title: Realizing the Potential of Rehabilitative Care for People with Complex Health Conditions: The Time Is Now.
abstract: In today's demographic landscape, with its aging population and increasing number of individuals who are living with multiple chronic conditions and comorbidities, the healthcare system is tasked with responding to the needs of medically complex individuals. However, the pressures arising from this emerging demographic are felt not only within the acute care sector at the point of medical crisis but along the entire continuum of the healthcare system. Rehabilitative care plays a key role in that continuum by providing the process through which individuals are engaged in interventions to address their functional (both cognitive and physical) and psychosocial care goals to help them carry on with the business of living.
authors.affiliation: Executive director of the provincial Rehabilitative Care Alliance; the GTA Rehab Network; and Toronto ABI Network. Charissa leads strategic provincial and regional initiatives through engagement of diverse stakeholders to implement solutions that drive improved health services. She is an Occupational Therapist and holds an appointment at the University of Toronto as Adjunct Lecturer in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation.
authors.forename: Charissa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.affiliation: Project manager with the GTA Rehab Network and the provincial Rehabilitative Care Alliance Informing her work as a Project Manager is Sue's extensive clinical experience in acute care, rehabilitation and community settings with specialization in acquired brain injury and trauma.
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Balogh
authors.affiliation: Registered physiotherapist and a member of the Canadian College of Health Leaders. Emmi has recently assumed the role of director of the Waterloo Wellington Integrated Hospice Palliative Care Regional Program. Prior to that, she was a project manager with the Rehabilitative Care Alliance where she supported strategic planning and coordination of the RCA's provincial initiatives that are focused on optimizing the provincial rehabilitative care system within the broader post-acute sector.
authors.forename: Emmi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perkins
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D015897:Comorbidity; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D009864:Ontario; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*