The word “rehabilitation” (German uses the same word, often shortening it to just "Reha") means procedures that help to restore health and enable patients to take an active part in social and working life. For adult patients, the aim of rehabilitation is often to help people with health issues to return to work or to get started in a different line of work.

A distinction is made between vocational and medical rehabilitation. Vocational rehabilitation includes such things as adaptations to a person’s workplace or retraining so that they can work in spite of their illness. Medical rehabilitation aims to maintain or improve the person’s state of health.

After people have been seriously ill with COVID-19, perhaps spending time in hospital, medical rehabilitation can be helpful to improve their health so that they are able to return to their everyday lives.

If you are wondering whether rehabilitation is an option for you, you should ask your doctor. He /she can discuss with you whether rehabilitation would be useful and which clinic might be suitable.

Whether it is then approved depends on various factors including the type of illness and its likely effects on your future working life.

Rehabilitation is usually funded by the national pension authority (Deutsche Rentenversicherung) or by the statutory health funds.

Further information about rehabilitation is available from Deutsche Rentenversicherung.

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