Neurorehabilitation is defined according to the World Health Organisation as a problem-solving process in which the person who experiences a neurological impairment or loss of function acquires the knowledge, skills and supports needed for his/her optimal physical, psychological, social and economic functioning. Neurorehabilitation is a type of therapy given to people who have suffered from brain injuries. This treatment is based on the idea that healthy sections of the brain can be trained to take over for areas that have been damaged or destroyed. Though the damaged portions of the brain cannot be repaired, in many cases, patients are able to retrain themselves to function the way they did before the injury.

Neurorehabilitation includes an array of community and hospital-based treatments and supports such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, psychological, cognitive assessments and interventions among others. While it ranges from intensive treatment in acute hospital settings to long-term community-based rehabilitation, its primary aim is to both prevent unnecessary deterioration in a person’s condition and functioning, and to help compensate for any function that has been lost because of a neurological condition. Neurological rehabilitation has a sound theoretical and conceptual basis derived from the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Functioning and from a general problem-solving approach.

Persons who have suffered from a variety of different neurological conditions can benefit from neurorehabilitation. This process is usually tailored to the needs of the individual patient, and the goals of therapy are based on what the patient wants to achieve and what the medical team believes can be accomplished.

Neurorehabilitation helps to create a new way of living for affected persons to live and work as normally as possible. Though a patient may receive neurorehabilitation in a medical facility for a specific length of time, the process of recovering from brain damage is usually lifelong. Improvements cannot be made overnight and patients must continue to work hard to restore function after sustaining brain damage. Once goals have been achieved, patients are encouraged to continue to push themselves to perform tasks that are more difficult because there is no upper limit to the rehabilitation. Those who can care for themselves may continue to improve their quality of life.

Rehabilitation nursing is a profession under or sub-specialty of clinical nursing that helps patients suffering from disabling injuries or illnesses live relatively normal and independent lives. It is a speciality that work with patients who have a temporary, progressive, or permanent disability or illness that limits their ability to function in daily life to regain abilities that they lost or gain abilities that they may have never had. Nurses who take on this profession are referred to as rehabilitation nurses and do work as part of a rehab team including primary care physician, physical therapist, clinical psychologist, spiritual counsellor among others to design and implement a plan of care best suited to each patient’s needs. These nursing professionals help patients recognize their abilities and limitations to reach their full potential.

Rehabilitation nursing involves work with a wide range of patient populations and types, ranging from those who have recently had joint replacement surgery, to those who have suffered a stroke, to those with sports or occupational injuries, to those with severe spinal cord injuries or other chronic, progressive conditions such as multiple sclerosis. Depending on the nature and stage of a patient’s condition, the goals of rehabilitation might be to prevent secondary disability, improve the body’s function, return patients to their former functioning state, or assist patients adapt to a new state of functioning.

Rehabilitation nursing is practiced in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, patients’ homes, rehabilitation facilities, and long-term care facilities. Rehabilitation nurses may also work for educational institutions or insurance companies, for other private companies, or in private practice. Rehabilitation nurses may be staff nurses or advanced practice nurses (clinical nurse specialists or nurse practitioners), who sub-specialize in rehabilitative care under a primary patient population focus. Advanced practice rehabilitation nurses often hold multiple specializations in areas such as gerontological care, pain management, cardiac care, or pediatrics.

Rehabilitation nursing is one of the most rewarding nursing careers there is and imparts the following skills which includes:

• Treating changes in the functional ability and lifestyle of people dealing with injury, disability, and chronic illness
• Educating patients and helping them with adjustments that support their health
• Supporting adaptive capabilities
• Promoting achievable independence
• Providing holistic, comprehensive, and compassionate end-of-life care for patients with life-limiting conditions