Restorative Care

Restorative care is provided after patients are discharged from a healthcare facility and require additional services to continue their recovery. These services include rehabilitation programs, extended care, or home care. Restorative care helps patients return to their previous level of functioning or adapt to a new level caused by illness or disability, promoting independence and improving quality of life.

Restorative care aims to help patients improve their quality of life by promoting independence and self-care while restoring maximum functional status. The care focuses on helping patients regain skills needed to perform activities of daily living independently. Success depends on early and effective engagement with patients and families to ensure they understand rehabilitation goals and therapy purposes.

The restorative team is a multidisciplinary group consisting of interprofessional team members, the patient, and their family members or significant others. This interdisciplinary care the health care team collaborates to understand the patient's intent for physical recovery, reasons for physical limitations, and possible risks associated with therapies. Patient and family involvement increases treatment adherence and helps achieve peak performance.

Home care nurses deliver medically-related professional services and equipment to patients in their homes for health maintenance, disease treatment, and rehabilitation. They provide highly personalized nursing care and help patients adapt to permanent or temporary physical constraints so they can resume regular daily routines. Home care nurses require solid knowledge of family dynamics, cultural competency, spiritual beliefs, and communication principles.

Rehabilitation helps persons with disabilities achieve and maintain optimal physical, sensory, cognitive, psychological, and social functioning levels. It provides disabled persons with skills needed to achieve independence and self-determination. Rehabilitation services assist patients and families in making required lifestyle adjustments and learning to operate within the constraints of their illness or disability.

Extended care facilities provide intermediate medical, nursing, or custodial care to patients recuperating from acute illness or suffering from chronic diseases or impairments. These facilities include skilled nursing or intermediate care facilities staffed by licensed nursing professionals. Services include specialized care such as wound management and long-term ventilator maintenance for patients requiring ongoing medical support.

Patient and family engagement is critical because success in restorative care depends on early and effective involvement. When patients and families understand physical rehabilitation goals, the rationale for physical limits, and therapy purposes and risks, they are more likely to adhere to treatment programs. This engagement directly increases the likelihood of patients achieving peak functional performance and better outcomes.