Home rehabilitation support services are rehabilitation and care coordination services provided at home and in the community that support a person’s rehabilitation and care. These services are generally provided to people coming home from a rehab setting, people aging at home who may need rehabilitation support,  or people with disabilities wishing to live independently. Services can include psychiatric support through community-based programs; physical, occupational, and speech therapy to help maintain a person’s abilities; transportation to and from appointments, job, etc.; social work that includes counseling and guidance on support services, referral, and other services to secure the needed services from other agencies; transition services for people with disabilities that help achieve educational and employment outcomes; and services for the family of a person with a disability. These services can be provided by social workers, vocational rehabilitation personnel, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists. A referral from a primary care provider is usually required to access these services. Please speak with your primary care physician about receiving home rehabilitation support services. Check with your insurance company, or with Medicare/Medicaid if you utilize them, to see what services they cover.

Are there exercises or therapy I can do at home? Can I help my loved one with their therapy? To avoid risk of injury or re-injury, rehabilitation therapy and exercise should be coordinated by a trained professional. A therapist may recommend take-home exercises or may prescribe continuing exercises after therapy has ended. A therapist or rehabilitation nurse may train a family member or other support person to use adaptive equipment. Discuss any “homework” with your therapist and make sure you have a full understanding of any equipment or instructions.

If you are looking for home rehabilitation support services, here are a few great resources to get you started:

• The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) provides great resources and information on independent living. They also provide contact information for your statewide Independent Living Council and your local Center for Independent Living, which provide services such as information and referral, transition services, peer counseling, and independent living skills training.
• The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) provides a great list of vocational rehabilitation agencies in each state.
• The Case Management Resource Guide (CMRG) online provides resources on a wide variety of support services, including behavioral health and rehabilitation providers.
• The National Education for Assistance Dogs Services (NEADS) provides assistance dog services including to people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, veterans who could benefit from canine assistance, people with physical disabilities, and children with disabilities.
• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and the American Physical Therapy Association provide information on rehabilitative therapies and can help you find therapists in your area.
• The Association of Rehabilitation Nurses has a great article on the role of a home care rehabilitation nurse in home rehabilitation.
• AbleData provides objective information about assistive technology (AT) products and rehabilitation equipment available from different sources. The National Assistive Technology Technical Assistance Partnership (NATTAP) provides a state contact list of state level (AT) resources throughout the country, along with a list of state AT financing programs to help you finance any AT you may need.
• If you are a Medicare beneficiary, My.Medicare.gov has a portal that provides you access to information regarding your Medicare benefits and services. Benefits.gov can inform you on the benefits you may be eligible for and provides information on how to apply for assistance.
• Disability.gov provides listings of agencies, programs, and guides for employment, health, education, etc. for people with disabilities.

We ran a search in the NIDILRR Program Database and found several NIDILRR funded projects doing research on different aspects of home rehabilitation support services. Here are a few of those projects:

• The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technologies to Support Successful Aging with Disability (RERC TechSage) (H133E130037).
• The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living Policy (H133B130034).
• Interactive Exercise Technologies and Exercise Physiology for People with Disabilities (H133E12005).

We also ran a search in REHABDATA and found over 300 articles dealing with different aspects of home rehabilitation support services. Here are a few of them:

• Functional outcomes of community-based brain injury rehabilitation clients (J71066).
• Transition from hospital to daily life: A pilot study (J71010).
• Machine-based, self-guided home therapy for individuals with severe arm impairment after stroke: A randomized controlled trial (J71445).
• Supporting individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their families: Status and trends through 2012 (O19742).
• “Home is at work and work is at home”: Telework and individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication. (J71548).

For more information on home rehabilitation support services please visit:

• Eldercare Locator Hospital Home: Plan for a Smooth Transition
• National Association for Home Care & Hospice
• National Association of Social Workers

Please note: You should never start a therapy or exercise program without first discussing it with your primary care provider. Beginning therapy or exercise without guidance may put you or your loved one at risk for injury.