Research in rehabilitation

The growing realization is that rehabilitation does not have to be delivered in institutions. Thus the potential for rehabilitation in the community is being proposed and implemented as a viable alternative to traditional methods of rehabilitation. The potential advantages include greater convenience for clients, a familiar environment, involvement of family members and the costs curtailed by not having to provide accommodation. However, this option may be more time-consuming, expensive in terms of therapy time, difficult to coordinate and too much family involvement may be counterproductive (Rice-Oxley and Turner-Stokes, 1999). By delving into the possible opportunities and charting what investigations have already been made, the balance between these advantages and disadvantages may be found.

This chapter aims to consolidate all the research relating to community rehabilitation, and provide a definitive resource to aid further development. It aims to highlight the gaps in the research, and will address accusations that there is a lack of research to confirm the efficacy of rehabilitation in the community (Lafferty, 1996).

Inclusion criteria

Although the studies included in this evaluation will refer to people with a range of neurological impairments, it is apparent that the majority of the literature focuses on stroke rehabilitation. At times it will be pertinent to refer to studies that are not exclusively neurologically based because the findings and models used may aid discussion and understanding. Care has been taken to include studies that employ sound methodological techniques, however, occasionally studies will be included for alternative merits.