Palliative Care & Rehabilitation: Supporting Function & Independence

Palliative Care & Rehabilitation: Supporting Function & Independence is organized by Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (SRALab).

Start Date: 06/01/2025
End Date: 08/31/2025

Description:
Life expectancy and longevity are gradually increasing as a result of advances in health care. Subsequently, the number of persons living with chronic degenerative conditions and disease has increased from months to years following an initial diagnosis due to these advances. This factor has contributed to an increasing need for palliative care. The understanding and approach to palliative care has changed from being a service in the last days of life to becoming a holistic approach for managing symptoms associated with progressive disease, functional deficits and the needs of patients and families. Palliative care is an interdisciplinary approach that aims to relieve physical, psychosocial and spiritual symptoms to maintain the highest level of function. Rehabilitation professionals are an integral part of this team.

This course will introduce learners in acute care, rehabilitation and home health settings to the varied phases and approaches to palliative care and rehabilitation. Learners will become equipped with the knowledge and tools to assist patients for functional gains targeting patient centered goals and to ensure families or caregivers obtain training and support within an appropriate time frame. The pediatric to geriatric patient requiring palliative rehabilitation will be examined for the promotion of independence in self-care activities, improved symptomatic control and stabilization of functional decline in line with individual life preferences. Finally, learners will better understand their role on the interdisciplinary team and , how to create a holistic approach incorporating the main principles of palliative care into a patient’s rehabilitation journey.

Learner Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to: 

• Define the phases and approaches to palliative rehabilitation
• Explain the principles of a holistic approach to palliative rehabilitation
• Identify the roles of each member of the interprofessional palliative rehabilitation care team
• Generate patient-centered goals targeting functional gains and in anticipation of functional decline
• Engage the patient and their support care team on education regarding goals of care
• Describe ethical considerations for a patient in palliative care