Description
Assess, plan, organize, and deliver rehabilitative programs for older adults to improve mobility, reduce pain, increase strength and endurance, enhance balance and functional independence, manage age-related conditions, and prevent falls across care settings.
- • Plan, prepare, and carry out individualized geriatric therapy programs to improve mobility, ADLs, balance, and pain control, and to prevent decline and falls.
- • Perform and document comprehensive initial exams for older adults to establish a physical therapy diagnosis and plan of care.
- • Evaluate treatment effects at regular intervals and modify interventions to maximize safety and functional outcomes.
- • Provide therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, gait and balance training, and task-specific practice tailored to geriatric needs and precautions.
- • Educate patients and caregivers on home exercise programs, fall-prevention strategies, safe transfers, and use of assistive devices.
- • Collaborate with geriatricians, primary care, nursing, OT, SLP, social work, and caregivers to coordinate and optimize care.
- • Review referrals and medical records, considering comorbidities, medications, bone health, and surgical precautions relevant to older adults.
- • Document evaluation findings, prognosis, goals, treatments, responses, and progress per facility and payer (e.g., Medicare) requirements.
- • Obtain informed consent for interventions, addressing health literacy and cognitive considerations.
- • Discharge patients when goals are achieved and arrange appropriate follow-up services or referrals (home health, outpatient, community programs).
- • Test and measure gait and balance (e.g., TUG, Berg), strength, ROM, sensation, endurance, and cardiopulmonary status; record data.
- • Identify and document patient-centered goals, anticipated progress, and timelines for reevaluation.
- • Explain proposed interventions, expected benefits, material risks, and reasonable alternatives, including environmental or device options.
- • Direct, supervise, assess, and communicate with PTAs, rehab aides, and other supportive personnel in geriatric settings.
- • Administer modalities and physical agents (heat/cold, electrical stimulation, ultrasound) using geriatric-specific precautions for skin and sensation.
- • Teach and mentor students or interdisciplinary colleagues in geriatric physical therapy principles and practice.
- • Evaluate, fit, and train use of canes, walkers, wheelchairs, orthoses, or prostheses; coordinate modifications with orthotists/prosthetists.
- • Provide education on healthy aging, fall risk reduction, bone health, posture, energy conservation, and safe community mobility.
- • Refer patients to community resources and aging services (senior centers, fall-prevention classes, transportation, caregiver support).
- • Participate in or support research and quality improvement; apply evidence-based findings to geriatric practice.
- • Engage in community outreach or screenings focused on fall prevention and safe aging.
- • Assemble, adjust, or coordinate maintenance and repair of mobility aids and supportive devices.
- • Lead group balance, strength, or mobility sessions for older adults in clinical or community settings.
- • Recognize red flags (e.g., acute neurologic change, suspected fracture, adverse events) and refer to appropriate practitioners promptly.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
