EARLY PHYSIOTHERAPY IN THE FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY OF HOSPITALIZED ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH NEUROLOGICAL DYSFUNCTIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/arev7n11-218Keywords:
Early Physiotherapy, Neurological Rehabilitation, Older Adults, Stroke, Early Mobilization, Virtual RealityAbstract
This paper reviews why early physiotherapy is crucial for older adults with neurological conditions who are hospitalized, especially those with Stroke (CVA), Traumatic Brain Injury, or Spinal Cord Injury. The main point is that starting treatment as soon as the elderly patient is medically stable (acute/subacute phases) significantly improves mobility, function, and autonomy. Recent research (2020 to 2025) confirms that early intervention in older adults prevents common complications from immobility, such as pneumonia and pressure ulcers, and also reduces hospital stay duration. Technologies like virtual reality have shown promise in keeping elderly patients engaged and motivated during rehabilitation. Even with these positive results, there is still a lack of standardized protocols and a need for long-term studies assessing the real impact of early physiotherapy on elderly patients’ quality of life after discharge. It is concluded that early physiotherapy has strong scientific evidence to be adopted as standard practice in hospital settings for older adults with neurological impairments.
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References
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