ABSTRACT
To assess the factors affecting home return after convalescent rehabilitation, we retrospectively compared such items between the patients returning home (subgroup I) and those requiring long-term institutionalization (subgroup II) as follows : the patient's ADL level before admission and the their living environment, the serial changes in their ADL after admission, the duration of acute care, and the length of stay. Subjects comprised 32 patients with cerebrovascular disorder (CVD) and 22 with disuse syndrome (DS) and each of these two groups was divided into subgroup I and II (<i>n</i>=19 and 13 in the CVD group, 11 and 11 in the DS group, respectively). In the CVD group, the mean age of subgroup I was significantly lower than that of subgroup II (65.4±14.0 and 80.3±10.9, respectively). The FIM scores (total, motor, cognition) in subgroup I were significantly higher than those in subgroup II, both at the time of admission and discharge. In the FIM motor items, the scores for mobility and locomotion significantly improved at discharge. In the DS group, there was no difference in the ages between the subgroups (80.5±11.0 and 81.5±11.2, respectively). Subgroup I had more family members and showed a significant increase in their scores for self-care and mobility after admission. In conclusion, home return appears most related to improvement in motor ADL, and this improvement was further influenced by age and cognitive function in the CVD group and by the number of family members in the DS group.