Therapy Services at Home Services

Home Health Solutions Group provides home therapy services to speed recovery from surgery, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. This allows the patient to recover in a comfortable and convenient environment while allowing their families to be involved in the recovery process.

Physical Therapy

Here are 5 key benefits of In-Home Physical Therapy:

1) Prevent Falls and Major Injuries

As people age, their physical strength and balance tend to decline. This puts clients at risk for falls and opens the door for potential serious injuries. Well Care's Physical Therapists will travel to clients' homes to assess their muscle strength and overall body awareness. We first look for signs to see if there are weak muscles, balance issues, or changes in how someone walks. Our PTs use techniques that measure a patient's bio-mechanics, which is their ability to use their own bodies correctly and efficiently. We then look for certain cues or movements that can cause injuries, teach clients exercises and how to improve posture as needed.

Specifically, our team uses the "Beyond Balance Fall Prevention Program," which is based off of the Otago Exercise Program, a nationally-recognized program that taps into the specific patient population at-risk for falls. The methods used in this popular program significantly reduce the risk for falls. Our PTs work directly with clients to customize the program based on their individual needs. It's truly a win-win for all involved in the care plan.

2) Pain Management

Physical therapy is an essential tool for pain management. In fact, with the nation's opioid crisis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging health care providers to reduce the use of opioids in favor of safe alternatives like physical therapy.

3) Education

Once a care plan is established, our Home Health Solutions Group Physical Therapists teach clients effective ways to use their bodies in the most efficient manner possible. This includes education for caregivers, too. Caregivers play a vital role in their loved one's recovery after illness or surgery. As Physical Therapists, part of our job entails showing caregivers how to properly use their own body mechanics in order to protect themselves and the patient. We help clients and caregivers identify potential environmental hazards in the home and teach them certain techniques to decrease the risk of falls. Some of this can be as simple as removing certain objects from the home that may increase the risk of a fall, like area rugs or large pieces of furniture. We will also teach caregivers in particular how to safely transfer clients without injuring themselves.

Part of the education process also includes assessing the need for adaptive equipment, like ramps, hand rails, canes, or walkers if stairs become too much. We'll team up with our Social Work colleagues to facilitate getting this equipment in place so the patient and caregiver remain as safe as possible.

4) Improved Mobility and Surgery Recovery

For clients who are incapable of getting to an outpatient facility following a major surgery, in-home Physical Therapy may be a necessity, either in the short term or for a longer period of time. Well Care's Physical Therapists come out to the patient's home to continue the skilled care that began in the hospital setting. We ensure all surgical ounds are healing properly, especially after orthopedic surgery. Our PTs test the patient's strength and range of motion, with the main goal of getting them back on the path to complete wellness, improving their functional mobility in the home.

5) Regain Independence and Resume Normal Routine

While some of Well Care's clients require intensive, in-home physical therapy, others require short term assistance getting back to their normal routines. Our Physical Therapists provide skilled services to help clients resume their typical, every day lives and regain their independence. A pneumonia patient suffering from weakened lung capacity may need to practice walking to the mailbox again. We also help clients get back on track after fighting the Flu, or assist with worsened COPD and Congestive Heart Failure conditions. Based on the patient's specific condition and personal goals, we team up with our clinical colleagues, caregivers, and the patient's doctor to develop a customized treatment plan.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy can change people’s lives.

People think occupational therapy is the same as physical therapy, but there is so much more to occupational therapy. Home Health Solutions Group Occupational therapists assist people of all ages who have a mental or physical illness with rehabilitation through the activities of daily living. The evaluations, interventions, and outcomes of occupational therapy can help a child with disabilities participate in school and in social situations, assist a person recovering from injuries to regain skills, aid an older adult stay as independent as possible, and offer the specialized support to people of all ages and in all circumstances.

Much of the work of Home Health Solutions Group Occupational Therapists is also beneficial to caregivers. By helping an individual regain some of their independence, occupational therapy can also relieve some of the burden on the caregiver. We work on strengthening and balance and safety.

