A Discussion on the Shifts and Changes in Community Based Rehabilitation in the Last Decade

Abstract

In the 1970s and the early 1980s, community based rehabilitation was promoted by the world bodies as an approach that was suitable for developing countries with lim ited resources to provide wider coverage of services. A key element of this approach was the transfer of minimum rehabilitation skills and responsibility to minimally trained family members and other volunteers in the community. The last decade saw the growth of community based rehabilitation in many developing countries, along with changes and adjustments in the concepts and practices related to this field. This paper discusses the implications of the transitions over the last decade, for the plan ning of community based rehabilitation in India and the neighboring countries.