Geriatric Physical Therapy in Chicago
Strength, balance, and confidence for older adults who want to stay active, capable, and independent.
What Is Geriatric Physical Therapy?
Geriatric physical therapy is specialized care for older adults, focused on rebuilding muscle mass, restoring balance, and protecting independence as the body changes with age.
At Form and Function, our geriatric care emphasizes progressive strength training, fall prevention, and the ability to return to activity even when pain is part of the picture. We treat pain as something to work through, not around.
Care is one-on-one, calibrated to your starting point, and designed to help you stay capable of the things that matter most.
What Geriatric Physical Therapy Helps With
- Loss of muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia)
- Balance deficits and fear of falling
- Recovery after a fall or near-fall
- Joint pain that limits walking, stairs, or standing
- Reduced endurance for daily activities
- Return to gardening, golf, travel, or grandchild care
Aging is not a contraindication to loading. It is a reason to load wisely and consistently.
How We Approach Geriatric Care
- Comprehensive strength, balance, and gait assessment
- Progressive resistance training calibrated to tolerance
- Balance and reactive stepping training for fall prevention
- Manual therapy and mobility work to support training
- Education on safe loading, pacing, and home strategies
What a Typical Plan Looks Like
- 1Baseline assessment of strength, balance, and functional capacity
- 2Identify priority limitations and meaningful goals
- 3Progressive strengthening and balance training
- 4Integrate task-specific work (stairs, carrying, transfers)
- 5Transition to independent maintenance program
Who Geriatric PT Is (and Is Not) a Good Fit For
A good fit if you:
- Want to maintain or regain independence
- Value structured, progressive exercise
- Are open to building strength even with some pain
May not be appropriate if you:
- Require acute post-surgical hospital care
- Have medical needs outside the musculoskeletal scope
Frequently Asked Questions
Form and Function provides geriatric physical therapy for older adults at 1512 N Fremont St, Ste 104 in Chicago, Illinois 60642.