Rehabilitation

Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy

Our physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists work closely with patients recovering from a variety of illnesses or injuries, orthopedic or cardiac surgery, neurological disorders, and many other types of health problems to help them achieve their maximum level of functioning.

Contact Information

Allied Health Services - Rehabilitation
51 Health Lane
Warwick, RI 02886

P: (401) 737-6050

F: (401) 737-3084

Our Rehabilitation Services

Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy helps people develop, maintain and restore movement and functional ability when they are threatened by injury, disease or the process of aging.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy helps people develop, maintain, and restore the skills they need to handle activities of daily living.

Speech Therapy

Speech Therapy helps people with communication skills, swallowing and other upper aerodigestive disorders.

Fall Prevention

VNA of Care New England's Fall Prevention Program is a personalized program designed to reduce the number of falls and fall-related injuries for older adults.

Wound Care

Wound types treated can include pressure injuries, surgical wounds, diabetic ulcers, and venous ulcers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What diseases or injuries could require rehabilitative (rehab) therapy at home?

People recovering from surgery, dealing with a chronic illness, or getting better after an injury often need to heal at home. Cardiovascular, also known as CVAs or strokes, congestive heart failure (CHF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are some common diseases that can be improved by having rehab therapy in your home.

Patients with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, amputations and paraplegic patients can reap great benefits, live more painlessly and safely in their homes with rehabilitative therapy. Also, broken or fractured bone injuries and joint replacement often require rehab therapy in your home in order to help you mend more quickly.

What kind of rehabilitative therapy can I have at home?
You can have physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy in your home. Our rehab therapists will treat you according to your doctor's orders. You can also receive care from one of our nutritionists, social workers and certified nursing assistants if needed. Our team will help you to build strength, conserve energy, find tools to help you adapt and even assist with meals to help you get back to enjoying life. Whatever your challenges are, our experienced rehab therapists and nurses help you find better ways to live at home safely.
How does rehabilitative therapy speed up my recovery process?

VNA of Care New England offers rehab therapy to get you back on your feet, build strength and manage your own day-to-day tasks. Our team will get you the health care you need to live safely at your home.

Working with your physician, our team of trained professionals will complete a comprehensive evaluation to determine your health status, and develop an individualized treatment plan to be carried out to achieve successful outcomes. These services include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and nutrition counseling. We can even help with medication and wound care.

Rehab therapists provide individualized exercise programs to strengthen you, instruction on adaptations for your home, and recommendations for equipment to assist you in your home. You will learn what to expect during recovery and what it takes to become healthy, mobile and independent.

How can a physical therapist help me at home?

Physical therapy (or PT) as a home care service brings physical therapists to work with patients to help them achieve independent, functional mobility in the place you prefer: home. Some common diagnoses referred for physical therapy include:

  • Hip and knee replacement surgery.
  • Stoke.
  • Bone and joint injuries.
  • Acute back pain.
  • Osteoarthritis.
  • Herniated disc.
  • Head injury.
  • Other conditions and diseases.

Our physical therapists will provide instructions in mobility around the home, exercises to strengthen you, and instructions for methods and assistive devices to alleviate your pain. Some of the goals of physical therapy include:

  • Improved range of motion.
  • Prevention of falls.
  • Muscle re-education.
  • Improved balance and coordination.
  • Post-surgery protocols.
  • Patient status assessment.
  • Teach and train caregivers.
  • Falls.
How can an occupational therapist help me at home?

Occupational therapy (or OT) helps people recover from, or adapt to, a disability and/or illness. Occupational therapists work to develop and carry out individualized treatment plans for each patient. Therapists will provide instruction in techniques to assist you in your activities of daily living, recommend modification to and equipment for your home.

Some of the goals of occupational therapy include plan and implement therapeutic programs, restore physical function, improve level of independence in the safe performance of daily living activities, restore sensory function, and promote strength, coordination and balance.

What would a speech therapist help me with at home?

Speech therapy can improve overall communication and swallowing abilities. Individual treatment plans are designed to:

  • Re-teach speaking.
  • Reading or writing.
  • Improve auditory comprehension.
  • Memory and judgment skills.
  • Strengthen oral muscles for speech and swallowing.
  • Develop alternative communication systems.

Common problems resulting in a referral for speech therapy include:

  • Swallowing.
  • Speech intelligibility.
  • Auditory and reading comprehension.
  • Verbal fluency or word finding.
  • Cognitive ability.
  • Functional communication.
  • Voice disorders.

Our therapists will assist you with strategies to help if you have swallowing problems, provide therapy to improve speech and comprehension problems, and assist recovering stroke patients to regain their speech patterns.

How can a therapist help me with pain control?

In the first few days at home after joint replacement surgery, patients will often experience more pain than they expected. Rehab therapists can help control your pain by advising the use of therapies such as ice or heat to improve pain control. For other pain issues, your therapist may use ultrasound or Anodyne® therapy.

If I have a joint replacement, approximately how long will it be before I return to my regular routine?

After you have been discharged from the hospital, your doctor may order a few weeks of rehab therapy in your home. Generally, you will have three to four weeks of rehab therapy at home. At that point, you may be ready for outpatient rehab therapy. In all, it may be six weeks or more before you are able to return to normal activities. With minimally-invasive surgery, some surgeons are finding that patients can be discharged in as few as one to two days, with significantly faster return to normal activities and less post-operative pain.

How can rehab therapy at home help improve my congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

Our therapists will also recommend ways to modify your home and decide what equipment will help you continue to live at home safely.