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The goal of rehabilitation is to enable individuals To return to their communities with the the highest possible level of functional independence and the best possible quality of life while at the same time reducing, as far as possible, the burden of care.
To enhance the effectiveness of rehabilitation, it is important to seek clients' perspectives of the rehabilitation services and to incorporate these perspectives in the planning and delivery of rehabilitation services.The feedback informs the service providers about the service users' perception of the quality of the service provided. This approach is based on the social model of disability. The social model of disability enhances the control and status of the service user.
Knowledge of service users' experiences regarding rehabilitation services has become vital, especially in the rehabilitation of persons with " physical disabilities, as services are usually long term for this group of people. Furthermore, the service users' experiences are a useful way of monitoring the services for quality assurance, rather than only basing it on the service providers' reports .
The persons receiving rehabilitation at the centres include those with conditions such as stroke, amputations, head injuries and spinal cord injuries
The National Rehabilitation Policy in South Africa emphasises the need for direct involvement of persons with disabilities and their families in decision making because they have first-hand experience of the impact of disability on their lives.
They generally gave positive responses regarding family and caregiver involvement in rehabilitation especially as far as how to care for the participant at home was concerned.
In conclusion according to a recent study conducted in European stroke rehabilitation centres (De Wit et al, 2008) stroke patients typically spend 72% of their daily time in non-therapeutic activities, mostly in their rooms, inactive and without any interaction. The suggestion is that daily music listening during early stroke recovery is a valuable addition to the patient's care, especially if other active forms of rehabilitation are not yet feasible, by providing an individually targeted, easy-to conduct and inexpensive means to facilitate cognitive and emotional recovery.
Music can communicate information to the brain that has profound effects on learning, development, recovery of function, aesthetic and emotional engagement. Music can relax, improve mood and provide both physical and mental activation during the early stages of recovery from a stroke. Thus music listening could provide a useful tool in stroke rehabilitation.
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