Bridgton Hospital

No matter what your outpatient therapy needs, Central Maine Healthcare offers the care you need. With a full spectrum of diagnostic, therapeutic and restorative services, our mission is to get you on your feet and back to normal activities as quickly as possible after an injury or illness.

Our scope of services also goes beyond care after an acute injury or illness, offering services for patients who need help maintaining mobility and other abilities. All Central Maine Healthcare outpatient therapy services follow nationally recognized best practices for quality care, meaning you can receive the optimal care you need close to home.

Services Available

Every person is unique and distinct, so the outpatient therapy services we offer are, too. At your first appointment, our first step is to gain a thorough understanding of your needs, your medical history and your lifestyle.

Based on those specifics, the outpatient therapy team will put together an individualized care plan to help you achieve your goals. This care plan may include:

• Orthopedic/Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation
• Back and Spine Care
• Post Surgical Rehabilitation: Continuing Rehabilitation after Hospitalization
• Balance and Vestibular Program
• Work Injuries
• Hand and Upper Extremity Therapy
• Lymphedema Management
• Pelvic Floor Rehab – Bladder Control–Incontinence Management
• Swallowing Therapy
• Adult Speech/Language Therapy
• Pediatric Speech/Language Therapy
• Osteoporosis Program
• Neurological Rehabilitation

Occupational Therapy

When a person has difficulty performing activities of daily living due to an illness, injury or cognitive change, occupational therapy may provide solutions.

Occupational therapy provides personalized guidance and intervention to help patients of all ages and walks of life participate fully at home, work, school or in social situations. For some patients, this will involve working to regain lost skills, while other patients will, with the help of the occupational therapist, learn to adapt their environment. Occupational therapy focuses on offering personalized care to help each patient reach his or her goals.

What Happens During Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy sessions vary from patient to patient. Specialists will tailor therapy sessions to you or your loved one’s individual goals and needs. In some cases, occupational therapists help children with disabilities learn to navigate social and school situations. Older adults experiencing physical or mental changes may benefit from an occupational therapist helping them find newer, more manageable ways to complete their daily activities. Or, for patients who have sustained injuries that make performing some tasks difficult, occupational therapy can find workaround solutions to help them improve their quality of life.

Occupational therapy focuses on physical, mental and emotional needs of each patient. Specialists work with the patient and family to help build a healthy, sustainable way of life that fits the patient’s goals and needs.

How Is Occupational Therapy Different from Physical Therapy?

In short, physical therapy helps improve strength, endurance, range of motion and pain management. Occupational therapy can help with these things, as well, but it also focuses on fine-motor skills, such as moving fingers and toes. It also works to improve patients’ cognitive, perceptive, and sensory-processing abilities, while physical therapy does not usually focus as strongly on these things.

Occupational Therapy at Central Maine Healthcare

CMH’s Acute Rehabilitation Center is a 13-bed center that offers high-quality therapeutic care, including occupational therapy. Referrals are needed for admission. To learn more about our Acute Rehabilitation Center, request a tour by calling 207-795-2495 Monday through Friday and 207-795-2600 on weekends.

Outpatient Therapy Locations

Bridgton Hospital
25 Hospital Drive
Bridgton, ME
207-647-3456

Central Maine Therapy Services – Lewiston
77 Bates Street
Lewiston, ME 04240
207-795-2122

Central Maine Therapy Services- Auburn
690 Minot Ave
Auburn, ME 04210
207-753-3456

Rumford Hospital
420 Franklin Street
Rumford, Maine
207-369-1099

Central Maine Clinical Associates Therapy Services:

Naples PT4U
12 Lakes Plaza Drive, Suite 4
Naples, Maine 04055
207-693-4202
Fax: 207-693-5069

Turner Physical Therapy Services
287B Auburn Road
Turner, Maine 04282
207-225-2610
Fax: 207-225-2611

Physical Therapy

You may think of physical therapy as something that helps rehabilitate after an injury, but it encompasses much more than that. Physical therapy is a type of specialized therapy provided to help a person regain or maintain physical abilities, including mobility, gait and function.

Because every injury or illness is unique, a person’s physical therapy recommendations are also unique. A trained physical therapist will recommend a specific and individualized regimen designed to help a patient overcome deficits, reduce pain and improve overall functioning.

The physical therapist works in conjunction with other members of a patient’s care team, including his or her physician.

Why Do You Need Physical Therapy?

You might need physical therapy for a variety of reasons. For example, if you experience an acute or chronic injury — or undergo a surgical procedure to treat an injury — you may need physical therapy to help you regain strength and mobility in the affected limb.
Patients who have experienced a stroke — a neurological condition that can impair brain function — often require physical therapy to help them restore physical limitations that may occur when the brain is deprived of oxygen.

Physical therapy can also be prescribed to help a person maintain his or her current level of functioning. This can be the case when a person has a progressive disease such as Parkinson’s disease, which can affect mobility over time, or when a person’s abilities begin to diminish with age.

What to Expect During Physical Therapy

Physical therapy differs from patient to patient, since therapy is individualized based on the patient’s specific needs. At your first appointment, your physical therapist will spend time reviewing your medical history and deficits you are experiencing. Based on this information, he or she will recommend a specific regimen to help you reach your treatment goals.

Your physical therapy sessions will include guided exercises in conjunction with joint mobilization, manual therapy, strength training and, potentially, other types of therapy, including occupational and/or speech therapies.

Recovering From Physical Therapy

Because physical therapy requires you to move your body in multiple ways, it can sometimes cause discomfort. Your physical therapist or medical provider will offer suggestions on alleviating any residual discomfort.

Physical therapy also often involves prescribed exercises meant to be performed at home between sessions.

Specialty Programs

Every person is unique and distinct, so the outpatient therapy services we offer are, too. At your first appointment, our first step is to gain a thorough understanding of your needs, your medical history and your lifestyle.

Based on those specifics, the outpatient therapy team will put together an individualized care plan to help you achieve your goals. This care plan may include:

Orthopedic/Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation

Therapists use a range of treatment approaches to help patients regain function.  Services include therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, and customized home programming instruction for patients recovering from any of the following conditions:

• Sprains and strains
• Tendonitis
• Bursitis
• Amputation
• Arthritis
• Temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction
• Headache

Back and Spine Care

Physical therapists with specialized training will guide the patient’s active recovery and help him/her acquire skills for self-management of their spinal conditions.  Therapy elements include:

• Manual skills for symptom relief
• Therapeutic exercise instruction addressing posture, range of motion, flexibility, strength and coordination issues contributing to the spine disorder
• Functional restoration and conditioning programming that assists patients in assuming activities of daily living, work activities or recreation
• Creating a plan for the patient’s life at home, to optimize recovery and prevent aggravation of the spine problem

Post Surgical Rehabilitation: Continuing Rehabilitation after Hospitalization

CMTS therapists work with the Orthopedic Institute of Central Maine by providing outpatient rehabilitation services to patients after their hospital discharge. CMTS programming supports patients following:

• Total joint replacement
• Surgery for sports injuries
• Spine surgery
• Trauma rehabilitation
• Hand and upper extremity surgery
• Reconstructive surgery

CMTS therapists communicate closely with the patient’s surgeon, to support an optimal outcome for the patient.

Balance and Vestibular Program

This program seeks to decrease dizziness and improve balance for people who feel unsteady when walking or standing, or experience dizziness, positional vertigo, lightheadedness, or spinning, and may have experienced a fall or loss of balance.

Work Injuries

CMTS therapists offer services to support the injured worker, which include:

• Acute injury treatment focused on active, timely recovery
• Ergonomic review/work risk analysis
• Education and training to prevent re-injury
• Work conditioning – restoring abilities to perform work

Hand and Upper Extremity Therapy

CMTS therapists support a comprehensive range of hand and upper extremity conditions including:

• Repetitive motion disorders
• Post fracture of hand, wrist and upper extremity
• Burns
• Sports injuries of the hand, wrist and upper extremity
• Sprains and strains
• Tendon lacerations
• Arthritic conditions
• Work injuries
• Neuropathies

Treatment services include:

• Splinting
• Pain management
• Therapeutic exercise to regain range of motion and strength
• Joint protection
• Post surgical care
• Customized adaptive equipment to support activities of daily living
• Work simulation/job task analysis
• Scar management
• Desensitization

Lymphedema Management

Lymphedema is the abnormal accumulation of lymphatic fluid under the surface of the skin, causing swelling in the limbs. The Center’s lymphedema therapy focuses on:

• Controlling or reducing lymphedema symptoms
• Decreasing pain
• Increasing independence in self care
• Improving mobility
• Long term self-management

Treatment consists of:

• Lymphatic massage
• Compression bandaging
• Exercise
• Skin care training
• Compression garment fitting

Pelvic Floor Rehab – Bladder Control–Incontinence Management

Physical therapists with specialized training provide treatment and training support to women, men and children of all ages that may have any of the following conditions:

