The Big Picture
An injury, illness, disability, or long-term condition sometimes changes what a person is able to do. Care might focus on helping the person improve, maintain abilities, or slow a decline in functioning.
Rehabilitative and restorative care both support quality of life and functioning. They share some goals, but they differ in what they aim to restore and who usually takes part in the care.
Look for Nova Scotia CCA Notes throughout this page for current provincial guidance.
Quick tip: Tap, click, or press Enter on any term with a dotted underline and an ⓘ icon to see its plain-English definition.
Start Here If You’re Overwhelmed
Focus on these core ideas:
- Rehabilitative care aims for the highest possible level of functioning through therapy, exercise, and other methods.
- Restorative care focuses on preventing deterioration and restoring the client toward a previous level of functioning whenever possible.
- Both forms of care support quality of life and functioning.
- Rehabilitative care usually involves more health care providers.
- Restorative care usually involves the client and family, nurses, and support workers, with other professionals consulted as needed.
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Course Notes: Key Ideas You Need to Know
Why Rehabilitative and Restorative Care Are Used
Injury and health challenges sometimes affect a person’s ability to function as before. A person might have difficulty walking, communicating, working, performing self-care, or completing activities they previously managed.
Rehabilitative or restorative care might form part of treatment after:
- an acute injury
- an acute illness
- a lifelong disability
- a chronic condition or illness
- a degenerative condition
Rehabilitation includes a broad range of interventions based on the client’s needs. These interventions might address medical care needs, therapeutic needs, psychosocial needs, or a combination of these areas.
Rehabilitation forms part of the client’s care plan.
Where Rehabilitation Takes Place
Rehabilitation takes place in different settings, including:
- homes
- community-based locations
- long-term care homes
- hospitals
What Rehabilitative Care Means
Rehabilitative care aims to restore a person to the highest possible level of functioning through therapy, exercise, and other methods.
Its goals include:
- slowing a decline in functioning
- helping the client maintain functioning
- helping the client function at a higher capacity
- supporting quality of life
- supporting independence
The goal differs from one client to another. Some clients work toward returning to work. Others work toward performing self-care and activities of daily living, ADLs, that they performed in the past.
What Restorative Care Means
Restorative care focuses on preventing health deterioration, maintaining or improving quality of life, and restoring the client toward their previous functional level whenever possible.
Rehabilitative Care Versus Restorative Care
| Rehabilitative Care | Restorative Care |
|---|---|
| Aims for the highest possible level of functioning | Aims to restore the previous functional level whenever possible |
| May slow a decline in functioning or help the client maintain or function at a higher capacity | Aims to prevent health deterioration and maintain or improve quality of life |
| Usually involves nurses, physiotherapists, physiotherapy assistants, and support workers | Usually involves the client and family, nurses, and support workers. Therapists and other professionals may be consulted as needed |
Nova Scotia CCA Note
Sorrentino’s Canadian Textbook for the Support Worker, 5th Edition lists support workers as part of rehabilitative care teams. In Nova Scotia, being part of the care team does not give a CCA responsibility for developing the care plan, completing ongoing assessments, or deciding when assigned interventions need to change.
Nova Scotia’s current CCA Occupational Standards of Practice states that CCAs participate as members of the care team and work within their occupational standards and employer-defined scope of employment . Regulated healthcare professionals are accountable for care planning, ongoing assessments, and adjusting assignments or assigned interventions. CCAs remain accountable for their own actions and inactions and must work within their occupational standards and employer policies.
Why this matters in Nova Scotia: A CCA may take part in rehabilitative or restorative care without taking on the clinical decision-making responsibilities of a regulated healthcare professional.
Official source: Continuing Care Assistant Occupational Standards of Practice (novascotiacca.ca)
Last checked: September 8, 2026
Fast Review
Keep the differences between the two types of care clear. Focus on their goals, who usually participates, and what level of functioning each approach targets.
- Rehabilitative care aims for the highest possible level of functioning.
- Rehabilitative care uses therapy, exercise, and other methods.
- Rehabilitative care might maintain functioning or slow a decline.
- Rehabilitative care supports quality of life and independence.
- Some rehabilitation goals include returning to work or resuming self-care and ADLs.
- Rehabilitative care usually involves nurses, physiotherapists, physiotherapy assistants, and support workers.
- Restorative care aims to prevent deterioration and maintain or improve quality of life.
- Restorative care also aims to restore the client toward the previous functional level whenever possible.
- Restorative care usually involves the client and family, nurses, and support workers.
- Therapists and other professionals might join restorative care as needed.
- Rehabilitation takes place in homes, community-based locations, long-term care homes, and hospitals.
Final Pep Talk
The hardest part here is keeping two similar ideas separate. Focus first on each type of care’s main goal, then connect that goal to the usual care team. A few focused reviews will make the comparison easier to recognize.