First assessment
The therapist checks strength, balance, joint movement and walking, then looks at the trouble spots in the home, such as a back step or a narrow bathroom.
Private home care · Winnipeg
Physiotherapy at Home in Winnipeg
A physiotherapist registered in Manitoba comes to the house, assesses how the person moves and writes a treatment plan for strength, balance and walking.
On the days between visits, Health Care Aides (HCAs) help with the exercises. A Registered Nurse (RN) oversees the whole care plan.
Free in-home assessment. No obligation.
The Setting
Therapy Where Daily Life Takes Place
Many of the movements that worry families happen indoors: getting out of bed at night, stepping over the edge of the tub, climbing to the bedroom, or carrying a plate from the counter to the table. A physiotherapist working there can watch each one and shape the exercises around it.
Treatment at home also saves a trip across the city. After a hip or knee replacement, a hospital stay or a fall, the drive to a clinic and the walk in from the parking lot can use up the energy a session needs. Through a Winnipeg winter, ice on sidewalks and steps adds one more risk.
Talk through your optionsThe Visits
How In-Home Physiotherapy Works
The plan, and how often the therapist comes, is set for each person.
Setting goals
The person and family name what they want back, such as walking to the mailbox or managing the stairs alone. A written plan then sets out the treatment to get there.
Treatment sessions
Each visit combines therapy and guided practice for strength, balance and flexibility, made harder as ability improves.
A home program
The physiotherapist leaves exercises in writing for the person, family and HCA to follow until the next appointment.
Progress reviews
Later visits measure what has changed and update the plan, and the nurse adjusts the HCA's tasks to match.
Between Visits
Health Care Aides Keep the Exercises Going
On the days in between, an HCA can take the person through the home program. The aide follows it as written. Any change to a movement, its repetitions or its difficulty comes from the physiotherapist.
During each session the aide stands close for balance work and counts the sets. If the person reports pain, dizziness or shortness of breath, the aide stops and calls the nurse.
In Manitoba, HCAs are unregulated care providers whose duties are set by their employer. At Integracare they work under a nurse's supervision, and every Winnipeg aide is trained in CPR and First Aid. The visit record notes each session, and invited relatives can read it in the Family Room, Integracare's online portal.
Common Goals
What a Plan Can Work Toward
Standing up safely
Rising from a chair, the bed or the toilet without someone pulling on an arm.
Walking farther
From the bedroom to the kitchen without a rest, then out to the back lane or around the block in good weather.
Stairs
Up to the bedroom and down to the basement laundry, one hand on the rail.
Steadier balance
Turning in a small bathroom or standing at the stove to cook, with less swaying.
Using a walker or cane
Getting the height right and handling thresholds, carpet edges and ramps.
Back to a pastime
Kneeling at a raised garden bed in July, or getting down to the floor to play with a grandchild.
Discharge
Back Home After Surgery or a Hospital Stay
Concordia Hospital, in the city's northeast, specializes in joint replacement, the focus of its Hip and Knee Institute. Grace Hospital carries out more than 11,000 surgical procedures a year, hip and knee operations among them.
Other patients come home after rehabilitation at Victoria Hospital, Seven Oaks General Hospital, Deer Lodge Centre or Riverview Health Centre.
According to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), discharge planning gets under way almost from the day a patient is admitted. Calling us during the stay gives the RN time to meet your family and add physiotherapy to the care plan before the person leaves.
Registration
Checking a Physiotherapist's Credentials
Manitoba requires anyone who practises physical therapy, or calls themselves a physiotherapist, to be registered with the College of Physiotherapists of Manitoba (CPM). The same protection covers the title physical therapist and the letters PT.
Every physiotherapist who treats an Integracare client in Winnipeg holds that registration. You can look up any therapist in the College's Public Directory before the first visit.
Paying for Care
Paying for Physiotherapy
Manitoba Health does not insure physiotherapists in private practice, so families pay for visits arranged through Integracare. If you have extended health benefits through work or a pension, ask the insurer what your plan pays toward this treatment.
WRHA Home Care buys therapy from Community Therapy Services only as a short-term, consulting service for clients who cannot get to an appointment. Integracare's physiotherapist visits for as long as the plan's goals need, and an HCA practises the exercises on the days between.
Plan Physiotherapy With Our Winnipeg Team
Tell us what changed, whether a surgery, a fall or a slow loss of strength. A Registered Nurse visits first and adds physiotherapy to the care plan.
Local Resources
Other Physiotherapy and Falls Help in Winnipeg
Other organizations run these programs. Each sets its own rules, and Integracare is separate from all of them.
Hospital physiotherapy
- What it covers
- Manitoba Health insures physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy given as hospital services.
- How to reach it
- A physician's referral may be needed.
SafetyAid, from A & O: Support Services for Older Adults
- What it covers
- Free help for adults 65 and older in Winnipeg who want to lower their risk of falling: an assessment at a Fall Clinic, 24 weeks of group exercise with education, and a review of the home.
- How to reach it
- A & O: (204) 956-6440.
Common Questions
Physiotherapy Questions From Winnipeg Families
Do we need a doctor's referral for physiotherapy at home?
No. Manitoba lets people book a private physiotherapist directly, so you can simply call us at (204) 977-7575.
Can a Health Care Aide do the exercises with our parent?
Yes. Between therapy visits, an HCA can guide your parent through the written home program. The aide keeps to it as written, and only the physiotherapist makes changes.
Is a nurse involved?
Yes. A Registered Nurse assesses every Integracare client in Winnipeg at home before services start, then writes the care plan and updates it as needs change. Nursing support is available 24/7, holidays included.
Our parent had a knee replacement. Can physiotherapy start at home?
Yes, once the surgical team says therapy can begin. Visits to the house help while travel is hard.
We already have WRHA Home Care. Can we add private physiotherapy?
Yes. You book these visits with us directly. Tell your case coordinator, the WRHA health professional who assessed your family member, because WRHA weighs the help already in place when it decides on public services.
Does physiotherapy fit with stroke or Parkinson's care at home?
Yes. The physiotherapist works on movement, and HCAs from our stroke care and Parkinson's care help with daily routines under the same nurse-led plan.
Other Services
More Care in Winnipeg
Home Care in Winnipeg
Health Care Aides in Winnipeg
Nursing Care in Winnipeg
Stroke Care in Winnipeg
Parkinson's Care in Winnipeg
Respite Care in Winnipeg
Massage Therapy in Winnipeg
We also provide physiotherapy in Greater Toronto and physiotherapy in Ottawa.
Free In-Home Assessment
Ask About Physiotherapy in Winnipeg
Tell us about the surgery, fall or change in strength, and the goals you have in mind. Our team replies within one business day to arrange the nurse's visit.
Prefer to talk?
Winnipeg(204) 977-7575 ↗Toll-free1 (800) 891-4197 ↗We serve families across Greater Winnipeg. See the areas we cover
Clinically reviewed by Bethel McMaster, BScN, RN ·