What is occupational therapy at home?
Occupational therapy helps you get back to the everyday tasks that keep you independent: bathing, dressing, using the toilet, making a simple meal and moving around your home safely. With occupational therapy at home in Tampa, a licensed occupational therapist (OT) comes to your house, watches how you do these things in your own space, and teaches easier and safer ways to do them.
Making Memories Home Health is a Medicare-certified, Joint Commission accredited home health agency based in Tampa. Our occupational therapists serve patients in Tampa, Temple Terrace, Bradenton and other communities across Hillsborough, Polk and Manatee counties, in English or Spanish.
Your therapist builds a plan around the tasks you want to do again. Visits may include:
- Daily living skills: practice with bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting and eating
- Bathroom safety: safe ways to get in and out of the tub or shower and on and off the toilet, plus advice on grab bars, shower chairs, tub benches and raised toilet seats
- Adaptive equipment training: reachers, sock aids, long-handled sponges, built-up utensils and other tools that make tasks easier
- Energy conservation: planning your day, sitting for tasks and pacing yourself so you have energy for what matters most
- Kitchen and home safety: preparing a simple meal, carrying items while using a walker, and setting up your space to cut down on reaching and bending
- Memory and safety strategies: routines, checklists and reminders for people with thinking or attention changes
- Arm and hand skills: strength and coordination for buttons, zippers, pill bottles and writing
- Caregiver training so family members know how to help without doing too much or hurting themselves
Who qualifies for occupational therapy at home?
Occupational therapy helps when illness, surgery or a change in health makes daily routines hard or unsafe. That includes people who are:
- Recovering from a hip or knee replacement and learning to dress, bathe and use the toilet with movement precautions
- Regaining the use of an arm or hand after a stroke, or after shoulder or hand surgery
- Living with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or arthritis that affects grip, reach or coordination
- Short of breath or worn out from COPD, heart failure or a long hospital stay
- Having trouble with memory, attention or judgment that affects safety at home
For home health, a doctor or allowed practitioner (a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist or physician assistant) must order your care and review your plan of care. You also need to be homebound, which means leaving home takes considerable and taxing effort. Short, infrequent outings for medical care, religious services or adult day care are still allowed.
If a stroke is part of the picture, our article on stroke recovery at home explains how the therapy team works together.
What a visit looks like
At the first visit, your therapist asks about your daily routine and what has become hard. Then they watch you do real tasks, such as getting dressed or stepping into the shower, to see where the trouble is. They look at your bathroom, bedroom and kitchen and note what could change to make things safer.
Follow-up visits are hands-on practice. You might work on dressing while seated, using a tub bench, or making a sandwich with your walker close by. Your therapist adjusts the plan as you improve and checks that new equipment is set up correctly. Family members are welcome, and many find these visits the best time to learn.
Your OT often works side by side with a physical therapist, who rebuilds strength and walking, while the OT turns those gains into daily independence. When you also need help with bathing while you recover, a home health aide may follow the routine your OT designs. Everyone works from one plan of care, and your doctor is kept informed.
Therapy ends when you reach your goals or no longer need a therapist’s skills. You keep the strategies, equipment tips and exercises your therapist taught you.
What Medicare covers for occupational therapy
Medicare can cover occupational therapy at home when you meet the home health rules:
- Your doctor or allowed practitioner certifies that you need care at home and reviews your plan of care
- You are homebound
- You had a face-to-face visit with a provider, related to the reason for care, within the 90 days before or the 30 days after care starts
- Your care comes from a Medicare-certified agency, like Making Memories Home Health
Occupational therapy has one extra rule. It usually does not qualify you for home health by itself at the start. It counts as “continued” therapy: Medicare can cover it when you also need skilled nursing, physical therapy or speech-language therapy, and it can keep going after those services end if you still need it.
Medicare Advantage plans set their own rules, and some need approval before care starts. Learn more on our Medicare home health page, see the insurance plans we accept, and call (813) 931-0015 to verify your coverage.
How to start occupational therapy at home in Tampa
- Talk to your doctor. Ask whether occupational therapy at home could help and request a home health referral to Making Memories Home Health. If you are in the hospital, ask the discharge planner.
- Call us at (813) 931-0015. Share your doctor’s name and your insurance. We can reach out to your doctor’s office for the order.
- Your doctor sends the referral. Doctors and discharge planners can send a referral online or by fax.
- Your first visit. A nurse or therapist comes to your home to review your needs, and your OT evaluates the daily tasks that have become hard.
- Your plan of care. Your therapist sets goals with you, and your doctor reviews and approves the plan.
If bathing, dressing or getting around the kitchen has become a struggle, call Making Memories Home Health at (813) 931-0015, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between occupational therapy and physical therapy?
Physical therapy focuses on how you move: strength, balance and walking. Occupational therapy focuses on what you do: bathing, dressing, grooming, cooking and other daily tasks. Many people get both, and the two therapists coordinate so their work fits together.
Does Medicare cover occupational therapy at home?
Medicare can cover occupational therapy at home when you qualify for home health care. Under Medicare rules, OT usually cannot be the only reason home health starts; it is covered alongside skilled nursing, physical therapy or speech therapy, and it can continue after those end if you still need it. Call (813) 931-0015 to verify your coverage.
Do I have to buy the equipment the therapist recommends?
It depends on the item and your plan. Original Medicare may cover some medical equipment your doctor orders, but many bathroom safety items, such as grab bars, usually are not covered. Your therapist will explain which items matter most and where you can find them.
How do I start occupational therapy at home?
Ask your doctor, or the hospital discharge planner, to include occupational therapy in a home health referral to Making Memories Home Health. You can also call us at (813) 931-0015 and we will contact your doctor's office. After we receive the order, we call you to set up the first visit.
Can occupational therapy help someone with memory problems stay safe at home?
Often, yes. An occupational therapist can set up routines, reminders and a simpler home layout that make daily tasks safer, and can teach family members how much help to give. Goals are set after an evaluation, based on what the person can still learn and do.
Where we provide occupational therapy
We visit patients at home in Hillsborough, Polk and Manatee counties, including:
Tampa · Brandon · Riverview · Plant City · Temple Terrace · Lutz · Carrollwood · Town 'n' Country · Lakeland · Winter Haven · Bradenton · Lakewood Ranch
Hillsborough County · Polk County · Manatee County
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.
Other services
Making Memories Home Health provides home health care services.
Skilled Nursing · Wound Care · Home IV Therapy · Catheter Care · Medication Management · Physical Therapy · Speech Therapy · Medical Social Work · Home Health Aide · Medicare Home Health · Home Care & Long-Term Care