What is home physical therapy?
Home physical therapy in Tampa means a licensed physical therapist comes to your house to help you move better and more safely. Instead of driving to a clinic, you work on the movements that matter in your own space: getting out of bed, standing up from your favorite chair, walking to the kitchen, using the bathroom and climbing the front steps.
Making Memories Home Health is a Medicare-certified, Joint Commission accredited home health agency based in Tampa. Our physical therapists visit patients in Tampa, Brandon, Lakeland and other communities across Hillsborough, Polk and Manatee counties. Our bilingual team can work with you in English or Spanish.
Your therapist builds a plan around your goals. Most plans include several of these:
- Strength and endurance so you can stand up, walk farther and tire less
- Balance training to help you stay steady when you turn, reach or step over a threshold
- Gait training to improve how you walk, including after a joint replacement or stroke
- Transfers: getting in and out of bed, a chair, the car and the shower safely
- Stairs and steps, including the entry steps to your home
- Walkers and canes: choosing the right one, adjusting it and learning to use it correctly
- Pain and swelling management through movement, positioning and gentle hands-on techniques
- A home exercise program written for you, so you keep improving between visits
Who qualifies for physical therapy at home?
Physical therapy at home is a good fit when leaving the house is hard and you need a therapist’s skills to move better. We often help people who are:
- Coming home after a hip or knee replacement, a broken bone, or back or shoulder surgery
- Weak and tired after a hospital or rehab stay for pneumonia, heart failure, COPD or an infection
- Recovering from a stroke or living with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or another neurological condition
- Unsteady on their feet, afraid of falling, or recovering from a fall
- Living with arthritis or long-term pain that makes walking and transfers harder
To get physical therapy through home health, a doctor or allowed practitioner (a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist or physician assistant) must order it and review your plan of care. You also need to be homebound. That means leaving home takes considerable and taxing effort because of your illness or injury. You can still make short, infrequent trips for medical care, religious services or adult day care.
If you are getting ready for a joint replacement, our guide to knee replacement recovery at home explains what the first weeks usually look like.
What a home therapy visit looks like
The first visit is an evaluation. Your therapist reviews your health history and medicines, asks what you want to be able to do again, and watches how you stand, walk, turn and handle steps. They also look for hazards such as loose rugs, dim lighting, cords across walkways or a bathroom with nothing sturdy to hold. Together you set goals, such as walking to the mailbox or getting in and out of the shower without help.
Follow-up visits focus on exercise and practice. You might work on standing up from your recliner, walking the hallway with your walker or stepping into the shower safely. Your therapist adjusts the plan as you get stronger and teaches your family how to help without strain.
When therapy ends, you keep your home exercise program, and your therapist lets your doctor know how you are doing. Therapy ends when you meet your goals or no longer need a therapist’s skills.
Falls are a top worry for many families. Your therapist works on the causes you can change: weak legs, poor balance, unsafe walking habits and hazards in the home. Our article on fall prevention for seniors in Tampa has more tips. If someone falls and is badly hurt, hits their head or cannot get up, call 911.
One plan of care, one team
Your physical therapist works from one plan of care that your doctor approves. If you also need a nurse for an incision, medicines or blood pressure checks, our skilled nursing team visits too. An occupational therapist can help with bathing, dressing and kitchen safety. The team shares notes, so everyone knows if your pain is up or you had a near-fall, and your doctor stays informed.
Does Medicare cover home physical therapy?
Medicare can cover physical therapy at home when you meet the home health rules. In general:
- Your doctor or allowed practitioner certifies that you need part-time or intermittent skilled care, such as physical therapy, and reviews your plan of care
- You are homebound
- You had a face-to-face visit with a provider, related to the reason you need 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
Physical therapy is one of the services that can qualify you for home health on its own. Medicare can also cover skilled therapy that helps you keep your abilities or slow a decline, not only therapy that leads to improvement. Medicare Advantage plans have their own rules, and some need approval before care starts. Our Medicare home health page explains the benefit in more detail.
You can see the insurance plans we accept. Call (813) 931-0015 to verify your coverage before care starts.
How to start home physical therapy in Tampa
- Talk to your doctor. Ask whether physical therapy at home is right for you and request a referral to Making Memories Home Health. If you are in the hospital, ask the discharge planner.
- Call us at (813) 931-0015. Tell us your doctor’s name and your insurance. We can contact 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 therapist calls to schedule a time, then comes to your home for the evaluation.
- Your plan of care. Your therapist sets goals with you, and your doctor reviews and approves the plan.
Ready to get moving again? Call Making Memories Home Health at (813) 931-0015, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. We are glad to answer your questions.
Frequently asked questions
How is physical therapy at home different from an outpatient clinic?
At a clinic, you practice on equipment in a gym. At home, your therapist works with the stairs, bed, chairs and bathroom you use every day, so new skills carry over right away. Home health therapy is meant for people who are homebound, and many people move on to outpatient therapy once leaving home gets easier.
Do I need special equipment or a home gym?
No. Most exercises use your own body weight, a sturdy chair, a countertop or a step. If a tool like an exercise band or a different walker would help, your therapist will explain what to get and how to use it.
Does Medicare cover physical therapy at home?
Medicare can cover physical therapy at home when you meet the home health rules, such as being homebound and having a doctor or allowed practitioner certify that you need skilled care. Physical therapy is one of the services that can qualify you for home health on its own. Call (813) 931-0015 and we will help verify your coverage before care starts.
How do I get started with physical therapy at home?
Ask your doctor, or the discharge planner if you are in the hospital, to refer you to Making Memories Home Health. You can also call us at (813) 931-0015 and we will reach out to your doctor's office for the order. Once we have it, a therapist calls to set up your first visit.
Can my family be there during therapy visits?
Yes, and we encourage it. A family member who watches a visit learns how to help you stand, walk and do your exercises safely, without lifting or pulling in ways that could hurt either of you.
Where we provide physical 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 · Occupational Therapy · Speech Therapy · Medical Social Work · Home Health Aide · Medicare Home Health · Home Care & Long-Term Care