title: A community-oriented programme for rehabilitation of persons with arthritis.
abstract: A community-oriented programme for rehabilitation of persons with arthritis is described. It combines an 8-week ambulatory rehabilitation course (including patient education) at a rehabilitation institution, with long-term self-rehabilitation (at patients' homes), supervised by primary-care nurses. Sixty persons (mean age 54; 80% females) with a 13-year average duration of arthritis, were suffering pain, physical limitations, difficulties in social activities, tension and a tendency to depression. They had completed the course and a 12-month self-rehabilitation at home, and were assessed with the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS) questionnaire on admission to the course, at its completion and 1 year thereafter. Assessment upon completion of the course showed improvement in all areas studied. Measurements at follow-up showed that the majority carried out self-rehabilitation activities and preserved the improved functional status. The programme provided a much-needed service to arthritis sufferers living in the community, and promoted both the reorientation of institution-based rehabilitation professionals towards the community and self-rehabilitation and the cooperation between the institution and primary care.
authors.affiliation: Fleischman Unit for the Study of Disability, Lowenstein Hospital-Rehabilitation Centre, Raanana, Israel.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ronen
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eyal
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eldar
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001168:Arthritis / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003153:Community Health Services; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome