Frequently asked questions

We help older adults and people with disabilities live safely at home. A Doctor of Physical Therapy looks at the person, their daily routines, and their home, then gives you a clear, prioritized plan: what to change, what equipment or technology to use, and who can do the work.

A home safety assessment is a visit where a trained clinician looks at the person, their equipment and their home together, finds what could lead to a fall or injury, and recommends practical changes. At Home Safety Solutions it is done personally by Dr. Russ L'HommeDieu, DPT, ATP, CFPS, and you receive a written report with a prioritized list. See the Home Safety Visit.

Older adults who want to stay in their own home, people coming home from a hospital or rehab stay, families caring for someone nearby or from a distance, and anyone planning a move or a remodel with safety in mind.

A checklist looks at the house. We look at the person in the house: their strength, balance, vision, memory, and daily routines. Our recommendations fit how that person actually moves and lives.

Book a $50 Initial Consultation. It's a 30-minute call with Dr. L'HommeDieu. Its purpose is to work through the full picture of your needs, gather the important details about the person and the home, and match you to the right service. If you need a visit, we schedule it with you on the call. The $50 is credited toward any visit you book within 30 days.

Yes. Dr. L'HommeDieu listens, answers your questions and gives practical advice as time allows, and tells you honestly whether a visit makes sense. A core assessment adds what a phone call cannot: seeing the person in the actual home, a full assessment and a written plan.

You do not have to decide alone. Every service starts with the $50 Initial Consultation, where Dr. L'HommeDieu learns about the person and the home and recommends the right fit. Coming home from a hospital soon? Book the earliest consultation time and he will schedule the discharge visit on that call.

No. Our services are home safety and technology consulting, so you can start with a $50 Initial Consultation without one. With your written permission, we can send a copy of your report to your doctor, and we encourage it. If we notice something that needs medical attention, we will let you know and recommend that you contact your doctor.

No. Our services are home safety and technology consulting. We do not provide hands-on physical therapy treatment. If treatment would help, we will tell you and recommend that you talk with your doctor.

Home health physical therapy is hands-on treatment that starts after the person is already home. We do not provide treatment. We assess the person, the equipment and the home, often before a discharge or before a fall, and give you a written plan. The two can work together: with your written permission, we can send our report to your care team. See our comparisons.

Every service starts with a $50 Initial Consultation, credited toward your core assessment. Core assessments are $250 in your home or $175 by video. Deep dives are $75 each, except the Remote Caregiving Plan at $150.

See all services and prices

Your $50 is credited in full toward any visit you book within 30 days of the call. If you go on to have a visit, the call costs you nothing extra.

A closer look at one topic your core report already touches: remote caregiving technology, storm readiness, or assistive equipment. Storm Ready and Assistive Technology are $75 each and the Remote Caregiving Plan is $150, added to a core assessment on the same visit. Storm Ready is in person only.

A Ready for Discharge visit in your home is $250. Add a Remote Caregiving deep dive and the total is $400. Your $50 consultation credit brings it to $350.

Yes. For scheduling within 48 hours, add $50 to any visit.

No. Your written report is included in every visit.

No. There are no travel fees. In-home visits are offered only inside our in-person service area, about a 60-minute drive from Apollo Beach. Everywhere else in Florida, New York, or Ohio, visits are by telehealth.

There is no drive and no home visit, so we pass that savings to you.

When you book your Initial Consultation online, you save a card through our secure booking system. We charge the $50 after the call, not before. The card is charged sooner only if the cancellation or no-show policy applies. Any visit you go on to have is charged to the same card, with your $50 credited toward it.

Consultation payment and cancellation terms

Cancel or reschedule free with at least 24 hours' notice. With less than 24 hours' notice, there is a $50 fee. If no one is home for an in-home visit, the fee is $100; a missed virtual visit is $50. There is never a fee for a hospital stay, a medical emergency, a death in the family, a hurricane watch or warning, or an evacuation order.

Read the full Cancellation Policy

Call (813) 365-9171 or email info@homesafety.solutions. Your notice counts from the time we receive your call, voicemail, or email.

The $50 rush fee is non-refundable once the visit is scheduled. If you reschedule a rush visit, it becomes a regular visit.

