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Comment
. 2019 Nov;67(11):2398-2401.
doi: 10.1111/jgs.16128. Epub 2019 Aug 28.

Rehabbed to Death: Breaking the Cycle

Lynn A Flint  1   2 , Daniel David  3 , Joanne Lynn  4 , Alexander K Smith  1   2
Affiliations
Comment

Rehabbed to Death: Breaking the Cycle

Lynn A Flint et al. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2019 Nov.

Abstract

Many older adults transfer from the hospital to a post-acute care (PAC) facility and back to the hospital in the final phase of life. This phenomenon, which we have dubbed "Rehabbing to death," is emblematic of how our healthcare system does not meet the needs of older adults and their families. Policy has driven practice in this area including seemingly benign habits such as calling PAC facilities "rehab." We advocate for practice changes: (1) calling PAC "after-hospital transitional care," rather than "rehab"; (2) adopting a serious illness communication model when discussing new care needs at the end of a hospitalization; and (3) policies that incentivize comprehensive care planning for older adults across all settings and provide broad support and training for caregivers. In realigning health and social policies to meet the needs of older adults and their caregivers, fewer patients will be rehabbed to death, and more will receive care consistent with their preferences and priorities. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2398-2401, 2019.

Keywords: goals of care; hospital; nursing home; post-acute care; skilled nursing facility.

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  • Rehabbed to Death.
    Flint LA, David DJ, Smith AK. Flint LA, et al. N Engl J Med. 2019 Jan 31;380(5):408-409. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1809354. N Engl J Med. 2019. PMID: 30699322 No abstract available.

References

REFERENCES

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