A Better Way
to Provide
Skilled Therapy
Pisgah Therapy, PLLC helps seniors function independently and safely in the home with mobile therapy.
Call today for a free consultation: 828-577-9150
My Mission
As an occupational therapist who has spent years working with older adults in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation clinics, and home health services, I know that there has to be a better way to provide skilled therapy. Today’s adults over the age of the age of 65 expect a high quality of life, and many plan to be active well into their latest years.
Whether they are recovering from a serious health incident or rehabilitating from elective surgery, older adults deserve individualized, skilled therapy in their home environment. Those living in the Brevard, Hendersonville, and surrounding areas can now choose to receive mobile therapy at home instead of traveling to an outpatient clinic. As a mobile therapist, I consult with individuals about their health and wellness and help them safely age in place. I provide skilled therapy to address physical health and aging in their everyday activities. I address the cognitive declines that result from aging or disease process. I can provide all of these services to individuals in their homes using their Medicare Part B and other insurance plans.
Jeff Parlier, OT/L
What Is Mobile Therapy?
If you’ve never heard of mobile therapy, you’re not alone. I am one of only a few therapists providing mobile therapy services in the Brevard-Hendersonville-Asheville areas. Simply put, mobile therapy is an outpatient clinic on wheels.
Most individuals recovering from surgery or a serious health incident receive several different services as they regain health. Some begin to receive therapy in the hospital and then transition to a residential rehabilitation clinic. Others have outpatient surgery and return home the same day. Regardless of the starting point, most are encouraged to receive outpatient therapy in a clinic after they return home to complete their rehabilitation. Mobile therapy is an alternative to the clinic. Instead of traveling to the therapy clinic several days a week, the therapy clinic can come to you! With mobile therapy, a highly experienced therapist works directly with you in the convenience of your own home.
Mobile therapy is not just for those recovering from a specific surgery or incident. Individuals experiencing a decline in their functional mobility, daily self-care activities, or cognition can also receive mobile therapy. Mobile therapy may be ideal for clients with decreased endurance or limited mobility because it allows them to remain safe in their home and avoids the risk of falls or other health issues.
An additional benefit of mobile therapy is its highly individualized nature. As a mobile therapist, I dedicate my time and energy to one patient at a time and am able to treat patients more effectively by working with them in their home environment. I work with clients on their personal goals around their real, daily activities and personal interests. To meet your personalized therapy goals, we utilize function-based activities in your home environment. I also use supplemental therapy equipment as needed.
With the impersonal nature and inconvenience of clinic-based therapy, mobile therapy offers a better way forward for clients needing skilled therapy services. Please watch the video for more detailed information:
It’s no wonder that almost 30 percent of residents in Henderson, Transylvania, and Buncombe Counties are over the age of 65. The serenity of waterfalls and lush forests in our Western North Carolina mountains attract retirees from across the country, and those born and raised in these mountains often remain here through their adult lives. Between natives and newcomers, there are a lot of older adults to connect with in these communities!
As a mobile therapist, I want to ensure that all the members of our communities can remain healthy and active, and as a Brevard resident, I am able to travel to your home to ensure that you receive the skilled therapy that you need. I am a state licensed occupational therapist, and I can provide my services independent of a hospital or clinic.
Serving Brevard, Hendersonville
and Asheville Areas
I currently serve clients in Brevard, Hendersonville, Asheville, and the surrounding communities. In addition, I participate in area organizations as a member or guest speaker, including the Area Agency on Aging, Silvermont Senior Center, and Brevard Area Men’s Group. I also host a local Facebook group, Serving Seniors WNC and am active in a number of other community-based social media groups to provide education.
Aging In Place
Our home is our refuge, a place of safety and comfort, and a space representing many memories and experiences of our lives. It is no surprise that most aging adults prefer to remain at home as long as possible, otherwise known as aging in place. As many seniors experience declining function and health due to the natural aging process or chronic health conditions, aging in place becomes a difficult challenge to overcome.