There is never a charge to you, and you get first choice of new times.

A completed visit or delivered report is non-refundable. If we made an error in your report, we will correct it at no charge.

Yes. Annual memberships can be refunded in full within 14 days if no services have been used. Monthly memberships require a 12-month commitment; after that, cancel anytime with 30 days' notice. If the member moves into a care facility, moves out of our in-person service area, or passes away, we end the membership and refund any unused prepaid amount, less the regular price of services already received.

Membership cancellation details

Usually not. Medicare and most health plans pay to treat medical conditions, not to make a home safer. Medicare does not cover home modifications or items like grab bars, and it does not cover home technology like smart locks or thermostats. Our home safety consultations are not a Medicare-covered service, so we charge you directly. If you need physical therapy treatment, we'll help you find a Medicare provider. Veterans: the VA may pay for items Medicare does not cover. See the Veterans section below.

Medicare covers equipment that serves a mainly medical purpose, like wheelchairs, oxygen, and hospital beds. It considers items like grab bars, bath seats, and raised toilet seats to be for comfort or convenience, even though they help prevent falls. Home modifications and home technology fall outside Medicare coverage for the same reason.

We provide an itemized receipt on request. You may be able to use it with a long-term care policy, or with an HSA or FSA if your plan allows. Because our home safety consultations are not a Medicare-covered service, they are not submitted to Medicare. We cannot guarantee reimbursement.

Some Medicare Advantage plans offer extra benefits for home safety items, bathroom safety devices, or in-home support. Call the number on your member card and ask about "home safety" or "bathroom safety" benefits.

Some long-term care policies reimburse home modifications or care coordination. Check your policy or call your insurer, and submit your itemized receipt.

Members of Florida Medicaid's long-term care program may be able to get home accessibility adaptations and emergency response systems. Ask your case manager.

Possibly. Some home safety costs may qualify with a letter of medical necessity. Check with your plan administrator.

Some home modifications made for medical reasons may count as medical expenses on your taxes. Check with your tax advisor.

Some local agencies and nonprofits help with home modification costs. Your local Area Agency on Aging is a good place to start. We are happy to point you in the right direction during your consultation.

No. This service is not paid by the VA. However, the Department of Veterans Affairs may pay for home safety items and home modifications that Medicare does not cover, such as grab bars, bathroom safety equipment, and accessibility changes, for veterans enrolled in VA health care when a VA clinician finds them medically needed. When a duplicate service is available from the VA, Dr. L'HommeDieu will encourage you to try the VA first. If recommended items could be covered by the VA, Dr. L'HommeDieu will refer you to the VA.

Enrolling in VA health care is a good first step. Once enrolled, ask your VA primary care team about a home safety evaluation.

Yes. Veterans enrolled in VA health care can schedule a free phone call to understand what the VA may provide and how to ask for it. Call (813) 365-9171 or email info@homesafety.solutions.

Visit our Veterans page

Dr. L'HommeDieu served for many years as a VA Home Safety Coordinator. If the VA can pay for what you need, you should use that benefit first. We will help you understand how.

Yes, with your written permission. Sharing it can help your VA team decide what the VA can provide.

Dr. L'HommeDieu walks through the home with you, watches how daily tasks are done (like getting in and out of the shower, on and off the toilet, and up and down steps), checks lighting, flooring, entrances, and stairs, and takes photos of each concern.

60 to 120 minutes, depending on the home and the person's needs. Visits with deep dives may take longer.

A written photo report with a prioritized list of hazards and clear recommendations for each one. You will receive it within 48 hours after your visit. With your written permission, we can also send a copy to your doctor, therapist, or case manager.

Yes, if possible. The person who lives in the home should be present, and anyone who helps with care is welcome, in person or by phone or video.

No. We assess and recommend. You choose who does the work. This keeps our advice independent.

The ADA Standards for Accessible Design call for a maximum slope of 1:12 for ramps, meaning every 1 inch of vertical rise needs at least 12 inches of ramp length. So a 24-inch rise (a typical set of steps) needs a ramp about 24 feet long, plus level landings at the top and bottom. Steeper ramps can be unsafe, especially for wheelchairs and walkers.

