Empowering Communities: A Paradigm Shift in Rehabilitation Services

On 19th July 2024, the Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (MyAgeing), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) hosted an enlightening workshop titled “Family-Based and Community-Based Rehabilitation”.

The workshop aimed to equip family and community members with essential knowledge and skills to provide rehabilitation services to their loved ones. This transformative approach challenges the conventional notion that rehabilitation should be confined within hospital walls. Instead, it emphasises that care can extend to patients’ homes and community environments. The participants of this workshop were nursing home carers, postgraduate students, and caregivers of patients with neurological conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. Associate Professor Dr Farizah Mohd Hairi and Dr Mohd Fadzil Mohd Hussin (Doctor of Public Health candidate currently on a Professional Internship at MyAgeing) from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine (SPM), Universiti Malaya were also among the attendees.

Divided into two parts, the workshop provided a good mix of theory and practical sessions led by Dr Intan Sabrina Mohamad, an experienced rehabilitation medicine specialist from Hospital Sultan Idris Shah, Serdang. In the first session, participants were introduced to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework by the World Health Organization (WHO). As a holistic biopsychosocial model, the ICF integrates medical and social models of disability, offering a comprehensive view that considers an individual’s health condition, personal factors, and environmental influences. Participants were also introduced to the traditional key people in rehabilitation services such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech-language therapists and the services they provide in rehabilitating patients such as swallowing assessment, speech therapy, activities of daily living training, and exercises to improve balance and strength. These simple but essential skills can also be provided by family and community members and they may improve patients’ quality of life and be lifesaving (such as safe swallowing).

In the second session, participants had the opportunity to apply their newly acquired rehabilitation knowledge and skills at the state-of-the-art facilities at MyAgeing, UPM. The purposed-built training facility there included four fully furnished bedrooms which were built tailormade to patients’ level of dependencies and cognitive condition i.e. independent, semi-dependent, fully-dependent, and cognitively impaired (dementia patient). Participants acted as family and community-based occupational therapists, training individuals under their care to perform activities such as feeding, dressing, bathing, using the toilet, and transferring between bed and wheelchair. This exercise may benefit family and community members by providing them with essential caregiving skills, which also promote a sense of competence and empowerment.

What is the Public Health Impact?

By involving family and community members in rehabilitation roles, we achieve several critical outcomes:

1. Resource decentralisation: Relieving the burden on hospital-based facilities ensures that resources are available for more critical cases.
2. Continuous care: Community-based rehabilitation promotes accessible and ongoing support, leading to better recovery outcomes.
3. Supportive environment: Empowering caregivers enhances overall well-being during the rehabilitation journey.

In summary, this paradigm shift optimises healthcare resource allocation and strengthens community health resilience, contributing to a more effective and sustainable public health system. This write-up was prepared by Dr Mohd Fadzil Mohd Hussin and Associate Professor Dr Farizah Mohd Hairi from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya.

Also published on the Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing Facebook page.