One Step Ahead at Home

One Step Ahead at Home provides fitness and home screening, falls education and community resource education for older adults in the home who are functioning independently and are not considered homebound. If we find you are homebound through our phone screening, we will instead recommend you contact your primary care provider to set up services through your local home care agency which would be billed through your health insurance. One Step Ahead at Home identifies the physical capabilities and functional performance of the older Vermonter through age appropriate fitness screening and compares that to the normal ranges. There is a direct correlation in older adults between fitness level, falls and hospitalizations. The higher the fitness level the lower the risk for falls and being hospitalized. Lower fitness level increases the risk for falls and being hospitalized. We will screen your age appropriate fitness and home environment and identify what matters most to you so you can thrive and experience optimal aging and continue living independently in your own home. After the screening and education, we will help you develop a personal physical activity plan along with providing you with all the local resources to support your needs. Lastly, we will discuss how to prevent and report financial scams to help you protect your assets. All paperwork and educational material will be provided for you to keep in a One Step Ahead At Home binder at your home for your reference and if needed to show your primary care provider or family members. Scott Bushweller, PT Biography As a longtime Vermonter with a deep commitment to supporting our aging population, I currently serve as a physical therapist at Elderwood Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Burlington, VT. My work primarily focuses on helping older adults with a variety of physical challenges, particularly fall-related injuries. I’m passionate about enabling Vermonters to remain in their homes independently, reducing their risk of falls and avoiding hospitalization. This mission is personal for me, as I plan to grow old in Vermont and want to ensure that aging residents can enjoy the same independence and quality of life that I hope for myself. With over 28 years of experience, I’ve worked in diverse settings, from hospitals to home care to skilled nursing facilities, always with a focus on mobility, balance, and fall prevention. I hold a physical therapy degree from the University of Vermont and have pursued training in fall prevention, dementia and orthopedic/neurological conditions. At One Step Ahead at Home, my goal is to help older adults maintain their independence and peace of mind in their homes for the long term. Dr. Paula Smith, PT Biography I am a physical therapist with over 35 years of experience who is passionate about helping older Vermonters stay active and thrive in their communities and homes. I am board certified by the American Physical Therapy Association as a Geriatric Certified Specialist and Certified Expert in Exercise for the Aging Adult. I am a native fourth-generation Vermonter who brings national experience to my practice and what I offer to patients and families. I earned my degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Vermont. My career started at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD and furthered my education in health administration at Johns Hopkins University. With a passion for continual learning, I went on to earn a clinical doctorate in Physical Therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University. I built my expertise working with older adults at teaching and community hospitals and outpatient clinics in the Washington DC area. I grew up in a multigenerational family and had the blessing to spend lots of time with great grandparents and a large extended family. While I spent many years away from the Green Mountain state, I returned to teach in the graduate Physical Therapy Program at the University of Vermont. Since then, I have worked in home health and outpatient clinics in Vermont. I am excited about working with Vermonters because the state has one of the highest percentages of older adults who “Age in Place”; meaning they remain in their homes as long as possible. I want to help Vermonters meet this goal of safely remaining in their homes as they grow older.