Geriatric Rehabilitation Glossary
105 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
orthostatic hypotension
A significant drop in blood pressure upon standing — defined as a fall of ≥20 mmHg systolic or ≥10 mmHg diastolic — that is a major cause of falls and dizziness in geriatric rehabilitation patients.
hip fracture pathway
A structured, evidence-based clinical protocol governing the acute management and rehabilitation of patients who have su...
IADL
Standard abbreviation for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, used in geriatric rehabilitation assessments to denot...
IDDSI
An internationally standardised framework that classifies food textures and drink thicknesses on a numbered scale from 0...
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
A set of complex daily tasks—such as managing finances, using a telephone, and preparing meals—that go beyond basic self...
Interdisciplinary Team
A collaborative care team in which professionals from different disciplines share assessment findings, jointly set goals...
Katz Index of Independence
A standardised functional assessment tool ranking an older adult's independence across six basic activities—bathing, dre...
Kinesiophobia
An excessive, debilitating fear of physical movement and activity resulting from a belief that such movement will cause...
Lawton–Brody Scale
A validated instrument assessing an older adult's ability to perform eight instrumental activities of daily living, prov...
low-stimulus environment
A clinical or therapeutic setting deliberately designed to minimise sensory input—such as noise, bright lighting, and vi...
MDT
Standard abbreviation for Multidisciplinary Team, the coordinating clinical group managing geriatric rehabilitation pati...
Mini Nutritional Assessment
A validated screening and assessment tool used in geriatric settings to identify older adults at risk of malnutrition or...
MMSE
Abbreviation for Mini-Mental State Examination, a brief 30-point structured questionnaire used to screen for cognitive i...
MoCA
Abbreviation for Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a one-page, 30-point cognitive screening tool more sensitive than the MM...
Modified Ashworth Scale
A six-point ordinal scale used to grade muscle tone and resistance to passive movement, providing a standardised clinica...
Morse Fall Scale
A validated six-item clinical tool used to rapidly assess a patient's likelihood of falling in hospital or rehabilitatio...
multidisciplinary team
A coordinated group of healthcare professionals from different clinical disciplines who collaboratively plan and deliver...
neuromuscular re-education
A rehabilitation intervention aimed at restoring normal movement patterns by retraining the nervous system to control we...
neuroplasticity
The brain's ability to reorganise its neural connections in response to learning, experience, or injury — a foundational...
orthogeriatrics
A subspecialty model of care in which geriatricians and orthopaedic surgeons collaborate to manage older patients with m...
orthosis
An externally applied device designed to support, align, correct, or compensate for a neuromuscular or musculoskeletal i...
orthostatic hypotension
A significant drop in blood pressure upon standing — defined as a fall of ≥20 mmHg systolic or ≥10 mmHg diastolic — that...
PDOC
Acronym for Prolonged Disorders of Consciousness; a collective term for vegetative and minimally conscious states persis...
perseveration
The involuntary, pathological repetition of a word, phrase, gesture, or behaviour beyond the point where it is contextua...
PNF
Standard abbreviation for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, a rehabilitation technique using alternating muscle...