What's New

Rehabilitation — provided in hospital or in the community — is a key component in improving outcomes for both patients and the health care system. The Rehabilitative Care Alliance (RCA) has developed a new evidence-based resource for OHT administrators/planners and regional/provincial policy-makers that outlines how rehabilitative care can improve outcomes in primary care, hospitals (acute […]

As surgeries resume in the COVID-19 environment, additional infection prevention and control practices have led to practice changes and reduced capacity in post-acute rehabilitative care. Many programs have adopted virtual care options. To ensure that best practice rehabilitative care continues in this new context, the RCA has developed additional recommendations that align with current pandemic […]

During the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic there were significant decreases in access to in-person ambulatory rehabilitation and in-home rehabilitation. Although some programs successfully transitioned to providing rehabilitation using virtual platforms and/or maintained essential in-person visits with new restrictions, many programs temporarily closed or reduced rehab visits. With the resumption of surgeries, it is […]

The RCA has released a report on its pilot of the post-fall rehabilitative care pathways for frail seniors. The evidence-based care pathways for primary care and emergency departments are designed to connect frail older adults who fall with rehabilitative care to reduce functional decline and prevent additional falls. The pilot—taking place in Hamilton, Sudbury and […]

COVID-19 has restricted seniors living with frailty in the community to their homes, apartments and retirement homes. As a result, this already vulnerable population is at high risk of social isolation and physical deconditioning. The outcome is likely to be a significant increase in the need for rehabilitative care across the continuum. As health care […]

Many providers are turning to tele-rehab to deliver rehab during COVID-19. The RCA has gathered a series of resources to assist in this transition. Presentations and recordings from the RCA’s two webinars (May 13 and June 10) on the use of tele-rehab during COVID-19. Several providers shared practical tips for setting up virtual rehab, key […]

The RCA and GTA Rehab Network have established a new Rehab and COVID-19 Community of Practice (CoP) on Ontario Health’s Quorum platform. The purpose of this community of practice is to share information, ideas and resources on the role, planning and provision of rehabilitative care in the context of COVID-19. It was developed in response […]

Rehabilitation will play an important role in supporting better outcomes for patients with COVID-19. The Rehabilitative Care Alliance (RCA) and GTA Rehab Network have created an online collection of resources on rehabilitation for patients with, or recovering from, COVID-19. A number are recent publications specific to COVID-19, including some that draw on the experience of […]

The RCA has released its final report on the phase II pilot of the revised Community Rehab Assessment (CRA) clinical outcomes tool. The nine-month pilot with 25 organizations explored the ability of the tool to describe outpatient rehab populations and measure functional outcomes across those populations. It also examined how to better integrate the tool […]

The Rehabilitative Care Alliance (RCA) and GTA Rehab Network have developed a brief guide to support providers developing Ontario Health Team (OHT) applications. Rehabilitative care is an essential element of Ontario’s new vision for connected care. Evidence shows that rehabilitative care improves health outcomes for patients, shortens hospital stays and helps older adults to maintain […]