You shouldn’t have to choose between getting the care you need and dealing with a ferry schedule. That’s the reality for most people on Fishers Island—limited local options, seasonal availability, and the constant hassle of mainland appointments.
In-home physical therapy changes that. You get one-on-one treatment in your own space, where you’re comfortable and your therapist can see exactly how you move through your daily routine. That means better assessments, more relevant exercises, and faster progress toward the things that actually matter to you—walking without worry, getting up and down stairs safely, or just moving through your day without pain slowing you down.
Medicare covers these services when they’re medically necessary. You’re working with a licensed professional who’s been doing this since 2010, not a rotating cast of providers who don’t know the island or your situation. The goal isn’t just to treat an injury—it’s to help you maintain the independence and quality of life you’ve worked for.
We’ve been providing in-home physical and occupational therapy across Long Island for over a decade. We understand what it’s like living on Fishers Island—the isolation, the limited healthcare access, the fact that your population drops to 53 year-round residents but your needs don’t disappear in the off-season.
Our therapists are licensed, Medicare-certified, and experienced in treating the conditions that affect island residents most: balance disorders, fall prevention, stroke rehabilitation, joint pain, and neurological conditions. We’ve built our reputation on showing up consistently, communicating clearly, and treating every patient with the same level of care we’d want for our own family.
You’re not getting a corporate therapy mill. You’re getting a local provider who knows that reliable, year-round access to quality care matters when you’re this far from a hospital.
It starts with a phone call. We’ll verify your Medicare coverage, discuss your condition or injury, and schedule an initial evaluation at your home. No intake paperwork at a clinic, no waiting room—just a conversation about what’s going on and what you need.
During that first visit, your physical therapist conducts a full assessment. They’ll watch how you move, test your strength and balance, ask about your pain levels and daily challenges, and create a treatment plan based on your specific goals. This isn’t a generic protocol—it’s built around what you need to do every day and where you’re struggling.
From there, you’ll typically have therapy sessions two to three times per week, depending on your condition and doctor’s orders. Each session lasts about 45 minutes to an hour. Your therapist brings any necessary equipment, guides you through exercises, tracks your progress, and adjusts the plan as you improve.
You’ll also get a home exercise program to do between visits. The work you put in matters, and your therapist will make sure you understand exactly what to do and why you’re doing it. As you get stronger and more confident, the frequency of visits decreases until you’re able to maintain your progress independently.
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Fall prevention is one of the most critical services we provide, especially for Fishers Island’s aging population. Our therapists are trained in Otago fall prevention protocols—evidence-based programs that reduce fall risk through targeted balance training, strength exercises, and home safety assessments. When 20% of island residents report mobility limitations and that number jumps to 50% for those over 85, this isn’t optional care—it’s essential.
Gait training and balance work go hand-in-hand with fall prevention. If you’ve noticed yourself shuffling, favoring one leg, or feeling unsteady on uneven ground, we can help retrain your walking pattern and rebuild the proprioceptive awareness that keeps you stable. This is especially important on an island where sidewalks are limited and terrain varies.
We also treat stroke rehabilitation, neurological conditions like Parkinson’s, joint pain from arthritis or osteoporosis, and pre- or post-surgical recovery. Therapeutic exercise, resistance training, and neuromuscular re-education are all part of the toolkit. If you’re dealing with chronic pain, recovering from an injury, or managing a progressive condition, the goal is the same: keep you moving, keep you safe, and keep you in your home as long as possible.
Occupational therapy is available too, focusing on the daily activities that matter—dressing, cooking, bathing, managing medications. It’s not just about strength. It’s about function.
Yes, Medicare Part B covers in-home physical therapy when it’s deemed medically necessary by your doctor. That means you need a physician’s referral or prescription stating that you require skilled therapy services—not just general exercise or maintenance care.
Medicare typically covers 80% of the approved amount after you’ve met your annual deductible. You’re responsible for the remaining 20%, though supplemental insurance often covers that portion. There’s no limit on the number of sessions, but your therapist must document ongoing progress and medical necessity for coverage to continue.
To qualify for in-home services specifically, you generally need to be homebound or have significant difficulty leaving your home due to your condition. Given Fishers Island’s geographic isolation and limited transportation options, many residents meet this criteria more easily than mainland patients. Your therapist will work with your doctor to ensure all documentation supports your coverage.
Most patients start with two to three visits per week, depending on the severity of their condition and their doctor’s orders. Acute injuries or post-surgical recovery might require more frequent visits initially, while chronic conditions or maintenance programs might need less.
