• Norbert Lübke.
• Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. 2022 Aug 1; 147 (15): 973-981.

AbstractGeriatric rehabilitation is an interdisciplinary offer of rehabilitation services for elderly persons who often have several impairments and, in some cases, an already existing need for nursing care. It aims at maintaining their self-determined participation in everyday life to the greatest possible extent as well as at avoiding or reducing their needs for nursing care. Characteristic features of geriatric patients are high vulnerability due to an age-related reduction of reserves and often multiple chronic diseases. This is why the geriatric assessment and the multi-professional geriatric team present a correspondingly broad base.As a result of the vulnerability of geriatric patients, early rehabilitation that already starts during acute treatment in hospital is of great importance for their rehabilitative care. Of total German geriatric-rehabilitative care 75 % is inpatient- and 8 % day-care in hospital. These kinds of care are largely provided nationwide. Unfortunately, they often cannot make use of the entire rehabilitation potential of geriatric patients. Independent geriatric rehabilitation facilities, however, are not available in all federal states yet and mainly focus on inpatients. They account for 17 % of geriatric-rehabilitative care - for more than 95 % in connection with a previous hospitalization. Up to now, there has not been an adequate focus on the utilization of out-patient and mobile geriatric rehabilitation as well as on the use of geriatric rehabilitation in case of a slowly progressing deterioration of activities and participation without any acute event. Especially, mobile rehabilitation that is directly performed at the patient's home constitutes a particularly suitable rehabilitation setting mainly for persons who will still need nursery care despite reaching their rehabilitation targets. But this kind of rehabilitation care is still little known.The article provides decision-making aids to physicians in hospitals and doctor's offices as well as information on how to gain access to geriatric-rehabilitative care services, including new regulations to facilitate this access, which are planned for 01 July 2022.Thieme. All rights reserved.

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