Page 137 - Petelin, Ana, ur. 2024. Zdravje delovno aktivnih in starejših odraslih / Health of Working-Age and Older Adults. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo ▪︎ Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press

Geriatric rehabilitation at Sežana Hospital

1,2
1
Nastja Podrekar , Anna Marija Tašev , Vanja Debevec 1
1 Hospital for the treatment and rehabilitation of chronic lung diseases and extended
hospital treatment in Sežana, Slovenia
2 University of Primorska Faculty of Health Sciences, Izola, Slovenia
Background and purpose: As the number of older people increases, it is becoming in-
creasingly important to look after their health and well-being. Geriatric rehabilitation
has a key role to play in this. It focuses on treating, supporting and improving the func-
tional abilities of older people. The aim of this abstract is to present the role and work
of physiotherapy and occupational therapy in geriatric rehabilitation at Sežana Hospi-
tal.
Content presentation: Physiotherapeutic treatment and treatment by occupational
therapists in geriatric rehabilitation is based on an individualised approach. The Seža-
na Hospital treats a wide range of pathologies, including orthopaedic and traumato-
logical patients, neurological patients and internal medicine patients. In order to tai-
lor the rehabilitation programme to the individual, physiotherapists and occupational
therapists carry out tests at the first meeting with the patient, on the basis of which
they set treatment goals together with the patient. Depending on the type of patholo-
gy, they select a range of tests, including MAS and RBI scales, goniometry, manual dy-
namometry and a six-minute walk test.
The geriatric rehabilitation carried out by physiotherapists includes individualised
treatment of the patient, including kinesiotherapy, walking school, etc. At the same
time, patients are also rehabilitated by occupational therapists, with individual treat-
ment and group exercises focussing more on improving fine motor skills. Patients’ pro-
gress is monitored weekly in meetings with the doctor and social worker. Before the
patient is discharged, physiotherapists and occupational therapists repeat the meas-
urements to assess the patient’s condition when the rehabilitation has been complet-
ed. The results show that after geriatric rehabilitation, patients generally show an im-
provement in mobility, walking ability and fine motor development, which translates
into greater independence for the individual. In addition, patients and their relatives
are educated about ergonomic solutions as part of the rehabilitation programme, as
this is an important measure to prevent falls in the home environment. problemi, izzivi in priložnosti na področju zdravja ... | concerns, challenges and opportunities in the health ...
Conclusions: Geriatric rehabilitation is not only important for the individual, but also
has wider societal benefits. In order to follow the guidelines of the healthcare develop-
ment strategy and actively shape future programmes for a healthy society, we aim to
upgrade the geriatric rehabilitation programme with additional activities in both phys-
iotherapy and occupational therapy and explore the possibility of offering certain ac-
tivities at home.
Keywords: older adults, quality of life, active ageing

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