The development ,recent progress and future perspectives of intermediate care for elderly patients / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

When having completed the treatments of acute disease ,the hospitalized elderly patients are often not able to return home immediately due to poor physical and mental conditions. They need a period of integrated medical care for recovering independent living ability. Intermediate care provides appropriate treatment and intensive rehabilitation for elderly patients in a relatively short period after acute diseases to restore optimal health ,reduce readmission ,and return self-care ability as far as possible. Intermediate care can fill the gap between acute-term treatment and long-term care. This review is about the development of intermediate care ,the mode and the research of intermediate care in different countries ,equipment configuration and human resource allocation ,and the outlook for intermediate care.