Adult Social Care Glossary, v 0.6

2.12 There is a tendency for the terms 'reablement', 'rehabilitation' and 'intermediate care' to be used interchangeably. The National Audit of Intermediate Care categorises 4 types of intermediate care:

- crisis response - services providing short-term care (up to 48 hours)
- home-based intermediate care - services provided to people in their own homes by a team with different specialities but mainly health professionals such as nurses and therapists
- bed-based intermediate care - services delivered away from home, for example, in a community hospital
- reablement - services to help people live independently which are provided in the person's own home by a team of mainly care and support professionals

2.13 The term 'rehabilitation' is sometimes used to describe a particular type of service designed to help a person regain or re-learn some capabilities where these capabilities have been lost due to illness or disease. Rehabilitation services can include provisions that help people attain independence and remain or return to their home and participate in their community, for example independent living skills and mobility training for people with visual impairment.

2.14 'Intermediate care' services are provided to people, usually older people, after they have left hospital or when they are at risk of being sent to hospital. Intermediate care is a programme of care provided for a limited period of time to assist a person to maintain or regain the ability to live independently - as such they provide a link between places such as hospitals and people's homes, and between different areas of the health and care and support system - community services, hospitals, GPs and care and support.