The Rehabilitation Journey - part 2
The odyssey that is the rehabilitation process often requires our hero to pass through several seasons before reaching their destination. Emerging from an acute phase winter our protagonist finds themselves in the sub acute phase, the metaphoric spring of their rehabilitation journey where the focus is on rebuilding the mind, body and spirit in preparation to live a new life in the company of an underlying health condition.
In the sub acute phase an individual is usually medically stable and no longer requires the critical care of an acute hospital. Ideally by this stage they would have been transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation facility to continue their recovery. After experiencing a whirlwind of emotions in the preceding chapter of their rehabilitation journey individuals often enjoy an “upward turn” at this juncture. This development is described by the 7 stages of grief as the period where feelings of anger and pain have died down, and we’re left in a more calm and relaxed frame of mind. This change in emotional state is followed by a “reconstruction and working through” phase as individuals begin to put pieces of their life back together and carry forward.
The process of rebuilding is made easier in an inpatient rehab setting by the establishment of a controlled environment with a highly structured program. Individuals are essentially given a recipe for success as therapies, meal times and rest periods are preordained. As their daily activities are scheduled in advance individuals need only to follow the timetable and focus on increasing their independence with therapy tasks and activities of daily living. The intention behind timetabling is to help reintroduce individuals to the idea of time management, an essential life skill that will help ease their transition back to a life in the community. It also provides a welcomed change from the uncertainty of an acute hospital setting and creates a calm environment to foster consistent progress. Individuals may also notice that even the design of the ward is purposed to provide an enriched environment that stimulates motor and cognitive activity.
As idleness is the bane of rehabilitation it’s important that individuals are challenged physically and mentally whilst they relish a period of medical stability. The sub acute phase is the time to push one’s limits with a heroic amount of task specific practice to facilitate maximal functional recovery before the individual advances along their rehabilitation journey and resumes life in the community once again.
