Rehabilitation for person to become functioning member of society

The National Health Watch

Definition of rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is defined in three parts as follows:
Aim
To restore a person to social, domestic and vocational functioning to which they would have belonged.
This aim is very much culturally bound.
This aim is generally called Resettlement.
Disabilities
a) Primary:
Primary disabilities include pre-morbid personality traits and residual clinical symptoms.
b) Secondary:
Secondary disabilities develop because of the fact that a particular person has suffered mental ill-health, e.g. the negative attitude of a schizophrenic patient getting gainful work.
c) Social:
Social disabilities refer to negative community attitude towards, and rejection of, the mentally handicapped person.
Any of the disabilities mentioned in (a), (b), and (c) above can hinder the aim of rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation proper
The technique of rehabilitation can be defined in terms of the specific handicap shown by the mentally handicapped person.
The type of group or institution a handicapped person is advised to join depends on what attitude we want them to develop and his willingness to a changing attitude of the institutions.
Industrial Rehabilitation Unit (IRU) where the mentally handicapped person e.g. a schizophrenic patient works alongside physically handicapped persons appears to offer special advantages.
Within the hospital the impact of minor degrees of abnormality in behaviour on ordinary people may be lost sight of, and habits which are necessary in everyday life in industrial society are not regularly practised.
Such habits include travelling to work, good timekeeping, following workshop routines, getting on with workmates, and conforming to the social group in dress and manners.
In the realistic setting of the IRU, the patient’s assets and deficits in these aspects and also all aspects of their ability to work are shown up so that their suitability for discharge to work outside can be assessed without incurring disaster.
They must have the encouragement of working in a community where they see other people overcoming their handicaps.
It is, of course, essential that the mentally handicapped should constitute only a small proportion of the intake of these Units or their advantage, is lost.
Some schizophrenic patients do not respond to the IRU’s social pressures.
They need something further to help them overcome their disabilities.
Sheltered Workshops probably provide optimum working conditions for schizophrenic patients.

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