Abstract:

RECENT TRENDS in the medical field encourage the early discharge of patients from hospitals in an effort to cut costs and to stay within administrative guidelines, such as diagnosis related groups (DRGs). Much of the task of acclimating an individual to functioning with a disability or of assisting a family in caring for a newly disabled relative has now shifted to the home environment and into the hands of home health care professionals. Nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and others on the home care team work together to assist the patient and significant others in the transition from an accessible and fully supportive environment tao one generally not designed for the disabled individual.