To picture the length for your own entry, this free tool lets you enter your rise and see the ramp length and slope: ramp.engineer. Bring your numbers to your Home Safety Visit and we can plan placement, landings, and turns together.

A visit to help you decide whether a home will work long term, whether it's your current home or one you are thinking of buying or renting. It is $250.

Yes. That is the Right Home Assessment. It checks whether a house fits the person who will live there, now and in ten years, before you buy, rent or move. It is $250 and offered only in person, inside our Tampa Bay service area.

After the work is done, we come back and check that it matches the specifications, such as grab bar height and placement. It is $150.

An assessment of the home timed around a hospital or rehab discharge, so the home is ready before or right after the person comes home.

As soon as a discharge date is being discussed. The earlier we see the home, the more can be ready on the first night home.

Yes. We assess the home, not the hospital care. A family member can meet us at the home or walk us through it by video. With written permission, we can send the report to the discharge planner or case manager.

Yes. A family member walks us through the home by video. Virtual is $175; in-home is $250.

Choose rush scheduling within 48 hours for an additional $50.

Call or email us as soon as you know. A change caused by a hospital stay or medical emergency never carries a fee.

Red means a gap that cannot close by arrival day. We call the family the same day, and the discharge planner with your authorization. The written report and the follow-up call go over every Red and Yellow item, so everyone knows what has to change before the person comes home.

We match equipment and technology to the person, such as mobility aids, bathroom equipment, reachers, voice-controlled devices, and home controls, based on their abilities, goals, and home.

Assistive Technology Professional, a certification from RESNA. It shows advanced training in matching assistive technology to people with disabilities and older adults.

No. We recommend what fits, and you can buy it anywhere. We accept no payments from equipment companies.

$75 as a deep dive added to a core assessment. Included with Membership.

A complete, room-by-room plan for the technology that lets family support a loved one from a distance: fall detection, safe entry, video check-ins, lighting, stove and thermostat safety, and storm backup. A qualified installer carries it out, and we train your family to use it.

$150 as a deep dive added to a core assessment. Included with Membership. A yearly Plan Review is $150. A Contractor Consultation is not included.

The deep dive focuses on technology. The full home hazard check comes from the core assessment it is added to.

A written room-by-room plan, an Alert and Response Plan, a Storm and Outage Plan, a Home Monitoring Agreement, one family training session by video, and one follow-up call after installation.

No. We design the system and train your family. Alerts go to the people and services you choose. We do not provide 24-hour monitoring or emergency response. In an emergency, call 911.

We start with their goals and concerns. The plan includes only what the person agrees to, or what their legal representative approves if they cannot decide for themselves. Every plan includes a written Home Monitoring Agreement.

Only where the person agrees. We do not recommend cameras in bedrooms or bathrooms. Many fall detection options work without cameras.

No. We write specifications, so you can buy anywhere. We may name examples that meet the specifications, and we are never paid by the companies that make them.

Family can often set up plug-in devices with our guidance by video. Hardwired items go to qualified installers, such as licensed electricians, security and low-voltage installers, and HVAC contractors. Gas ranges go to licensed gas contractors. You choose and pay the installer directly.

Every plan includes a Storm and Outage Plan that shows what keeps working without power or internet and what the backup plan is.

Yes. Book a core assessment by video with a Remote Caregiving deep dive. The home must be in Florida, New York or Ohio, and family members can join from anywhere.

An Assistive Technology Consultation matches equipment and technology to the person. A Remote Caregiving Plan designs the whole system that lets family support that person from a distance, including alerts, home access, training, and outage planning. Many families book both on one visit.

Book a Remote Caregiving Plan Review ($150) yearly or after a change in health.

A review of how prepared the person and the home are for hurricanes and power outages: medical equipment that needs power, cooling, medications, evacuation plans, backup power, and how family stays in touch.

$75 as a deep dive added to a core assessment. Included with Membership. In person only.

Before hurricane season, which begins June 1. Members can add the Storm Ready deep dive to their yearly visit at no extra cost.

With a Storm Ready Audit. Dr. L'HommeDieu goes through every device that needs power and how long each can run on battery, backup power options and which ones need a licensed electrician, medicine that needs cold storage, keeping cool without air conditioning, and evacuation. You receive a written household plan the whole family can follow. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and the best time to plan is April and May.