Across the Brevard, Hendersonville and the surrounding communities of Western North Carolina, retirement communities, independent and assisted living facilities, and long-term care facilities house numerous seniors. Many seniors do make the choice to leave the home and live in these various establishments; however, many other seniors do not have the desire or financial flexibility to do so. They want to age in place or need to age in place and require assistance to do so. Most Seniors know that a leading cause of injury and death is falls in the home. Fortunately, falls can be prevented! As a mobile therapist, I provide the proper tools, education and assistance to help seniors remain safe and independent in the home as long as possible. Please refer to my fall prevention guides on my Resources page.
There are many factors to consider in helping seniors age in place, and it starts with a detailed evaluation of the client’s health, current physical and cognitive function, the home environment, daily roles and routines, and their support network. It is the understanding of these domains and their complex interactions that can help the client successfully age in place. As an experienced mobile therapist, I have the unique position of working with the client in the context of their home environment to help them remain safe and independent. By improving mobility and self-care independence, recommending home modifications, training the use of assistive technology or adaptive equipment, and educating family and caregivers, Pisgah Therapy, PLLC can help.
Call today for a free consultation: 828-577-9150
It is inevitable that we all get to enjoy the splendor of more wrinkles and gray hair as we age. If that were not joy enough, we can also expect changes in our musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, neurological and all other body systems as well as a normal part of aging. Unfortunately, many older adults also deal with disease processes or injuries that impact their physical health as well.
Physical Health and Aging
As an experienced occupational therapist working primarily with seniors in clinical and home-based settings, I have vast experience evaluating and treating physical dysfunction and its impact on mobility and self-care independence. This includes orthopedic rehabilitation such as spine, hip, knee, and shoulder repairs; neurologic rehabilitation such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and traumatic brain injury; and cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation post heart disease and repair, COPD, and congestive heart failure, etc.
As most seniors want to return home after hospitalization, or remain home to age in place with chronic health conditions, the impact of physical dysfunction plays a primary role in determining success. Decreased strength, balance, and joint range of motion can affect the ability to get up from a bed or chair, walk, get dressed, or manage basic housekeeping tasks. Those with certain neurological impairments may also experience decreased coordination, motor planning, sensation, and cognitive impairments-- greatly impacting independence and safety.
The treatment of physical dysfunction varies greatly depending on the combination and severity of factors discussed above. Whenever possible, a restoration plan will be implemented to regain lost function and return to normal levels of function. However, it may be necessary to use a compensatory approach by modifying tasks, implementing environmental modifications, or using adaptive equipment to meet goals. As a mobile therapist, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of working with a client in their own environment. Please watch the video below to learn about the occupational therapy process in treating physical dysfunction:
Cognitive Decline
Cognitive changes in aging adults can develop from both normal, pharmaceutical, and pathologic reasons. It is normal that all people experience some decrease in certain cognitive abilities such as conceptual reasoning, memory, and processing speed as we age. Even these subtle cognitive changes can have an impact on daily function of the aging adult.
Medication side-effects are a common issue impacting cognition. This may be due to medication interaction and/or ability to take medications as prescribed. This is particularly challenging for seniors who are on several medications, often from different doctors, and have great difficulty managing medications. Clients and their families can refer to my Medication Management Checklist to assess potential medication-related issues.
Unfortunately, many seniors develop dementia ranging from mild to very severe, including Alzheimer’s dementia. In addition, others may experience cognitive impairment from stroke, Parkinson’s disease, head injuries, recurrent UTI’s etc. More severe cognitive impairment can result in decreased memory, attention, judgement, speech, safety awareness, basic decision making, and ability to sequence basic tasks.
It is clear that various levels of cognitive impairment are prevalent in older adults. As an experienced occupational therapist, I perform cognitive assessments and provide cognitive training and education to seniors and their caregivers. My primary focus is how cognition compromises the daily function and safety of the client in the home and community. A treatment plan may include implementing the supports necessary to prevent harmful events such as falls or burns for example due to problematic sequencing or poor safety awareness around the home. As a mobile therapist working with clients in the home, I can provide the best training and solutions to help those with cognitive impairments remain safe and as functional as possible in the home. Please watch this important video on cognitive impairment and its impact on function and safety with older adults: