What does "restorative care" aim to achieve in long-term facilities?

Restorative care is a specialized approach in long-term care settings that is designed to help individuals regain and enhance their functional abilities, thereby promoting greater independence in their daily activities. This type of care focuses on rehabilitation and the encouragement of patients to participate in their own recovery process, which can involve various therapies, exercises, and strategies tailored to the individual’s needs.

By fostering skills that may have been lost due to illness, injury, or aging, restorative care aims to improve the quality of life for residents, allowing them to maintain as much autonomy as possible. This approach is particularly relevant in facilities where residents may be working to recover from surgeries, strokes, or other health conditions that affect mobility and daily functioning.

In contrast, while aspects like end-of-life comfort, intensive medical care, and pain management play critical roles in healthcare settings, they do not align with the primary objective of restorative care, which is centered on rehabilitation and enabling individuals to achieve the highest possible level of independence.