Use of rehabilitation services among aging Canadian Veterans with chronic musculoskeletal pain: Understanding gaps and opportunities to improve functioning and healthy aging

Project Summary

What is the problem? Many older Canadian Veterans live with chronic musculoskeletal pain, which limits their daily activities and well-being. Rehabilitation services from chiropractors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and other providers can help, but the factors that affect Veterans’ access to rehabilitation are not well understood. We also do not clearly understand how rehabilitation services may affect functioning and how healthy Veterans feel as they age. How will we address this problem? We will comprehensively explore the use of rehabilitation among older Canadian Veterans. We will analyze national data to determine how many older Veterans use rehabilitation services and what factors influence use of these services. We will also explore the effects of rehabilitation use on daily functioning and healthy aging over time. Why is this important? This research will identify gaps in rehabilitation care and inform impact on daily functioning and well-being for Veterans.