While post-operative rehabilitation is important in hospital, it is equally important to continue this rehabilitation once discharged.
The focus of out-of-hospital rehabilitation is to facilitate a more independent return to activities of daily living (ADL’s).
Basic ADL’s include:
- Toileting
- Grooming
- Dressing
- Eating
- Walking ability
More advanced ADL’s (instrumental) include:
- Shopping
- Earning an income and managing finances
- Transportation
- Cleaning
- Cooking
Out-of-hospital rehabilitation makes use of physiotherapy tools to achieve the above-mentioned tasks by means of manual therapy, electrotherapy, exercises and a variety of other treatment modalities in our “toolbox.”
As first-line practitioners, we rarely require a doctor’s referral thus allowing patients to seek our physiotherapy services of their own accord. This also grants us the ability to assess the patient holistically and refer appropriately to the rest of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) if necessary.
The MDT consists of a wide range of physicians, surgeons and therapists each specializing in different aspects of healthcare that contribute to the well-being of the patient with the intention of maintaining and improving the quality of life of the patient.