Acute rehabilitation 

Three or more hours of therapy are provided five days a week, and sometimes over the weekend. Doctors may visit the patient five or more days a week. Patients at this level of care must demonstrate the ability to tolerate and benefit from intensive exercise and training.

Subacute or skilled nursing rehabilitation

In this type of rehabilitation, one or two hours of rehabilitation treatment are provided five days a week. Patients in this setting are often recovering from difficult medical problems, and are able to tolerate a moderate pace of exercise. Doctors supervise the medical and rehabilitative care, and visit the patient as needed, usually three times a week.

Outpatient rehabilitation

This means that the patient lives at home and travels two or three times a week to a rehabilitation facility for a few hours of treatment. Usually, family members drive patients to their treatments. Therapists can do a lot more in the facility than they can do in the patient’s home.

Rehabilitation in the home

This kind of rehabilitation usually is for homebound patients with very mild problems and extensive family support. Members of the therapy team come to the home of the patient, usually for 2 or 3 hours of therapy per week. Simple therapy services are provided.

Long-term acute care (LTAC) hospital rehabilitation

These rehabilitation services are provided in special hospital units that are designed to care for patients with major medical problems requiring intense treatment (patients that require ventilators for breathing, dialysis, drugs that support heart function). Doctors visit the patient frequently.

Nursing home restorative care

This kind of care is the least intensive level of rehabilitation care in an institutional setting. Patients participate in an exercise program a few hours a week, generally in a group setting.