[Future developmental perspectives in rehabilitation and after care of the elderly]

Abstract

It has now become imperative to organize a differentiated system for geriatric rehabilitation in the Federal Republic of Germany. However, the increasing predominance of diagnostic and therapeutic principles suggests that the holistic vision once associated with "geriatrics" may become of secondary importance as a result of the transfer of treatment strategies from the intensive care sector. The complexity of the everyday person-environment interfaces of chronically ill elderly persons in need of nursing services stands in contrast to the way the success of rehabilitation is still understood in terms of clinical criteria. With respect to future developments, ideas for geriatric rehabilitation and, in particular, follow-up care are being developed that are defined in terms of criteria that have to be newly developed--wide-ranging rather than narrowly conceived criteria--related to rehabilitation objectives that also have to be redefined, namely quality of life, effectiveness and a broad promotion of health. An understanding of geriatric rehabilitation practice defined in this way relating to everyday situations can be expected to yield a high degree of quality assurance in view of the assumed criteria of broadly defined success.