A COMMUNITY-ORIENTED PROGRAM FOR REHABILITATION OF PERSONS WITH ARTHRITIS

A community-oriented programme for rehabilitation of persons with arth ritis is described. It combines an 8-week ambulatory rehabilitation co urse (including patient education) at a rehabilitation institution, wi th long-term self-rehabilitation (at patients' homes), supervised by p rimary-care nurses. Sixty persons (mean age 54; 80% females) with a 13 -year average duration of arthritis, were suffering pain, physical lim itations, difficulties in social activities, tension and a tendency to depression. They had completed the course and a 12-month self-rehabil itation at home, and were assessed with the Arthritis Impact Measureme nt Scales (AIMS) questionnaire on admission to the course, at its comp letion and 1 year thereafter. Assessment upon completion of the course showed improvement in all areas studied. Measurements at follow-up sh owed that the majority carried out self-rehabilitation activities and preserved the improved functional status. The programme provided a muc h-needed service to arthritis sufferers living in the community, and p romoted both the reorientation of institution-based rehabilitation pro fessionals towards the community and self-rehabilitation and the coope ration between the institution and primary care.