• Urinary and fecal incontinence
• Urinary urgency
• Urinary frequency
• Constipation
• Overactive bladder
• Pelvic pain, including difficulty with sitting, pain with intercourse, and pain of the hip, lower back and lower abdomen
• Pregnancy/postpartum incontinence/pain
• Pelvic organ prolapse

Specific treatment and training is identified for the individual patient and may include some of the following components:

• Bowel and bladder training
• Biofeedback
• Soft tissue mobilization
• Pelvic floor muscle training
• Establishing a home program that the patient uses for supporting self-management of his/her condition

Swallowing Therapy

Speech pathologists partner with physicians to provide comprehensive assessment of swallowing functioning and to develop a treatment plan. Therapy may include:

• Exercises to improve muscle control and strength
• Compensatory strategy training to compensate for deficits
• Facial, oral and pharyngeal exercise in conjunction with electrical stimulation
• Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (VitalStim) to retrain swallow
• Patient training regarding diet consistency strategies to reduce health risks
• Food preparation instruction

The goal of swallow/dysphagia therapy is to reduce the risk of aspiration and improve swallowing function, to allow the patient to consume food and liquid with a wider variety of consistencies. Patients that have experienced the following may benefit:

• Stroke
• Traumatic brain injury
• Head and neck cancer
• Neurological diseases
• Respiratory diseases
• Facial paralysis
• Post polio syndrome

Adult Speech/Language Therapy

Speech language pathologists evaluate and treat adult speech and language disorders, including patients with issues relating to:
Voice: Vocal changes, vocal cord dysfunction, and difficulty with vocal quality and loudness. The goal of therapy is to increase optimal vocal pitch, appropriate loudness, resonance, optimizing breathing style, and pacing for speech production and vocal hygiene programming.

Fluency: Mild to moderate fluency difficulties and excessive upper body and laryngeal tension. The goal of therapy is to decrease or eliminate difficulties and provide fluency enhancing strategies.

Dysarthria and Apraxia: Motor speech disorders where the goal of therapy is to develop functional speech strategies and/or to determine if speech-based therapy tools would improve communication. May include technical augmentative communication devices or speech generating devices. Therapy supports communication skills for the home, work and community environments.

Pediatric Speech/Language Therapy

Speech therapists work closely with parents and family physicians and Child Development Services (CDS) to evaluate and treat all aspects of early communication skills, including comprehension of spoken language, verbal expression, pragmatics/social language skills, articulation/sound production skills, fluency and voice. The goal is to help children attain the communication skills required in education and social settings.

Osteoporosis Program

Therapists design safe exercise and activity programs to improve an individual’s strength, balance and overall function. A customized home program is designed to help decrease bone loss and lower the risk of falls or fractures.

Neurological Rehabilitation

The CMTS skilled team of physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists work closely with inpatient rehabilitation facilities to support a smooth transition to the outpatient phase of care. Therapy is focused on supporting the patient’s continued effort to regain function during his/her recovery from:

• Brain injury
• Post-concussive syndrome
• Stroke
• Parkinson’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Spinal cord injury
• Other neurological conditions

Rehabilitation programming focuses on enhancing areas of function that the patient finds most challenging, such as:

• Difficulties with self-care and mobility
• Cognition
• Balance loss
• Difficulty communicating
• Swallowing problems

Recovery from an illness or injury is often complex, so you may require a combination of multiple therapies to find relief and restore abilities. Your therapeutic care plan will outline what’s needed to help you recover — or preserve mobility and activities of daily living — and the plan can evolve to meet your changing needs.

Speech Therapy

Speech and language disorders affect a person’s ability to communicate. When someone has difficulty making sounds, communicating ideas or swallowing, speech therapy could help resolve the problem. During speech therapy, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) assess, diagnose and provide a treatment plan for a variety of speech and language disorders, as well as swallowing disorders, in children and adults.

Why Do You Need Speech Therapy?

Speech therapy can help with several types of impaired speech and language skills, including the following:

• Speech disorders cause a person to have difficulty forming words and sounds. Some common speech disorders include apraxia, dysarthria and stuttering.
• Speech and language delays occur when a child’s speaking abilities develop slower than average. This is a common developmental issue that affects up to 10% of preschool children.
• Language disorders affect a person’s ability to form words or understand and process language. Some examples of language disorders are aphasia and auditory processing disorder.
• Swallowing disorders, also known as dysphagia, are characterized by problems eating or drinking. These issues may be caused by muscle weakness, issues within the brain or nervous system, gastroesophageal reflux disease, or head and neck cancer.