Each session typically lasts 45 minutes to an hour. Your therapist will spend that time doing hands-on treatment, guiding you through exercises, and teaching you techniques to use between visits. As you improve, the frequency usually decreases—maybe down to once a week, then every other week, and eventually discharge once you’ve met your goals and can maintain progress on your own.
The schedule isn’t set in stone. If you’re progressing faster than expected, you might need fewer visits. If you hit a plateau or experience a setback, your therapist can adjust the frequency. The key is that every visit needs to be medically justified for Medicare coverage, so your therapist documents your progress and functional improvements at each session.
We treat a wide range of orthopedic, neurological, and age-related conditions. The most common on Fishers Island are balance disorders, fall risk, gait abnormalities, arthritis, osteoporosis, joint pain, and general deconditioning in older adults.
For neurological conditions, we work with stroke survivors, Parkinson’s patients, people with neuropathy, and those recovering from other brain or nerve injuries. Treatment focuses on retraining movement patterns, improving coordination, and rebuilding strength and endurance.
We also handle pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation for joint replacements, fractures, and other orthopedic procedures. If you’ve had a hip or knee replacement and can’t easily get to mainland therapy appointments, in-home care keeps your recovery on track without the travel burden. Injury rehabilitation for sprains, strains, tendonitis, and other acute issues is part of what we do as well.
Basically, if your mobility, strength, balance, or daily function is limited by a medical condition or injury, and your doctor believes skilled physical therapy would help, we can probably treat it. The advantage of in-home care is that we see exactly how your condition affects you in your actual environment, which leads to more practical and effective treatment.
Physical therapy focuses on improving your movement—strength, balance, coordination, endurance, and pain management. The goal is to help you walk better, move more safely, reduce pain, and rebuild physical function after an injury or illness. You’ll do exercises, stretching, balance training, and functional movement practice.
Occupational therapy focuses on helping you perform daily activities—dressing, bathing, cooking, managing your home, and other tasks that make up your daily routine. An occupational therapist looks at how your physical limitations affect your ability to live independently and teaches you strategies, adaptive techniques, or recommends equipment to make those activities easier and safer.
There’s overlap, and many patients benefit from both. For example, if you’ve had a stroke, your physical therapist might work on your walking and balance, while your occupational therapist helps you relearn how to button your shirt or prepare a meal with one-handed techniques. Both are covered by Medicare when medically necessary, and both can be provided in your home.
We offer both services, and your therapist will coordinate with your doctor to determine which type of therapy—or combination—will help you most. Sometimes you’ll work with both a PT and an OT. Other times, one discipline is enough.
It depends entirely on your condition, your goals, and how quickly you progress. Some patients only need a few weeks of therapy after a minor injury or surgery. Others with chronic conditions or significant functional limitations might need several months of treatment.
A typical course of therapy might run 6 to 12 weeks, with visits tapering off as you improve. Your therapist will reassess your progress regularly—usually every 10 to 14 days—and adjust the treatment plan based on what’s working and what’s not. Medicare requires ongoing documentation of improvement, so if you’re not making progress, your therapist will either modify the approach or discuss other options with your doctor.
The goal is always to get you to a point where you can manage independently. That might mean you’re pain-free and moving normally, or it might mean you’ve learned how to safely navigate your home with a walker and have the strength to do so without assistance. Discharge happens when you’ve either met your goals or reached a plateau where further skilled therapy isn’t likely to produce additional gains.
You’re never locked into a set number of sessions. If you feel you’re not improving or don’t need therapy anymore, you can stop at any time. And if you’re discharged but experience a setback later, you can always restart with a new doctor’s order.
For Fishers Island residents, the answer is pretty straightforward: access and convenience. The island’s only physical therapy option is seasonal—June through August at the Community Center—and even then, appointments are limited. Getting to a mainland clinic means coordinating ferry schedules, dealing with weather delays, and spending half your day on transportation for a 45-minute appointment.
In-home therapy eliminates all of that. Your therapist comes to you, on your schedule, year-round. You’re not rushing to catch a ferry or sitting in a waiting room. You’re getting one-on-one care in the environment where you actually need to function.
There’s also a clinical advantage. Your therapist sees how you move in your own home—where the rugs are, how steep your stairs are, whether your bathroom setup is safe. They can address real-world challenges that wouldn’t come up in a clinic setting. If you’re working on fall prevention, for example, your therapist can identify hazards in your home and teach you how to navigate them safely.
And for many older adults or people with significant mobility limitations, leaving the house is exhausting or anxiety-inducing. In-home therapy removes that barrier. You can focus your energy on getting better, not on getting to an appointment. That often leads to better outcomes because you’re less stressed and more consistent with your treatment.
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