Tampa is a patchwork of very different streets. A Victorian-era house in Hyde Park, a bungalow in Seminole Heights, a high-rise condo downtown and a gated subdivision in New Tampa all come with their own steps, parking and daily routines. Making Memories Home Health sends nurses and therapists into all of them from our office at 7827 N Dale Mabry Hwy Suite 212.
What is home health care when you live in the city?
Home health is skilled medical care that comes to your door, on a schedule your doctor orders. For people in Tampa’s neighborhoods, it often begins the week you come home from the hospital, when the discharge papers are still on the kitchen table and nobody is quite sure which pill replaced which.
Your care team can include:
- Skilled nursing to check your recovery, care for wounds and ostomies, give injections and teach you about heart failure, COPD or diabetes.
- Physical therapy for walking, balance and stairs.
- Occupational therapy for bathing, dressing and getting around the kitchen.
- Medication management so the list your doctor wrote matches the bottles in your cabinet.
Speech-language therapists, medical social workers and home health aides join in too, as long as your plan includes nursing or therapy. Home health visits are part-time. They do not replace a family member or caregiver who stays with you all day.
Who qualifies for home health in a Tampa neighborhood?
Living in a walkable area like Ybor City or Hyde Park does not change the rules. What counts is how hard it is for you to leave home. Under Medicare, you generally qualify when:
- Your physician, or an allowed practitioner like an NP, CNS or PA, signs off on your need for care and keeps reviewing your plan of care.
- Your orders call for intermittent visits (not full shifts) from a skilled nurse, a physical therapist or a speech-language pathologist, or for an occupational therapist whose work with you is ongoing.
- You are homebound, which means stepping out of the house is a considerable and taxing effort for you. A quick trip to the doctor, to worship or to adult day care now and then is still okay.
- Your provider examines you face to face up to 90 days ahead of the first home visit, or no later than 30 days after it.
Medicare and insurance for city residents
When every condition above is met, Medicare can pay a certified agency such as Making Memories for your skilled visits. Round-the-clock help, meals and housekeeping are outside that benefit, and so is personal care when nothing skilled is ordered alongside it. We accept Traditional Medicare, plus long-term care plans and private pay. Medicare Advantage coverage and our participation depend on your specific plan, so we verify both before care starts. Call (813) 931-0015 to verify your coverage. You’ll find each plan on our insurance page.
How to start care from a Tampa hospital or clinic
Most people start in one of two ways. Your doctor’s office sends orders to us, or the hospital discharge planner names Making Memories Home Health in your going-home plan. You can ask for us by name. Relatives may phone (813) 931-0015 too. Someone answers on weekdays from 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM, and we will help you reach the right doctor. Clinics and case managers may submit a referral through our site or by fax at (813) 931-0017.
Once you are a patient, an on-call nurse is available 24/7 by phone. For chest pain, trouble breathing or any emergency, call 911.
Areas we serve in Tampa
We plan home health visits across Tampa neighborhoods by part of town, so your nurse spends more time with you and less time in traffic.
- South Tampa (33606, 33609, 33611, 33629): Hyde Park, Palma Ceia, Davis Islands, Ballast Point and the Westshore area. Our clinicians head straight down Dale Mabry Highway to reach these streets.
- Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights and Sulphur Springs (33603, 33604): older blocks between Florida Avenue and the Hillsborough River, reached by Hillsborough Avenue and Busch Boulevard.
- Downtown, Ybor City and West Tampa (33602, 33605, 33607): condos, historic homes and apartment buildings close to I-275.
- New Tampa (33647): Tampa Palms, Hunters Green and nearby communities along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.
Just outside the city line, we also visit Carrollwood, Town ‘n’ Country and Westchase, which are unincorporated but use Tampa mailing addresses. See the rest of Hillsborough County for more.
We coordinate with discharge planners at hospitals such as Tampa General Hospital on Davis Islands, St. Joseph’s Hospital on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital on Swann Avenue, AdventHealth Tampa on Fletcher Avenue and Moffitt Cancer Center near the USF campus.
Old porches, condo towers and gated streets
Home health in Tampa neighborhoods means working around small hurdles. Historic homes may have raised porches, narrow halls and a single bathroom with a tub. Downtown towers mean a front desk, a garage and an elevator. In New Tampa, a guard gate or call box can slow the first visit. Tell us about these things up front, and we will plan around them.
Our team speaks English and Spanish, so we can teach the whole family in the language they use at home.
Home health services in Tampa
- Skilled Nursing
- Wound Care
- Home IV Therapy
- Catheter Care
- Medication Management
- Physical Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech Therapy
- Medical Social Work
- Home Health Aide
- Medicare Home Health
- Home Care & Long-Term Care
Nearby communities we also visit
- South Tampa
- Hyde Park
- Palma Ceia
- Davis Islands
- Ballast Point
- Westshore
- Seminole Heights
- Tampa Heights
- Sulphur Springs
- Ybor City
- West Tampa
- New Tampa
- Tampa Palms
- Hunters Green
ZIP codes: 33602, 33603, 33604, 33605, 33606, 33607, 33609, 33611, 33629, 33647
More about home health care in Hillsborough County · Brandon · Riverview · Plant City · Temple Terrace · Lutz · Carrollwood · Town 'n' Country
Insurance we accept
We accept Traditional Medicare, plus long-term care plans and private pay. Medicare Advantage coverage and our participation depend on your specific plan, so we verify both before care starts. Call (813) 931-0015 to verify your coverage. See insurance we accept.
Doctors, hospital discharge planners and case managers can send a home health referral by fax to (813) 931-0017. How to refer a patient.
Making Memories Home Health provides home health care services from our Tampa office. Need a home nurse or help at home by the hour? Ask about in-home care (private duty), or see Medicare home health to learn who qualifies.
Frequently asked questions
I'm not sure if my street is inside Tampa city limits. Does that matter for home health?
No. City limits do not decide whether we can visit you. We serve every part of Hillsborough County, so a home in Tampa Palms counts the same as one in an unincorporated pocket with a Tampa mailing address. Call (813) 931-0015 with your address if you want us to confirm.
My mother lives in a downtown or Westshore high-rise. Can visits happen there?
Yes. A condo or apartment is your home, and home health can be provided there when you qualify. Before the first visit, tell us how guests check in, where a nurse can park and which elevator to use. Those small details help your visits start on time.
Our Seminole Heights bungalow is small, with steps up to the porch. Can therapy still work at home?
It usually works well, because your therapist trains you on the exact steps, doorways and bathroom you use every day. Physical therapy can focus on getting up and down the porch steps safely. Occupational therapy can suggest simple changes, such as a shower chair or moving things you use often to easier reach.
Do you cover the New Tampa subdivisions off Bruce B. Downs Boulevard?
Yes. We visit Tampa Palms, Hunters Green and the other neighborhoods along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in the 33647 ZIP code. If your community has a guard gate or a call box, share the entry steps when we call to schedule so your nurse is not left waiting outside.