Rehabilitation — or rehab — can help you recover from physical, cognitive (thinking/memory) or communication (speaking/understanding) problems caused by an injury or illness.
Rehab can help if it is difficult for you to:
• move your hands, arms, legs or other parts of your body or moving them is painful
• sit up, stand or walk
• keep your balance
• breathe, swallow or talk
• solve problems, focus or pay attention.
Rehab will help you improve your strength and independence. It will also help you return to your usual activities as quickly as possible. Rehabilitative care is meant to help you achieve your goals at home, at school or work and in the community.
Where do I get rehab?
Rehab is provided by health professionals with special training such as physiotherapists, physiatrists (rehab doctors), occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists and others.
You may receive rehab in a hospital (bedded), a clinic (outpatient), in your community or in your home. Programs are often designed for specific injuries or conditions. For example, you might need rehab if you have a:
• broken hip
• knee or hip replacement
• stroke
• heart attack
• cancer
• brain injury
• spinal cord injury
• chronic pain
• certain childhood conditions
If you receive rehab as a patient in the hospital, the cost is covered by the health care system.
You also won’t pay for rehab services if the hospital arranges for you to continue your rehabilitation after you leave hospital. This is called a referral. You may be referred to the hospital’s outpatient clinic, a community physiotherapy clinic or for home care if you need to receive your rehab at home. Some rehab services are also provided through family health teams and community health centres.
In other situations, the cost of rehab services may be covered if you meet certain criteria. For example:
If you are in hospital and need to continue rehab after you are discharged, the hospital or your doctor will provide a referral. They may refer you to the hospital’s outpatient clinic, a community physiotherapy clinic or for home care if you need to receive your rehab at home.
If you need rehab at home, you may also contact home and community care directly without a referral.
You can receive rehab at many clinics in the community without a referral.
See 'Who Pays?' for information about who pays for rehab services.
