.

Salient features of rehabilitation in the elderly are illustrated through the case history of a stroke patient. The efforts of the multidisciplinary rehabilitation team and the consideration of alternative settings and levels of care are critical factors in the restoration and preservation of function in the elderly. Systematic functional assessment, using instruments such as the Barthel index, is recommended to document patient outcomes.