You’re not driving 30 minutes each way just to sit in a waiting room. You’re not rushing through exercises because the next appointment is waiting. You get a full hour of focused attention in the place where you actually need to function.
That matters more than it sounds. Your therapist sees how your kitchen is laid out, where the rugs bunch up, which stairs you avoid. We’re not guessing what your daily routine looks like—we’re watching it happen and building your treatment around the real obstacles you face.
Recovery isn’t about performing well in a clinic. It’s about getting back to the things you do every day—cooking, showering, walking to the mailbox without second-guessing your balance. When therapy happens in your actual environment, progress shows up faster because you’re training for your life, not someone else’s.
Medcare Therapy Services works across Long Island, including Fire Island, with affiliated centers in Smithtown and Speonk. We’re licensed, we’re local, and we’ve built our reputation on showing up when we say we will and doing the work that actually helps.
Fire Island’s population skews older—median age just under 49—and more than 17% of residents are over 64. That means balance issues, post-surgical recovery, and fall prevention aren’t abstract concerns here. They’re daily realities. We know that because we’ve been treating people in this community long enough to understand what you’re dealing with.
You won’t get a rotating cast of therapists or a cookie-cutter plan. You get consistency, accountability, and someone who remembers what worked last week and what didn’t.
First, we talk. You tell us what’s going on—what hurts, what you can’t do anymore, what you’re trying to get back to. We ask questions that matter: Are you steady on your feet? Can you get in and out of the shower safely? What does a normal day look like for you right now?
Then we come to you. Your therapist does a full assessment in your home, watching how you move in the space where you actually live. We check your strength, balance, range of motion, and pain levels. We also look at your environment—stairs, furniture placement, lighting—because all of that affects your recovery.
From there, we build a plan. It’s specific to your condition, your goals, and your setup. Maybe it’s gait training to improve how you walk. Maybe it’s therapeutic exercise to rebuild strength after surgery. Maybe it’s fall prevention work because you’ve had a close call and you’re not interested in a second one.
Sessions happen on a schedule that works for you. Your therapist brings any equipment needed and walks you through each exercise, adjusting as you progress. We also teach your family what to watch for and how to help between visits. And if something isn’t working, we change it. No waiting weeks for a follow-up—we adapt in real time.
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Every session is a full hour, one-on-one. No splitting time between three other patients. Your therapist is there for you, start to finish.
We treat a wide range of conditions: stroke rehabilitation, neurological disorders, joint pain, pre and post-surgery recovery, injury rehab, and balance disorders. If you’re recovering from a fall or surgery, we focus on gait training and neuromuscular re-education to retrain your body’s movement patterns. If balance is the issue, we use proprioceptive training to improve your body’s sense of where it is in space.
Fall prevention is a major focus for us, and for good reason. In Nassau County, 88% of injury hospitalizations for adults over 65 are due to falls. Fire Island’s aging population faces the same risks. We assess your fall risk during the first visit and build a program around reducing it—strength training, balance exercises, home safety recommendations, the whole picture.
We also handle occupational therapy needs. That’s the stuff that helps you do daily tasks—dressing, cooking, bathing—without assistance. It overlaps with physical therapy but focuses more on function than movement.
Most of our patients are on Medicare, and yes, we accept it. We also work with most major insurance plans. If you’re not sure what’s covered, we’ll help you figure that out before we start.
No, you don’t. New York has direct access laws, which means you can see a physical therapist without a prescription or referral. You can call us today and start treatment as soon as we schedule your first visit.
That said, if you’re using insurance, some plans still require a referral for coverage. We’ll check that with you upfront so there are no surprises. But from a legal standpoint, nothing stops you from beginning therapy immediately if you need it.
This is especially useful if you’ve had a fall, you’re noticing balance issues, or you’re dealing with pain that’s getting worse. Waiting weeks for a doctor’s appointment just to get a referral doesn’t make sense when the problem is happening now.
Each session is a full 60 minutes of one-on-one time with your therapist. That’s significantly more than the industry standard, where many clinics split therapists’ time across multiple patients and you might only get 20 to 30 minutes of actual hands-on care.
The full hour matters because recovery isn’t just about doing exercises. It’s about doing them correctly, understanding why you’re doing them, and adjusting when something doesn’t feel right. Your therapist has time to watch your form, answer questions, and make real-time changes to your plan.
You’re not being rushed out the door to make room for the next appointment. The session ends when the work is done, not when the timer goes off.
Fall prevention starts with a risk assessment. Your therapist evaluates your balance, strength, gait, and reaction time. We also look at your home environment—loose rugs, poor lighting, stairs without railings, furniture you have to navigate around.
From there, the program usually includes balance training and proprioceptive exercises. These teach your body to react faster when you start to lose your footing. We also do strength training, especially for your legs and core, because weak muscles are one of the biggest fall risk factors.
Gait training is another piece. If you’re shuffling, favoring one leg, or walking with an unsteady pattern, we work on correcting that. We might also recommend assistive devices if they’ll help, and we’ll teach you how to use them properly. The goal isn’t just to prevent the next fall—it’s to give you confidence to move around your home without fear.
Yes, Medicare Part B covers physical therapy when it’s medically necessary, and that includes in-home care. You’ll typically pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after you’ve met your deductible.
To qualify, you generally need to be homebound, meaning leaving your home requires considerable effort due to illness, injury, or disability. Your doctor will need to certify that you need therapy, and we’ll handle the documentation and billing on our end.
If you’re on a Medicare Advantage plan, coverage works a little differently depending on your specific plan. We’ll verify your benefits before your first session so you know exactly what to expect. Most of our patients are on Medicare, so we’re very familiar with how it works and what’s required.
Stroke rehab at home focuses on the tasks you actually need to do in your daily life. In a clinic, you might practice walking on a flat surface with parallel bars. At home, we’re working on the stairs you need to climb, the bathroom you need to navigate, the kitchen where you need to cook.
Your therapist can see exactly what’s hard for you in your real environment and build exercises around those challenges. If getting out of your specific bed is difficult, we work on that. If reaching into your cabinets is a problem, we address it. The training is more functional because it’s happening in the place where function matters most.
We also work closely with family members when you’re recovering from a stroke. They learn how to assist you safely, what warning signs to watch for, and how to support your exercises between sessions. Recovery doesn’t just happen during the hour we’re there—it happens all week. Home-based care makes it easier to keep everyone on the same page.
The first visit is mostly assessment. Your therapist will ask detailed questions about your medical history, current symptoms, medications, and what you’re hoping to accomplish. We’ll want to know what activities are difficult right now and what your typical day looks like.
Then comes the physical evaluation. We’ll test your strength, flexibility, balance, and range of motion. If you’re dealing with pain, we’ll ask you to rate it and identify exactly where it’s happening. We’ll also watch you move—walking, sitting down, standing up, climbing stairs if you have them—to see where the limitations are.
After the assessment, we’ll explain what we found and outline a treatment plan. You’ll know how often we recommend coming, what types of exercises or treatments you’ll be doing, and what the goals are. If anything needs to be ordered—like equipment or additional services—we’ll discuss that too. Most first visits take the full hour, sometimes a bit longer. You’ll do some light exercises or movements, but the heavy work usually starts in session two once the plan is set.
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