Geriatric Physical Therapy in Hempstead, NY
Geriatric physical therapy helps older adults move more safely and stay independent. At South Nassau Physical Therapy in Hempstead, we work with people who have become weaker, less steady on their feet, or who are recovering from surgery or a hospital stay. Your first visit is an evaluation: we check how you move, listen to what has changed, and build a plan around it.
Call (516) 307-9166 to book an evaluation.
What Is Geriatric Physical Therapy?
Geriatric physical therapy is physical therapy built around the changes that come with getting older. Instead of treating one injury on its own, it looks at the whole picture: how steady you are, how much strength you have, how you walk, and what has become harder to do at home.
A therapist checks your balance, strength, and walking with simple tests — things like standing up from a chair, walking a short distance, and holding a few standing positions. Those results become the starting point, and they get re-checked as you go so you can see what is changing.
A Cochrane review of 108 trials found that exercise programs reduce the rate of falls in older adults living at home, and the CDC’s STEADI falls-prevention program recommends strength and balance exercise. What that looks like for you depends on your own evaluation.
Who Can Geriatric Physical Therapy Help?
Older adults come to us for a lot of different reasons. Some of the most common:
- Feeling unsteady on your feet, or worrying about falling
- A fall in the last year, whether or not you were hurt
- Getting weaker, or tiring faster than you used to
- Trouble standing up from a chair, or climbing stairs
- Walking more slowly, or holding onto furniture to get around
- Getting your strength back after surgery or a hospital stay
- Rebuilding movement after a stroke
- Ongoing pain that keeps you from doing what you want to do
- Everyday things — dressing, bathing, cooking, shopping — becoming harder
If you are looking into this for a parent, the same list applies — you are welcome to call with the questions.
Depending on what the evaluation finds, your plan may draw on our physical therapy, orthopedic physical therapy, or vestibular rehabilitation services.
Start Your Recovery Today
Call 516-307-9166 or request an appointment online. We’ll talk through what’s going on and whether physical therapy is the right next step.
Frequently Asked Questions About Geriatric Physical Therapy
What is geriatric physical therapy?
It is physical therapy for older adults, focused on moving safely and staying independent. Rather than treating one body part in isolation, it looks at balance, strength, walking, and what has become difficult at home — then works on the parts that can be changed.
What happens at the first visit?
The first visit is an evaluation and runs 60 to 90 minutes, depending on what is going on. We talk through what has changed and what you want to get back to, then check how you move. Which measurements we take depends on the condition — the point of them is to give us a starting point and a way to measure progress.
Wear something you can move in, or clothing that leaves the area we need to look at accessible. Bring yourself, and your referral if you have one. We go through the plan with you before you go, and if a home program is part of it we can print it, walk you through it in person, and follow up by phone.
Do I need a prescription for geriatric physical therapy?
No, you don't need a prescription for geriatric physical therapy in New York State. New York State lets you start with a physical therapist directly for up to 10 visits or 30 days. Some insurance plans, including Medicare, still need a doctor's sign-off to pay, so check with your plan.
Will my insurance cover it?
Many insurance plans cover physical therapy. We recommend checking with your plan directly, or contacting the clinic and we can help you verify your benefits before your first visit.
When should I see a doctor instead of a physical therapist?
Some symptoms need a physician, not a therapist. Please call your doctor — or 911 if it is sudden or severe — if you have any of these:
- Chest pain or pressure, or new shortness of breath when resting or barely moving
- Fainting, or dizziness along with a racing heartbeat
- Sudden weakness or numbness, especially on one side; sudden confusion; slurred speech; a sudden severe headache; or new loss of vision — these can be signs of a stroke, and they are an emergency
- Loss of control of your bladder or bowels
- You cannot put weight on a leg after a fall, or the limb looks misshapen
- Severe pain that does not ease with rest, wakes you at night, or keeps getting worse
- Fever, or redness, warmth and swelling around a joint or a surgical cut
- New confusion in an older adult, which can be a sign of infection
- Losing weight without trying to
- New dizziness on standing after a change in medication
If you are not sure, call us and we will help you work out who you should see first.
Can physical therapy stop me from falling?
No one can promise that, and we will not. What research does show is that structured balance and strength programs can reduce fall risk in older adults, and that this kind of program is recommended in national clinical guidelines. Falls also have causes physical therapy does not touch — medications, eyesight, hazards around the house — so the strongest approach addresses several of them together, often with your doctor involved.
Am I too old, or too far along, for this to help?
Age by itself is not a reason to skip it. Strength and balance both respond to training later in life, and the exercises are scaled to where you are starting from. What physical therapy cannot do is reverse an underlying disease. What it works on is how much that condition gets in the way of your day.
Is the building easy to get into?
Yes. The building at 230 Hilton Ave is wheelchair accessible. The entrance is hands-free with a ramp, and there are two elevators. There is ample parking in the rear and accessible spaces in front, and a drop-off at the front door that non-emergency medical transport uses regularly.
What are your hours?
Monday and Wednesday, 9am to 7pm. Tuesday and Thursday, 9am to 5pm. Friday, 9am to 4pm. Closed Thursday, November 26. Closed Friday, December 25.
This page was reviewed by a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy at South Nassau Physical Therapy.