As technology improves, so do positive outcomes in IRF settings. Let's examine a few already in place and a few that are already in the works. The future, if we as a people handle it correctly, has a chance to massively improve the lives of all people, which will also result in potentially incredible improvements for rehabilitation.
While some of these things sound straight out of The Terminator or another sci-fi plot, they are already in use and are only going to advance and improve over time.
Robotic prosthetic hands and arms are already here - in what may be looked at as a medium stage. Not early, but not perfect, still very capable. They give people with limited hand mobility near-full and in some cases they return what is essentially 'normal' movement. Even people born without or who have unfortunately lost a limb, hand, or foot are being fitted with the latest in robotic assistance. This not only aids their physical abilities, it improves mental health for many. The return of autonomy and ability had a profound effect on those who have lost it. It cannot be understated just how amazing it is to return abilities to those who had them taken or to teach someone who never had them to begin with.
Another field that is quickly advancing is virtual reality. Not long ago it was in an 'uncanny valley' where people find things to look 'kind of' real, resulting in an often awkward experience.
However, as I type this, the next round of advancements are taking place, with even better abilities to arrive by 2026 if I were to venture a guess given Moore's Law and similar rates of technological advancement over the last 40 years.
VR can immerse people in landscapes they could never visit in 'real' life. This immersion can provide potentially therapeutic experiences. Revisiting memories, childhood homes, the Pyramids, Machu Picchu, all sorts of locations that people rehabilitating cannot and may never be able to visit.
It wasn't long ago that color-correcting lenses brought more vivid and wider color spectrums to the colorblind, especially red-green. They've brought countless people to tears. My father was colorblind, but did not want to try them. I can understand why, but a part of me will always wish he had. Such is the choice: To see life closer to what it is or to realize how much you have missed by not being able to for so long. I wish he had taken that chance, but I will always understand why he did not and also respect it. Life is full of difficult choices. Life is suffering, but I do not believe we will ever stop, as a species, to mitigate the suffering.
Back to VR, a full 360-degree view of pastoral landscapes, your favorite book or movie, imagined worlds, being 'inside' of paintings, time periods you never experienced is closer at hand than many may realize.
AI and VR combined have the ability to provide essentially free experiences, therapy, and AI travel companions. What once was the realm of fiction and fancifully imagined sorcery is no more. It too will only improve. With this, come risks as well. We'll ignore the potential of runaway AI and focus on the VR vacations and therapy. People will need to remain tethered to reality or risk becoming addicted to a world they may perceive as real but is not. Though depending on the individual's situation we as a society will also have to tackle the question of: So what? If their body is maintained properly, but their physical abilities in the 'real' world are limited, who are 'we' to say one should not be allowed to 'live' in what they perceive as a better reality, virtual or not?
This could also allow for closure for some by being able to 'see' that loved one or many more times. Even if it is not the real person. We do it with memories, what of those whose memories are failing?
A wide range of wearables are already on the market. I use one that can help sense falls (brain cancer has given me a few seizures). An SOS is then sent out to my loved ones with my exact GPS coordinates. Other wearables track steps, sleep cycles, blood pressure, blood sugar, and more. All of which can help one realize an issue before it happens and know to seek help or sit down depending on the alert.
We're already at a point where 3D printing is being used in Prosthetics and Orthotics. It may only be a matter of time before we can safely 3D print organs. Imagine a world with no waitlists for transplants and guaranteed matches based on your own DNA. None of this is in the realm of science fiction anymore. One day such authors will likely be seen as great visionaries and people well ahead of their time.
One of the technologies still a bit out from perfection but very much worth keeping an eye on is Sensory Rehabilitation Technologies. These are tools that can help restore or improve the senses in those who have lost them or have an impairment.