NursingCrib.com

Posted: 27 Jun 2011 06:27 PM PDT

The rehabilitation of clients requires trained and specialized personnel working closely with them to speed up the recovery and provide certain skills and strategies to encourage one's independence. It is the work of the rehabilitation team to meet these client needs while offering support and encouragement in every step of the way to the client and his or her family.

Responsibilities of the Rehabilitation Team

Rehabilitation team members represent a variety of disciplines. Each member of this team offers a unique contribution and is responsible of performing the following:

Assesses the patient.
Identifies patient needs within the domain of the discipline.
Sets rehabilitative goals.
Meet in group sessions at frequent intervals where they collaborate with each other and evaluate the progress of clients.
Modify goals as needed to facilitate the rehabilitation of clients.

Members of the Rehabilitation Team

PATIENT

The key member of the rehabilitation team is the person receiving the care. Team effort is focused on the patient. It is the patient who determines the final outcomes of the processes. The team sees to it that the patient will perform self-care independently as much as possible while promoting self-respect and an acceptable quality of life. The following responsibilities are expected from the patient:

Participate in setting the goals of his or her rehabilitation process.
Learns to function independently or with minimal help by using his or her remaining abilities.
Learns to adjust to live with his or her disabilities.

FAMILY

Not only is the patient an important part of the rehabilitation process but so as the family where he or she belongs. The family is a dynamic system that is incorporated into the team to speed up patient recovery. When a member of a family is disabled or sick the other family members are affected. By integrating the family into the process of rehabilitation, the family system can adapt to the change in one of its members. The following responsibilities are expected from the family:

Provides ongoing support to the disabled member.
Participates in problem-solving.
Learns to provide necessary ongoing care to the patient.

REHABILITATION NURSE

A therapeutic and supportive relationship is developed by the rehabilitation nurse. By interacting with the family and the patient, the nurse empathizes the patient's assets and strengths. It is the nurse who actively listens to the concerns of the patient and the family. Encouragement and sharing of patient's triumph are also provided by the nurse. The following are the responsibilities expected from a nurse:

Develops a plan of care designed to facilitate rehabilitation. This plan is focused on the restoration and maintenance of optimum health and to prevent possible complications.
Helps the patient identify strengths and past successes to develop new goals.
Assumes the role of a caregiver, teacher, counselor, patient advocate and consultant.
Responsible for coordinating the total rehabilitative plan.