What we did
To understand the scope of the rehabilitation, reablement, and restorative care research in aged care, we carried out a scoping review to find systematic reviews on these topics. We then compared reviews to identify the major themes discussed across this literature.
What we found
The scoping review identified 64 reviews on rehabilitation, reablement, or restorative care in the aged care context published since 2012. From these reviews, we identified 14 topics for which there is an established body of evidence. These topics have become the ‘evidence themes’ within the Knowledge Hub. They include rehabilitation after a hip fracture or stroke, transition care, use of technology, and the role of allied health. Functional interventions, generally involving physical activity and for the purpose of improving activities of daily living, were the most discussed area.
Conclusion
There is a reasonable body of synthesised evidence on rehabilitation, reablement, and restorative care in the international aged care research literature. However, there is more research needed to understand and apply the findings in the Australian context.