Restorative Care and
Rehabilitation
Taken from Mosby’s Basic Skills for Nursing
Assistant in Long-Term Care and the ARC NA
training manual
Hubbs Pre-CNA
SP2-AP2
Restorative Care Unit
What is a disability?
• Any lost, absent, or impaired physical or
mental function
• Can be temporary or permanent
• Nervous system problems are a common
cause of disabilities.
• Can you name 3 temporary disabilities?
• Can you name 3 permanent disabilities?
How does a disability affect
someone?
• A disability has physical,
psychological, and social effects.
• The person with the disability needs
to adjust to these changes.
• Can you give an example of a
psychological and social effect?
Disabilities can affect the person’s
ability to perform ADLs
• Bathing
• Oral hygiene
• Dressing
• Eating
• Elimination
• Moving
What is Rehabilitation?
The process of regaining physical and
emotional health.
Goals:
•
Improve function or prevent loss of
further function.
•
Maintain the highest quality of life
What is Restorative Nursing Care?
(also called Rehab Nursing)
• Part of the everyday care you provide
that helps the rehabilitation process
• Goal: help the person become as
fully functional as possible and help
him to be able to enjoy life
• Promotes independence, dignity and
self-esteem
How can you help to restore a
person’s highest quality of life?
• Emphasize her abilities, not her
disabilities. Encourage independence
• Encourage activity as approved by the
MD. Immobility can lead to many
problems
• Treat the whole person, not just the
affected part of her body. This includes
physical, emotional, social, etc.
Self-Help Devices or Adaptive
Devices:
Promote Independence
• This is equipment that has been modified or changed to
meet the person’s needs.
Recreational Activities
• Fun activities such playing card games,
music, dance, painting, etc.
• Promotes physical and mental stimulation
Immobility affects all body
systems
• Skin
- Decubitus Ulcers
• GI/Digestive
- Constipation
• Urinary:
-UTI
• Respiratory:
-Pneumonia
• Joints
–
Contractures
• Muscular
–
Atrophy
• Bones
–
Osteoporosis
• Psychological
–
Decreased sense of
well-being
Contracture:
• Is a lack of joint mobility caused by
abnormal shortening (tightening) of the
muscle.
Muscle Atrophy
“Use it or lose it”
• The decrease in size or wasting away of
tissue. Tissue shrinks in size.
R.O.M:
Range of Motion exercises
• Encourages activity
• It is the movement of joints through their
complete range of motion
• Helps prevent contractures and atrophy
Ambulation: encourages mobility
• The act of walking
Ambulation Assistive Equipment
• Walkers
• Canes
• Crutches
Walkers: when resident needs
support on both sides
• Pick-up walkers
• 2 or 4-wheeled walkers
Canes: support needed on
one side.
• Place cane on strong (unaffected) side
Crutches: Person can’t use one
leg or both legs are weak.
Quality of Life:
• Successful rehabilitation and restorative
care improves the person’s quality of life.
• Be hopeful
• The process may be slow and frustrating
• Help the person have a positive attitude
• Remember: treat the WHOLE person