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Minimize COVID-19 risk with in-home outpatient physical therapy

December 28, 2020

Choosing to do outpatient physical therapy in the comfort and safety of your own home can minimize COVID-19 risk.

Aging In Place Specialists is an outpatient physical therapy practice, just like the outpatient facilities that you see in the community. The difference is that the therapist works one on one with you, in the privacy of your home. We spend an average of 55 minutes per session with our patients and you have our undivided attention. We service patients in Sussex County.

We are not a home health agency. Although we come to your home, we bill Medicare Part B as an outpatient provider. Medicare Part B recognizes home-based outpatient services and reimburses as it would with a traditional outpatient facility. We do not provide nursing services, nor do we have the same guidelines as home health agencies. Home-based outpatient services have been around for years, just not in our area until 2016, when we first opened.

We treat a variety of conditions, and provide orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation. We treat chronic pain, arthritis, post-surgical recovery, neurological rehabilitation, vestibular dysfunction/vertigo, weakness, difficulty walking and balance disorders. We have a staff of therapists, most with over 20 years of experience. Each therapist has special certifications in different areas of study to offer expert care to our community. Personally, I am in the process of becoming certified as a fall-prevention therapist.

As a therapist, I enjoy working in the home-based setting as it provides the therapist an opportunity to work with the patients in their own particular environments. Since safety is always our first priority, observing a client navigate their kitchen, bathroom and outdoor environment has resulted in excellent fall prevention and overall improved safety in the home. The clients and their family members are available to participate in the therapy sessions. In many cases, they are more comfortable sharing their concerns because they are in the privacy of their own home. I truly enjoy providing this unique and special service to our community because it is highly effective, efficient and fun.

As primary forms of payment, we accept Medicare Part B insurance or Medicare Advantage plans. I encourage you to call our management staff to review your plan and determine if we can assist with your specific needs.

To minimize exposure to COVID-19, our team members wear KN95 or N95 masks at every visit. We comply with strict hand washing and sanitizing procedures, and disinfect equipment between patients. We screen our team daily as well as every single patient before going into a home. We are happy to report we have not had a single case of COVID to date in our practice. However, the most significant way that we are minimizing risk to our patients is by delivering expert care in their homes with exposure to just one therapist as opposed to patients leaving home to receive treatment in a public setting.

To make an appointment, simply call the office at 302-444-8318 so we can initiate your care plan. If your doctor would like to fax a prescription for PT, they can do so at 302-444-8309.

You do not need a prescription to start physical therapy. Under the direct access laws in Delaware, you have up to 30 days to get a physician referral after initiating physical therapy. Our office takes care of this for you and initiates contact with your physician on day one. We also maintain excellent communication with your physician every 30 days or as needed to report your progress.

 

Expert physical therapist Holly Ann Firuta works with Aging in Place Specialists, a local home-based outpatient physical therapy practice. Firuta graduated in 1983 from Ithaca College and worked at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia. Soon afterward, she owned a physical therapy practice which specialized in aquatic care. She has worked with a diverse population of people with a variety of disabilities, and is now pleased to find herself working with some of the area’s finest and most experienced physical therapists at AIPS in Lewes. For more information, call 302-444-8318 or go to aginginplacede.com.

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