We will reschedule at no charge. There is never a fee when a hurricane watch, warning, or evacuation order is in effect.

No. We focus on the person's safety and readiness, not building protection.

No. We assess and write the specifications. A licensed contractor or qualified installer of your choice does the work.

When the same company assesses and builds, there's a reason to recommend more work. Keeping them separate means our recommendations are based only on what the person needs.

No. No referral fees. No commissions. No payments from contractors, installers, suppliers, equipment companies, or device makers.

Yes. See our Contractor Network. You are always free to choose your own.

Contractor Network

For $150, we prepare a contractor-ready prescription with room-by-room specifications and have one call with your contractor to answer questions before they quote. It is not included in the Remote Caregiving Plan and can be added to it.

A Florida license for the work, proof of insurance, required permits, a written quote for each item, and willingness to follow written specifications.

One in-home visit each year with your full written report, three 15-minute telehealth check-ins between visits, every deep dive, and priority scheduling. Membership is for homes inside our in-person service area.

$600 per year, or $55 per month with a 12-month commitment.

Yes. See "Can I cancel my Membership?" under Cancellations and Refunds, or read the full Membership terms in our Cancellation Policy.

Membership cancellation details

Yes. We send a reminder by email at least 30 days before your renewal date. You can cancel before renewal at no charge.

Yes. Health information in your reports is protected under HIPAA. See our Privacy page.

Yes. Sign an Authorization to Release Home Safety Report and we will send it to the people you name. You can revoke it at any time in writing.

Yes, with your written permission. Sign an Authorization to Release Home Safety Report naming your doctor, and we will send the report directly. Sharing it helps your care team understand your home and your daily routines.

Only the specifications for the work. Contractor and installer documents contain no diagnoses, medications, or health history.

No.

Only inside the area on our service area map, about a 60-minute drive from Apollo Beach. Everywhere else in Florida, New York, or Ohio, visits are by telehealth.

For homes in Florida, New York or Ohio. Home Safety Visits and Ready for Discharge can be done by video, and the Remote Caregiving and Assistive Technology deep dives can be added to a video visit. Right Home Assessments and Storm Ready are in person only.

Most visits are scheduled within 3 to 5 business days. Need it within 48 hours? Choose rush scheduling for an additional $50.

60 to 120 minutes, depending on complexity. Visits with deep dives may take longer.

Book a $50 consultation online, call (813) 365-9171, or email info@homesafety.solutions.

Yes. We provide home safety assessments for discharge planning at $150 per case, or $1,400 for a ten-case pack ($140 per case).

Visit our facilities page

Yes. Call (813) 365-9171 or email info@homesafety.solutions. With the person's permission, we will send you a copy of the report.

No. Our services are home safety and technology consulting and do not require a physician order. With the person's written permission, we send reports to the physician and care team.

Most visits are scheduled within 3 to 5 business days. Rush scheduling within 48 hours is available.

Discharge readiness means whether the home, the equipment and the people helping are ready to support a patient safely from the first day home after a hospital or rehab stay. Our Ready for Discharge visit rates it Green, Yellow or Red.

Aging in place means living safely and independently in your own home as you get older, instead of moving because the home no longer works for you.

A home modification is a change to the house itself, such as grab bars, a ramp, a wider doorway or a walk-in shower, that makes it safer and easier to live in. We recommend and specify modifications. You choose who does the work.

STEADI stands for Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries. It is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s standard approach for clinicians to screen for fall risk. Our Home Safety Visit includes a fall risk screening using the STEADI approach.

An ATP is an Assistive Technology Professional, certified by RESNA after meeting education and experience requirements and passing a national exam. Dr. L'HommeDieu holds this credential. See Assistive Technology above for more.

Russ L'HommeDieu, DPT, ATP, CFPS, the founder of Home Safety Solutions.

He is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with more than 35 years of clinical experience, a RESNA-certified Assistive Technology Professional, and a former VA Home Safety Coordinator who evaluated the homes of medically complex veterans. He also teaches in Doctor of Physical Therapy programs.

Home Safety Solutions is a registered fictitious name of Practical Innovations, Inc.