ABSTRACT
The philosophy and much of the practice of the rehab program imply that certain outcomes are successes and certain others are failures. This chapter focuses on the "working definitions" of success and failure expressed by the staff actually treating and caring for the patients. The emphasis in the program is on improvement of physical function, especially that part of physical function which is concerned with a more independent life for the patient. If a patient's disability makes him dependent on others for washing and grooming, it is a distinct improvement from the viewpoint of the rehab philosophy for him to regain the ability to wash his face, comb his hair, shave, cut his fingernails and toenails, and so on. Patients who remain on rehab for a short time are more likely to be discharged to a Farewell nursing unit or psychiatric ward.
