Practicing Rehabilitation with Geriatric Clients.

Frengley JD, Murray PM, Wykel ML, eds. New York, NY 10012, Springs Publishing Co, 1990, hardback, 246 pp, $32.95.

The purpose of this book is to give an overview of geriatric rehabilitation using papers presented at the Tenth Annual Fall Symposium, organized by the University Center of Aging and Health, at Case Western Reserve University, 1988. The unifying concept throughout the book is topics in rehabilitation that recognize and remove barriers to independent living by the elderly. The barriers presented include physical function, psychological concerns, environmental issues, funding, and ethical and philosophical concerns in geriatric rehabilitation.

The text consists of four major parts. The first part stresses the team approach, physical therapy and occupational therapy, and communication therapies. Psychological and psychiatric considerations are addressed in the second part along with the role of the family. The clinical version of the Comprehensive Assessment and Referral Evaluation (CLIN-CARE) is described. This interview method analyzes information on the quality of life as affected by the elderly client's health status and treatment. This tool is effective in teaching geriatric assessment for quality assurance, research, and outcome measurement.

Part 3 addresses cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and stroke rehabilitation. The contributing authors describe the goals of rehabilitation for the elderly as not being significantly different from younger age groups and emphasize the importance of functional independence. Part 4 highlights philosophical and ethical issues in geriatric rehabilitation as well as economic concerns. Interesting chapters on the rehabilitation environment in general, as well as future strategies for elderly rehabilitation, are presented.

The text is well organized with an introduction to each part written by the editors. This helps to focus the reader to the subject matter in each part. Each chapter is well referenced. The book gives an excellent overview of all aspects of geriatric rehabilitation. The many viewpoints of individuals involved with geriatric rehabilitation make this a useful reference book for physical therapy students, teachers, and clinicians. Although physical therapy intervention is limited to one chapter, the concepts of interdisciplinary teamwork as a basis for successful rehabilitation are consistently emphasized throughout the book.

Pauline Cerasoli, EdD, PT Univ of Colorado Health Sciences Center Denver, Colo