Rehabilitation refers to the restoration of an individual to a previous a health status. Thus, in terms of health care, it can refer to the many different facets of health – it can refer to drug rehabilitation, physical rehabilitation and psychiatric rehabilitation.
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the process of medical therapeutic treatment for the dependency on substances such as alcohol and street drugs, such as cocaine and heroine. Drug and alcohol addicts suffer not only in terms of their health but also their status, as they may find it hard to adjust to the norms of society. Therefore rehabilitation focuses not only on the physiological dependence, but also the social re-integration.
Physical rehabilitation focuses on restoring optimal function to people with injuries to the muscles, bones, tissues and nervous system. Conditions that are treated by rehabilitation therapists include amputation, sports injuries, spinal cord injuries and stroke. Some people may not be able to achieve full restoration of level of function. In those cases, the emphasis is on optimization of the quality of life and learning to function within limitations placed upon them by their condition.
Psychiatric rehabilitation restores the functioning and well-being of an individual diagnosed with a mental disorder and who may be considered to have a psychiatric disability. It often includes evoking changes in a person's environment and their ability to deal with the environment to help improve symptoms.
It should be emphasized again that the aim of rehabilitation is to achieve wellness, whether it is in health or social integration. It is extremely important to restore individuals to a normal and useful life.
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