At Home
Physical Therapy at acac is now able to provide Outpatient Physical Therapy at home.
PT@acac At Home can provide one-on-one therapy in a patient’s home, either as the complete outpatient rehabilitation program or as a bridge from the hospital or home health therapy program into a more traditional outpatient physical therapy clinic.
Who would benefit from PT@acac At Home?
- Patients discharged from acute care/Medicare Part A, that may still benefit from at-home therapy.
- Patients who need a treatment program that is built around how they live.
- Patients whose treatment goals are to gain greater independence or function in their own homes.
- Patients who have other medical conditions that make it challenging or not safe to come to an outpatient PT clinic.
- Patients who have barriers to regularly getting to a clinic such as transportation needs, childcare or elder care responsibilities.
- Patients who may need to start or complete their outpatient PT program in the home instead of the clinic.
Patients who may need an in-home assessment as part of their comprehensive outpatient physical therapy rehabilitation.- Patients who have caregivers that may need one on one training to be able to successfully assist them at home.
This new program has wide eligiblility criteria for patients who do not qualify or cease to qualify for “Home Health/Medicare Part A.” PT@acac At Home’s outpatient services may fall under “Medicare Part B” or commercial medical insurance coverage. You do not need to be a member of acac Fitness & Wellness Centers or a previous patient of Physical Therapy at acac to obtain treatment with PT@acac At Home.
Available to Everyone: Fall Risk & Home Safety Assessments
for adults seeking to test their baseline risk of falling
During the fall risk assessment, our fall risk experts will:
• Conduct various balance challenges progressing in difficulty
• Assess walking and leg strength
• Determine the risk of falling in the near future using established, standardized scoring resources derived from physical therapy research
• Deliver assessment results with specific recommendations for reducing their risk of falls that may cause injury
Fall Risk Assessments can be done at a
PT@acac clinic or at patient’s home - $75*
* combine with a Home Safety Assessment scheduled at the same time for $125
* If client is currently being treated by a member of the PT@ACAC team, the home assessment may be covered by their insurance as long as their insurance supports at home visits. Our office can investigate this for us before the visit is scheduled.
Home Safety Assessments
for any adult experiencing
or anticipating changes in mobility
We strongly promote “active and safe aging-in-place.”
Goals of this assessment are to:
– AVOID unnecessary moves
– REDUCE caregiver burden
– AVOID unnecessary placements into nursing homes or assisted living facilities
During our home safety assessment, our experts will:
• Evaluate the resident’s mobility
• Evaluate access to all rooms in the home
• Create a room-by-room assessment and document issues
• Identify safe exit strategies from the home
• Analyze the findings and share recommendations for living safely in place, and to make activities of daily living easier
Home Safety Assessments must be done in the patient’s home - $75*
* combine with a Fall Risk Assessment scheduled at the same time for $125
* If client is currently being treated by a member of the PT@ACAC team, the home assessment may be covered by their insurance as long as their insurance supports at home visits. Our office can investigate this for us before the visit is scheduled.
After the assessments, if the PT@acac At Home experts recommend follow-up physical therapy, they will help you coordinate a referral from your physician.
Our PT@acac At Home team
Jocelyn (Jo) Reeder Clinic Manager, PT, DPT, Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist
Specialization: Exercise for the aging adult, orthopedics, home safety assessments/aging in place, cardiopulmonary, Outpatient physical therapy, PT@acac At Home
Jocelyn (Jo) Reeder PT DPT Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist graduated as a physiotherapist in 1983 from King’s College, London. She practiced physiotherapy in a variety of patient care settings in the National Health Service before moving in 1989 to Boston, Massachusetts, where she worked at Massachusetts General Hospital. After a brief return to England, Jo and her family settled in Charlottesville in 1994.
