The Need and Its Influence Factors for Community-based Rehabilitation Services for Disabled Persons in One District in Beijing

Purpose To explore the needs for basic community-based rehabilitation services for disabled persons in Xuanwu District, Beijing, China, and to identify factors which influence disabled persons to accept rehabilitation services. Method One hundred and eight disabled persons were selected by systematic sampling and simple random sampling to assess their needs for community-based rehabilitation services. Results Of the interviewees, 57A% needed the community-based rehabilitation services, but only 13.9% took advantage of it. The main factors influencing the interviewees to accept these services were cost （P〈0.05）, knowledge about rehabilitation medicine （P〈0.05）; and the belief in the therapeutic benefit of the community-based rehabilitation service （P〈0.05）. Conclusion A considerable gap exists between the supply of community-based rehabilitation services in Beijing and the needs for these services by disabled residents underscoring the need for improved availability, and for additional research.

Experience of Drug Abusers Participating in Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Services Provided by the Counselling Centres for Psychotropic Substance Abusers (CCPSAs) in Hong Kong

Despite the official statistics showing that the number of drug users has been declining, the problem of drug abuse remains serious in Hong Kong. This problem is evidenced by the trend of hidden and prolonged drug abuse. The recovery of drug abusers is an important process, because the misuse of drugs can cause many bio-psycho-social complications. Therefore, 11 Counselling Centres for Psychotropic Substance Abusers (CCPSAs) in different districts in Hong Kong play an important role on those drug abusers [1]. As a core community-based drug rehabilitation service in Hong Kong, studies about CCPSAs are limited. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach to explore the experience of drug abusers participating in community-based drug rehabilitation services provided by CCPSAs. Five CCPSA users, who utilized the services for more than two months, participated in the semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Data collected were then analysed by thematic analysis, and five themes were generated: 1) receiving supportive counselling service in CCPSAs, 2) revealing variance towards nonmandatory services in CCPSAs, 3) encountering intrapersonal conflicts when participating in CCPSAs, 4) expanding social network through integration in group activities and 5) wishing to be a companion to other drug abusers. Findings of this study provide valuable insights towards services modification and the enhancement of drug rehabilitation and drug abusers’ wellbeing over the collaboration of healthcare workers, services providers and the media. However, this study has some limitations, and it presents suggestions for future research.

Assessing Basic Rehabilitation Services for Elders with Mobility Impairment

The current research seeks to examine the basic rehabilitation services for elders with mobility impairment. The research relied upon a quantitative approach and primary data which was gathered through the Drop-Off and Pick-Up (DOPU) method. The targeted respondents of this study were made up of healthcare workers, such as nurses and doctors from a group of hospitals in Zimbabwe. Therapy, assistive technologies, rehabilitation medicine, community-delivered rehabilitation were identified as the basic rehabilitation services for elders with mobility impairment. To assess the effectiveness of these services, the strength of these services had to be tested on the successful implementation of rehabilitation programs using a Structural Equation Model. In addition, these services were regarded as the independent variables of this study;while the successful implementation of the rehabilitation program was treated as a dependent variable. Based on the findings of this study, therapy, assistive technologies, rehabilitation medicine, community-delivered rehabilitation have a positive effect on the successful implementation of a rehabilitation program. The study recommends that to preserve the function and mobility among elderly and ageing individuals, the healthcare practitioners should promote strategies such as maximizing function by decreasing pain, improving the ability to self-propel and prolonging mobility and endurance through ergonomics, individualized wheelchair selection and configuration, and adaptations for increasing the capacity to handle the daily mobility demands through training, strengthening, and exercise.

Improvement in Patient Mobility Following Short-Term Rehabilitation in Skilled Nursing Facilities

Background: Mobility in older adults can be impaired after acute illness or hospitalization, and the level of severity can be used as a predictor of one’s ability to return to independent living. Patients are often referred to skilled nursing facilities in hopes of improving their mobility. We wanted to prove that rehabilitative services at Skilled Nursing Facilities improve overall outcomes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from 4612 patients admitted for short-term rehabilitation in a large nursing home chain in California. Our aim was to determine whether patients’ mobility scores, as measured by rehabilitative staff, significantly improved by time of discharge compared to their scores at admission. Mobility scores were rated from 1 to 6, with 1 being the most dependent on aid and 6 being the most independent, over a variety of tasks at admission and compared to scores at discharge. Pearson’s correlations were performed to determine if there were significant relationships in the data: the Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to describe the relationships between patient admission to a skilled nursing facility and medical improvement upon discharge. Results: The study demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in patients’ mobility scores upon discharge, with Medicare insured patients showing on average 57% improvement and Managed Care insured patients showing on average 59% improvement. Additionally, admission scores appeared to be predictive of the patient’s outcome at discharge. Conclusions: The values and consistency of improvement support the use of acute rehabilitative services in skilled nursing facilities. An equation can be formulated that evaluates patients’ estimated mobility statuses upon discharge from facilities based on their conditions on their arrivals. With this, new interventions can be studied and compared to the current standard of care by using these measurements. They can determine if further improvements can be made to increase patient outcomes.

STUDY ON THE CHALLENGES AND PROTECTION OF THE RIGHT OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES TO REHABILITATION IN CHINA

Obtaining effective rehabilitation and gaining access to full development services are fundamental for children with disabilities to fully participate in society and achieve social inclusion. A disabled child＇s right to rehabilitation is specially protected by law in China and internationally. Chinese law specifically provides that the State shall ensure the enjoyment of the right of children with disabilities to rehabilitation services. This study shows that in the last five years, the rehabilitation services for children with disabilities are generally improved. But due to the incomplete protection mechanism, the right of children with disabilities to rehabilitation still could not be fully realized. This article concludes that the rehabilitation situation of children with disabilities in China presents the general feature of lacking of opportunities and structural imbalance. The Chinese government should take more responsibility to improve the rehabilitation system for children with disabilities. Specifically, the Chinese government should undertake the obligations as stated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to provide rehabilitation services for all children with disabilities. To ensure the effective implementation of the right of children with different disabilities in different areas, China shall improve the rehabilitation legal system, establish an urban-rural integral rehabilitation system, enlarge financial invest and increase professional level of rehabilitation staff.