Photos Andy Calvert
Lindsey and Deron Bellcase recently saw their first patients for Shift Mobile Therapy and Wellness, their new mobile physical and occupational therapy practice. Lindsey, a physical therapist, and Deron, an occupational therapist, each worked in the healthcare industry in several capacities before beginning the transition to mobile therapy at the end of 2019.
“I was searching for a way to provide the care I know I’m capable of providing and serve patients better,” Lindsey says. Shift, which stands for Specialized Home-based Individualized Functional Therapy, offers physical and occupational therapy to patients in their own homes. According to Deron, this is part of an emerging trend in healthcare that is often called “concierge therapy” or mobile therapy. This trend arose in response to changes in Medicare coverage, and the Bellcases saw it as an opportunity to fill a need in the Rome community.
Shift works primarily with older patients, many of whom are retired and some of whom are recovering from injury or illness. Their mission is to help older adults maintain their independence and age gracefully. In addition to injury and illness recovery, Shift also offers wellness services for older people who might want a professional therapist to help them establish an exercise regimen. “We really care about our patients and their outcomes,” Lindsey says. “We’re doing this to help people solve whatever their problems are, and to help people be independent and stay independent.”
While injury and illness at any age can have lasting effects on a person’s lifestyle, Lindsey wants to assure her patients that recuperating and returning to their normal activities is possible. “Something I’m really passionate about is being positive and looking at the positive side of things,” she says. “Just because you’ve had a knee replacement or you broke your hip, it doesn’t mean that your life is over.”
Whereas patients at a larger practice might not see the same therapist for every session, Lindsey and Deron offer individualized, one-on-one care and are with their patients every step of the way. “It’s a higher level of care than current therapy providers can provide,” Lindsey says. “We’re both people that think outside of the box and like to find creative solutions to help people overcome their problems. It’s not a cookie-cutter approach; every patient is looked at individually.”
They look forward to this opportunity to develop relationships with each of their patients. They both see this as one of the biggest benefits of working for and patronizing a small business like Shift. “We’re a small, independently owned business,” Deron says. “The quality of the interventions is better because we’re doing the work ourselves, and the standard of excellence is high.”
The couple has experienced challenges throughout the process of starting this business, but Deron thinks that many of the challenges are also the most exciting parts of running their own practice. “You have all of those new responsibilities, but now you are 100 percent responsible for your success,” he says. He appreciates that he and Lindsey have control over everything from business management to patient interaction and quality of care.
Since they registered Shift as an LLC in January, the Bellcases say that word about the practice has spread primarily by word of mouth. “It’s gaining momentum and we are very excited,” Deron says. Anyone interested in learning more about Shift or scheduling an appointment with Lindsey or Deron should visit www.shift.physio, Shift Mobile Therapy on Facebook or @shift_mobile_therapy on Instagram.