Jo has worked at UVA Medical Center and also in long-term care in Charlottesville. She gained her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2008 from Shenandoah University and was certified as a Geriatric Clinical Specialist by the American Board of Physical Therapy in 2009. She has worked as a home health physical therapist with UVA Continuum Home Health Care and served as the rehabilitation manager for Continuum Home Health Care. In 2012, Jo was appointed the first Site Director for Blue Ridge PACE and successfully guided the opening of the building and the certification of the program. She returned to her first passion of patient care with Continuum Home Health Care in 2014. Jo has now joined the team at Physical Therapy at acac to provide outpatient physical therapy in the right place at the right time – be it the patient’s home or a traditional clinic setting – with the ability to move between both settings seamlessly.
email: jocelynr@acacpt.com
Caroline Merva PT, DPT, Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist
Specialization: Exercise for the aging adult, neurological conditions, balance and vertigo, fall prevention screening, PT ACAC @ Home, Geriatrics, General Orthopedics
Caroline Merva graduated with her doctorate in physical therapy in 2013 from Saint Francis University in Loretta, Pennsylvania. Following her graduation, she began her career in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a Geriatric Residency Program with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. During this residency program, Caroline learned and practiced in the growing setting of geriatrics in multiple medical settings including acute care, outpatient, skilled nursing facility and inpatient rehabilitation. After this year long residency Caroline sat for the America Physical Therapy Association Specialty Exam to become a Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist. Caroline then continued her career in Pittsburgh prior to becoming a travel PT around the United States experiencing diverse patient populations and treatment settings.
Caroline settled in Charlottesville in 2019 working in home health for the University of Virginia. As a home health therapist Caroline worked in Fluvanna County caring for medically complex, post operative, oncological, neurological and the generally deconditioned older adult. Caroline enjoys helping patients with balance deficits, fall prevention, vertigo, and home safety. Individualized patient education is one of her passions. Caroline has now joined Physical Therapy at acac to provide outpatient physical therapy in the right place at the right time – be it the patient’s home or a traditional clinic setting – with the ability to move between both settings seamlessly.
email: carolinemer@acacpt.com
Katy Lovell PT, DPT Geriatrics, General Orthopedics, Neuro and balance with prior certifications with LSVT BIG and Neuro IFRAH
Specialization: Geriatrics, General Orthopedics, Neuro and balance with prior certifications with LSVT BIG and Neuro IFRAH
Katy graduated with her BS from Bridgewater College in 2007. She then went to Elon University to attain her Doctorate of Physical Therapy graduating in 2010. She did travel therapy capturing the settings of acute care, skilled nursing, outpatient and assisted living. She then worked at UNC’s Inpatient Rehab with a wide arrange of patients and was the lead spinal cord injury therapist for 2 and a half years. In 2015, she starting working for UVA Continuum Home Physical therapy for 7 years until her transition to PT ACAC @ Home.
When not practicing physical therapy, Katy loves spending time with her husband and sons. She played college basketball and cheers hard for the Tar Heels! She also loves running, Smith Mountain Lake, hiking, traveling and enjoying the local wineries and breweries listening to live music with family and friends.
Julia Bruneau PT, DPT - Geriatrics, Balance, Pilates
Specialization: Pilates, Geriatrics, Balance, Fall Prevention, General Orthopedics, Exercise for the Aging Adult, Dementia
Julia Bruneau graduated with her BA in Biology from the University of Virginia in 2002 and with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College Campus in 2005. Following graduation, she returned to Charlottesville beginning her career in the outpatient clinic setting gaining experience in orthopedic and neurologic conditions across the age spectrum, from 4 years to 97 years. In 2007, Julia transitioned to facility based geriatric care in multiple settings including independent living, assisted living, nursing and skilled nursing care facilities, expanding her experience with medically complex, post operative, neurologic, orthopedic, fall prevention and intervention, and the general deconditioned older adult. She also gained extensive experience with treating patients with dementia and coordinating their care with family members and caregivers to optimize function and quality of life.
In 2008, Julia also began her Pilates Certification training through PHI, culminating in receiving her Pilates Method Alliance Certified Pilates Teacher certificate after a comprehensive exam and more than 450 hours of study and teaching hours. She has enjoyed teaching studio based Pilates classes in the community, as well as bringing Pilates principles and exercises to her patients to provide a more holistic approach to their care. Working with patients one on one to provide individualized and holistic exercise programs and education is her top priority. Julia has now joined Physical Therapy at ACAC to provide outpatient physical therapy in the right place at the right time - be it the patient’s home or traditional clinic setting - with the ability to move between both settings seamlessly.
When not at work, Julia enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children in any outdoor setting, hiking, reading and working on an endless list of DIY projects around their home.
email: juliab@acacpt.com
Jocelyn (Jo) Reeder Clinic Manager, PT, DPT, Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist
Caroline Merva PT, DPT, Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist
Katy Lovell PT, DPT Geriatrics, General Orthopedics, Neuro and balance with prior certifications with LSVT BIG and Neuro IFRAH