For a child, speech therapy should begin as early as possible to remedy the issue. Children who receive speech therapy before age 5 typically show better results at the end of treatment than children who start therapy at older ages.

Adults who have a speech impediment from childhood, or a condition resulting from illness or injury, should also seek professional help from an SLP. Treatment can still be effective at a later age, as adults also can see improvement after visiting a specialist.

Getting Ready for Speech Therapy

Before beginning speech therapy, you’ll need to speak with your primary care physician about a referral to a speech-language pathologist. He or she will direct you to a trusted, licensed SLP in your area.

Be prepared to answer questions from the SLP. SLPs ask for specifics so they can understand the complete picture of a problem. You can bring along a detailed document for your appointment that lists any concerns with speech or language and offers a timeline of speech development and information about other medical conditions that may affect speech. This will help the SLP assess the condition and come up with a personalized treatment plan.

What to Expect During Speech Therapy

Every speech-language therapy session will vary based on your own circumstances. After a treatment plan is created, your SLP will help you decide the frequency, timing and setting to complete therapy. Some SLPs will provide group treatment, while others can work on an individual level.

A speech therapy session could include activities that help practice language skills, articulation therapy or swallowing therapy. A SLP will guide you or your child through the entire process.

Therapy Services FAQs

Do you have questions about Therapy Services at Central Maine Healthcare? Review these frequently asked questions to see if your question has already been answered.

Will my health insurance cover therapy services?

Physical, occupational and speech therapy are usually included under medical health insurance plans. Before starting therapy services, however, check with your insurance company or ask for assistance from hospital administrative team members to learn about the specifics of your individual coverage. You also need to know whether or not the insurance company requires a physician’s referral. Central Maine Healthcare accepts most major insurances.

For more information call CMH Patient Financial Services at 888-869-3101 and ask for information about payment plans or other assistance with your bill.

I don’t have health insurance. Can I still receive therapy services?

CMH welcomes patients who would like to take charge of their own care. For patients paying directly for services at the time of their visit, a same-day, flat-rate discount is offered. We focus on providing each patient with an economical treatment plan to help keep your costs down while obtaining maximal results. CMH offers special programs for people who are unable to pay for their medical services. I received a bill for my portion of the charges, but I won’t be able to make the payment by the end of the month. What should I do?

What makes CMH Therapy Services so distinctive?

CMH provides therapy services that are personalized and focused on obtaining results in an economical and efficient manner. Patients visit one on one with an experienced therapist who works for and with you to help you achieve your goals, big or small. We want you to be able to return to your life activities as soon as you are able.

We offer multiple convenient locations for physical, occupational and speech therapy, and patients usually see the same therapists at each visit — unless there are extenuating circumstances. Your home exercise program is an important part of your recovery, so your therapist will give you written instructions to help you continue to make progress while you’re at home.

Research confirms that patients who take charge of their own care achieve the best results and have fewer visits, resulting in reduced care costs. If patients progress on schedule and are having success with their home program, we may be able to reduce the frequency of visits.
We are available by phone and/or email and will respond quickly to any questions you may have during the week. Let us know if you notice a change that concerns you.

Therapy visits average 45 minutes. We strive to keep appointments on schedule and request that you arrive at your appointments in a timely manner.

How should I prepare for my first visit?

Before coming in:
Before your first visit, we will call you to schedule your appointment. We will also complete a patient intake form over the phone
You’ll also need to fill out a medical history form. The forms are on the website [link to this page when it’s updated] and can be downloaded. You can fill them out at home and bring them in at the first visit.

On arrival:
Please arrive 15 minutes early for your first visit. We will register you and give you any additional paperwork during that time. Our friendly and well-trained front desk team members are always happy to help you.

If you weren’t able to complete the medical history form at home, our front office team members can help you complete it in the office, and they will be glad to answer any questions you may have.

If you have a prescription for therapy, please make sure you bring it to the first visit.

What should I wear?

Wear loose, comfortable clothing that is not restrictive. Wear shoes that you will be able to exercise in. Women with an arm or upper back problem may want to consider wearing a tank top or sports bra. If you have a knee or ankle problem, consider wearing shorts.

Where do I park?

Parking is available near the hospital. If you need assistance getting out of your car or to the therapy department, we can have a therapy support staff team member meet you. Let us know if you need a wheelchair.

What should I do if I have questions that weren’t answered here?

Please call us and we will be happy to answer any questions.