Restorative and Rehabilitation Care
Restorative care helps residents regain or maintain function after illness, injury, or surgery. It focuses on using remaining abilities, preventing complications of immobility, and following a plan consistently. Key concepts include range-of-motion (ROM) exercises, positioning, transfers, ambulation with assistive devices, and prevention of pressure injuries, contractures, and muscle wasting.
Candidates should know the difference between active ROM (the resident moves the joint) and passive ROM (the assistant moves the joint for the resident), and that exercises should be done gently, without forcing a joint past pain. When transferring, use a gait belt as ordered, keep the resident close to you, bend your knees, and never lift with your back. Ambulation should follow the care plan's level of assistance-do not over-assist, because doing too much can slow recovery and reduce confidence.
Traps: questions that suggest skipping exercise because the resident is tired (report instead), forcing a joint, or deciding on your own to change the level of assistance. Another trap is forgetting to encourage the resident to do as much as possible, which is the heart of restorative care.
Worked example: A resident recovering from a stroke can bear weight on the right leg and needs help standing. The correct action is to apply the gait belt, stand on the resident's weak side, coach them to push up using the strong leg and arms, and praise effort. Rule of thumb: follow the plan, encourage effort, protect safety, and report pain or decline rather than pushing through it.