Acronyms and Short Forms Glossary Download

• Introduction
• What is Rehab
  • Occupational therapists
  • Physical therapists
  • Speech Language Pathologists
  • Other rehab staff
  • Complementary therapies
• Rehab & Physical Issues
• Rehab & Emotional Issues
• Rehab & Cognitive Issues
• Rehab & Activities
• Accessing Services
• Working with Rehab
• Sticking with Treatment
• Self-management
• Rehabilitation Resources

What is rehabilitation?

In this e-guide, we define rehabilitation as:

•  Any service that can address or prevent a range of health-related challenges (sometimes called disabilities) that people face.
• An important part of good care for people with common chronic conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes.
• Care, treatment, and support, but also as prevention of certain conditions or worsening of current health problems.
• Read more in the CWGHR’s Rehabilitation Fact Sheet: http://www.hivandrehab.ca/wp-content/uploads/FactSheet-Patient-EN.pdf

Who is part of the rehabilitation healthcare team?

There are many different rehabilitation professionals, each with their own specialities.  In this e-guide, we are focusing on three rehabilitation professions: occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech-language pathology.  These were chosen because there is little information available on their practice with HIV+ people at the moment.

Rehabilitation professionals can work alone, or as part of a team with other health or rehabilitation professionals.  We will also describe some other professionals, such as physiatrists, dietitians, social workers, and vocational/employment counsellors, that can play a rehabilitation role in the lives of HIV+ people. 

Nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, family doctors, and psychiatrists/psychologists are some of the other people who might be part of a rehabilitation team, in roles that you are likely to be familiar with (e.g., prescribing medications, running tests, etc.).

Finally, the work of rehabilitation professionals can be used in conjunction with complementary therapies.  Complementary therapies can be defined as “medical practices that fall outside conventional Western medicine.”¹ These can include Eastern-based treatments, treatments that harness the mind-body connection, and touch-based therapies.  Some of the common complementary therapies will be outlined.