Rehabilitation plays a vital role in improving the quality of life and overall well-being of individuals who have experienced physical, cognitive, or psychological impairments. While traditional rehabilitation programs primarily focus on physical recovery, it is crucial to acknowledge the significance of social cognitive skills in facilitating successful reintegration into society. Social cognitive skills encompass a range of abilities, including social perception, empathy, perspective-taking, communication, and problem-solving. This chapter attempts to investigate the effective role of social cognitive skills in rehabilitation settings and their impact on overall rehabilitation outcomes.
TopIntroduction
Rehabilitation is the usage of existing capabilities of the handicapped person through the combined and coordinated application of medical, social, educational, and occupational measures to the optimum level of functional capacity. It makes life more meaningful, more productive, and hence more worthwhile to live. It is the third phase of medical care after completing the prevention and curative.
Rehabilitation is a highly person-centered health approach in which therapy is customized to the client's underlying health issues as well as their goals and preferences. Information on functioning is critical to decision-making in rehabilitation at all levels of the health system to optimize functioning in the context of impairments, injuries, and acute or chronic diseases. (WHO, 2017).
Rehabilitation is a frequently debated topic around the world. This is not surprising given that over a billion people live with a disability, accounting for more than 15% of the global population. Furthermore, according to a recent report, 2.41 billion people worldwide live with conditions that impair their daily functions and would benefit from rehabilitation services, equating to one in every three people requiring rehabilitation services throughout the course of their illness or injury. (Duttine A, 2016).
In the next 30 years, the proportion of people over 60 will quadruple globally, with the majority of them suffering from chronic illnesses, mainly non-communicable diseases. The number of people globally experiencing functional decline is rapidly rising as a result of these shifting health and demographic patterns, creating substantial unmet rehabilitation requirements. Many of these unmet needs are concentrated among the most vulnerable and impoverished communities in low- and middle-income nations and areas affected by conflicts, which are frequently unprepared to handle these rising demands for rehabilitation services. (Shimizu Y., 2020).
Rehabilitation is one of the core health strategies of the World Health Organisation, along with the promotion, prevention, treatment, and palliative care. WHO defines rehabilitation as
“A set of measures that assist individuals who experience, or are likely to experience, disability to achieve and maintain optimal functioning in interaction with their environments.” (WHO, 2011)
“Refers to services, and programs designed to assist individuals who have experienced trauma or illness that results in an impairment that creates a loss of function (physical, psychological, social or vocational).” (Lubkin. I.M, Larsen, P.D, 2006)
“Aims to restore, compensate, prevent or slow deterioration in functioning (sensory, physical, intellectual, mental, cognitive, or social) to help individuals to reach their optimal levels.” (Duttine A, et.al, 2020)
Fundamentally, rehabilitation is based on the philosophy that everyone has an innate tendency and right to be an expert in their own health care. (Gender, A.R, 1996). Thus, this delineates the difference between acute care and rehabilitation, where acute care deals with a person's survival and rehabilitation is concerned with educating and training people so they can perform activities of daily living on their own, thereby promoting self-care and functional independence. (Mauk, K.L, 2011).
The major goal of rehabilitation is to help persons with disabilities and chronic health conditions improve their quality of life. Because disability is an essential component of human experience. It is caused by the combination of health disorders such as dementia, blindness, or spinal cord damage, as well as a variety of environmental and personal circumstances.
A disabled individual cannot operate freely in many aspects of life due to physical or mental impairment and so has various obstacles in social integration. His/her inability causes emotional problems such as indifference, self-pity, and resentment, and tends to isolate him/her from society. In order to achieve optimum results, rehabilitation should begin as soon as feasible. It is used in conjunction with medical or surgical therapy of the underlying condition.