Much of the work of Home Health Solutions Group Occupational Therapists is also beneficial to caregivers. By helping an individual regain some of their independence, occupational therapy can also relieve some of the burden on the caregiver. We work on strengthening and balance and safety.

Occupational therapy helps clients continue with everyday activities by improving theskills needed to accomplish tasks. Home Health Solutions Group Occupational Therapists visits help improve the clients basic motor functions and reasoning abilities. They teach clients to compensate for permanent loss of function with the ultimate goal to help them lead an independent, productive and satisfying life.

Speech Therapy

Home Health Solutions Group Speech Therapy Services is provided for disorders of communication, cognition and swallowing. When speech intervention is necessary it means that one of the most essential human functions is compromised. What could be more important than restoring a means of communication, thinking or eating? Speech-language pathologists are trained professionals with the ability to improve or restore function in these areas. Their expertise and services include, but are not limited to:

Speech Services

• Articulation
• Voice
• Resonance

Language Services

• Word-finding
• Increasing sentence length
• Pragmatics
• Reading
• Writing

Alternative Means of Communication

• Tablet/Smartphone
• Computer
• Dedicated communication devices
• Eye-gaze/non-hand switches for communication devices
• Low tech picture communication systems
• Comprehension

Swallowing Services

• Objective swallow studies (Modified Barium Swallow or FEES)
• Bedside swallow evaluation
• Postures/positioning for increased swallow function
• Thermal/tactile abd swallow related oral motor exercises
• Electrical Stimulation of swallow, eg:VitalSlim

Cognitive-Communicative Services

• Memory
• Problem-Solving
• Planning and initiation
• Attention

Can effective speech therapy be provided at home?

Whether the need for speech therapy arises from an illness, disease or accident, Home Health Solutions Group speech-language pathologists can provide most services at home. Many people in recovery have spent weeks or months in hospitals and are thrilled to return home. Others may not have been hospitalized but do not have a means of transportation to outpatient service facilities. Still others are homebound, receiving all care in their residence. It is still possible to receive high quality, evidence-based speech-language, swallowing or cognitive-communicative therapy. There are actually benefits to receiving therapy at home.

Benefits of in-home speech therapy

People feel most comfortable in their homes and everything they need is nearby. Therapy will be less disruptive for medication, food or bathroom breaks.

Informed Caregivers

In the home, a speech pathologist frequently encounters family members or professional caregivers. They can observe therapy and receive education or counseling about the techniques implemented by the therapist. Continuity of care then improves when the speech pathologist is not present. Family members or professional caregivers are with clients many more hours per week than the visiting therapists. Knowledgeable caregivers can encourage clients to use techniques throughout the week. This extends the therapeutic effect by increasing practice time and intensity. Recent research suggests these parameters improve patient outcomes. Additionally, naturalistic home environments support generalization of techniques to everyday situations, not confining learned behaviors to just the speech pathologist or clinic.

Personal Relevant Materials

Another benefit of in-home speech therapy is that the patient’s own items can be used in therapy. For example, in language or memory therapy family pictures or photo albums can be adapted as stimulus materials. In swallowing therapy, the speech pathologist can use the patient’s actual silverware. This can increase the accuracy of instructions and the safety of the patient during swallowing. A patient’s spoon may be twice the size of a plastic spoon commonly used in outpatient rehabilitation.

Less Stress and Energy Expenditure

Clients experience fatigue with illness or during recovery. In-home speech therapy reduces the burden on the patient for travel time and physical activity, saving energy to put into a meaningful therapy session instead. This improves patient’s stamina and allows a speech-language pathologist to see a patient at his or her best.

There are numerous reasons why people elect to have rehabilitation at home. An experienced speech-language pathologist can provide quality therapy in that environment and actually harness the benefits of in-home speech therapy to enhance a patient’s experience within individual therapy sessions and overall outcomes.

Speech therapy helps clients express themselves in a clear way in order to improve communication. Aside from speaking with more clarity, speech therapy can help with the function of breathing and swallowing.