Recommendations to improve care included better communication, better access to physician's time, and better pain management. Hoenig, Helen, Neil Nusbaum, and Kenneth Brummel-Smith. One in seven Americans is affected by conditions that limit function. Projections forecast that by the year 2020 there will be between 9.7 and 13.6 million persons with moderate to severe disability, an increase of 84 percent to 167 percent from current levels. Rehabilitation, which focuses on the treatment of disability, will become an even more important component of health care than it is at the current time.
Rehabilitation seeks to restore both form and function following illness or injury.
Additionally, rehabilitation seeks to help an individual achieve the fullest life possible considering their abilities and disabilities. These authors are seeking to evaluate the literature for current thoughts on treatment of disability in the elderly, to review the rehabilitation of a variety of common conditions such as stroke, musculoskeletal disorders, and hip fracture, and to discuss the effects of recent changes in the health care system on the future of rehabilitation. Results of extensive literature searches indicate that over the past decade, understanding has increased about the causes of disability in the elderly. Progress with regard to the appropriateness of rehabilitation interventions, especially exercise-related interventions, has also increased. Evaluating the effects of managed care on rehabilitation outcomes needs to be studied further.