ORIGINAL REPORT J Rehabil Med 2008; 40: 55–60 J Rehabil Med 39 © 2008 Foundation of Rehabilitation Information. ISSN 1650-1977 doi: 10.2340/16501977-0144 Objective: To compare changes on biopsychosocial variables between adults (< 65 years) and older adults (≥ 65 years) during and after an inpatient rehabilitation program. Design: Comparative study. Participants: A total of 165 people 18 years and over admit- ted to an inpatient rehabilitation unit. Methods: The participants were evaluated 3 times: at admis- sion and discharge and 3 months later. Outcome measures were: Functional Autonomy Measurement System (SMAF), Modiied Mini-Mental State Examination, Trail Making Test, Motor-Free Visual Perceptual Test, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go (TUG), Jamar dynamometer, and General Well-being Schedule (GWBS). Results: Both groups improved signiicantly between admis- sion and discharge on the SMAF, BBS, TUG, VAS, Jamar dynamometer and GWBS. Although scores on many of the outcome measures differed at admission, the 2 groups im- proved similarly during rehabilitation. After 3 months, sta- bility or a slight improvement was observed for both groups; however, younger participants improved more on mobility, balance, walking and grip strength. Conclusion: Although older participants had more disabili- ties at admission, they beneited as much as younger people from an intensive rehabilitation program with a comparable length of stay. However, younger participants continued to improve 3 months later. Key words: aging, rehabilitation, geriatric units, functional inde- pendence, inpatient rehabilitation. J Rehabil Med 2008; 40: 55–60 Correspondence address: Suzanne Gosselin, CSSS- University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke, 1036 Belvédère sud, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada J1H 4C4. E-mail: suzanne. gosselin@USherbrooke.ca Submitted January 26, 2007; accepted June 12, 2007. INTRODUCTION As a result of population aging in industrialized societies, there is an increase in pathologies causing impairments. This has led to increased demand for rehabilitation services for older adults, and efforts to adapt services to better meet the speciic needs of this population. The older age group requiring inpatient rehabilitation serv- ices is different from younger patients in many respects. In a review of the geriatric rehabilitation literature, Wells et al. (1, 2) described some of these differences, including co-morbidity, multifactorial causes of disability, frailty, and related cognitive, nutritional and depression problems. Older adults admitted to rehabilitation units often present several intercurrent medical conditions and comorbidities that require close medical super- vision and simultaneous treatment (3–5). They more often have cognitive impairments that could compromise their ability to learn new skills (6). The impact of age on inpatient rehabilitation outcomes has received a lot of attention in recent years. Some studies have suggested that older adults who have had a stroke show less improvement in functional independence after rehabilitation (5, 7, 8). However, even the very old can improve signiicantly, especially if the level of pre-morbid independence was good (9–10). Aging is also reported to have a negative impact on functional independence following a lower limb amputation but, here again, the great majority of older adults improve their functional independence during rehabilitation (11–13). Rehabilitation has also been shown to be effective with pa- tients who have had a hip fracture (14–15), despite signiicant residual impairments (16). However, few studies to date have examined the results of an inpatient rehabilitation program by age group for patients with varying reasons for admission. Hanks & Lichtenberg (17) compared functional independence improvements in 812 individuals aged 60 years and over admitted to a geriatric rehabilitation unit, stratiied by 4 age groups. They concluded that age, even more than pre-morbid independence level, had a negative effect on improvement in functional independence at discharge. No previous study has considered a variety of important outcomes other than functional independence. The aim of this study was to compare changes on biopsycho- social variables between adults (18–65 years) and older adults (> 65 years) during and after an inpatient rehabilitation program. OUTCOMES DURING AND AFTER INPATIENT REHABILITATION: COMPARISON BETWEEN ADULTS AND OLDER ADULTS Suzanne Gosselin, MD 1,2 , Johanne Desrosiers, OT, PhD 2,3 , Hélène Corriveau, PT, PhD 2,3 , Réjean Hébert, MD, MPhil 1,2 , Annie Rochette, OT, PhD 5 , Véronique Provencher, OT 4 , Sylvie Côté, RN, BSc 4 and Michel Tousignant, PT, PhD 2,3 From the 1 Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, 2 Research Center on Aging, University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke, 3 Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, 4 University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke and 5 School of Rehabilitation, Université de Montreal, Montreal, Canada