Frequently Asked Questions

Pemi-Baker’s registration form can be filled out and sent in:  email, mail or drop off at front office.  Once we receive your pre-registration form, we will place you on our waitlist.

The following is a description of how our registration process works:

• Registration takes place 1-2 weeks before the session start date.
• We give the current swimmers first choice to continue on in the next session.  They find out from their instructor what level to sign up for on the 5^th class and they have a week to tell us if they are continuing.
• Once we have those kids placed in their appropriate levels, we can move on to our waitlist; in the order the forms were received, by the different levels to fill each class.

Our classes are very small, with a 4:1 instructor ratio.  This allows us to give fantastic instruction and with our 90 degree water, makes for a great learning atmosphere for the kids.  We offer 20 classes per week and offer them year round.

Our therapy pool is primarily used for Aquatic Physical Therapy and Aquatic Fitness classes.  We are utilizing every ‘free’ time slot currently for swim lessons and unfortunately, cannot expand…though we would like to!

We hope to have your child in our program soon and understand that you might want to get into lessons quickly.  We currently have waitlists for all levels and it is common to wait 4-6 months for placement.  *Please note that most parks and rec departments have lessons during the summer at their beaches and The Wellness Complex in Laconia and Gunstock Inn in Gilford also offer indoor lessons.

We follow the American Red Cross guidelines for our levels.  A brief description of each level can be found on the second page of the swim lesson flyer.

Oftentimes families prefer to have their children in a class together to keep the running around time to a minimum.  That is fine as long as they are the same level.  If we get children in a class and the instructor sees they need a different level, we’ll switch them to a different day and time.  If the child is too advanced, they’ll become bored and not get anything out of it.  If the child is not ready for a level, they become intimidated and scared of the water.  Our main priority is that the kids have fun and love the water!

Please bring your child’s bathing suit and a towel.  If you bring your own goggles, please make sure they are the type that only covers the eyes, no masks that cover the nose.  We use and recommend the TYR Kids Swimple Goggles.

Anyone is welcome to come and watch.  We have specific seating for our swim families, as our pool can get busy with Physical Therapists and patients.  If it is a parent child class, please only 1 adult to 1 child in the water.

We have both Men’s and Women’s locker rooms and 1 family changing room.  There is a shower in both locker rooms and on the pool deck to rinse in before entering the pool.  If you are with a child that is of the opposite sex and are concerned about the adult locker rooms, please try and use the family changing room.

Home health clinicians provide one-on-one care for patients in their homes. Home health care may involve assisting patients with basic needs such as bathing and dressing, as well as more specialized services such as physical therapy, wound care, medication management, and IV care.

The frequency of home health visits is based on the doctor’s order and the patient’s needs, and may vary, but most commonly are one to two times a week. Visits are usually an hour or less.

A patient who is homebound, meaning it is extremely difficult for the individual to leave the home setting. This patient needs to be followed by a medical doctor, and require skilled care on a part-time or intermittent basis to improve, maintain, prevent, or further slow your health condition.

Advance care planning means documenting your health care wishes now, in the event you cannot speak for yourself. Putting your wishes in writing and sharing them with your family and health care providers will help ensure they are honored.  We will help you with this planning.

Hospice care uses palliative treatments and medications to relieve pain and symptoms to keep patients comfortable and living life to its fullest.  We take advantage of a wide-range of treatments and have a team of therapists, nurses, medical social workers and physicians ready to help.  Each patient is unique. Please call us or have your physician call to discuss your individual situation.

We care for patients regardless of terminal illnesses, including (not limited to) congestive heart failure, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Alzheimer’s disease, end-stage dementia, kidney disease, liver disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, complications of AIDS, multiple sclerosis, as well as cancer.

Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance plans cover the majority of the costs for hospice services. As a nonprofit organization, Pemi-Baker Community Health is committed to improving the quality-of-life experience for everyone in our service area and our care is provided regardless of an individual’s ability to pay.

We give you choices about how you want to live your life, decisions regarding the kind of care and treatments you do and do not want. Your plan of care is customized based on input from you, your family, your physician and the Pemi-Baker Hospice & Palliative Care team.

For patients receiving care in the hospital, your attending physician can request a palliative consultation. One of our specially trained physicians or nurse practitioners will meet with you and your loved ones to help you make important choices about your care. Then they will work with your physician to develop the best treatment plan.

Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance cover the cost of Pemi-Baker Palliative Consultants services. A co-payment may apply. However, no one is ever denied care based on an inability to pay.

• A Client Administrative Assistant will thoroughly explain your PT insurance benefit and all related paperwork
• Your physical therapist will perform a thorough physical evaluation regarding your current condition.
• Your physical therapist will recommend a plan of care including the frequency (number of visits per week) and duration (total weeks) of treatment. You will also discuss the types of treatments you will be receiving. You will be assigned a home exercise program to supplement your treatment sessions for you to begin immediately.
• In most cases treatment will begin on the first visit!

• Physical therapy referral (if applicable)
• Insurance card and identification
• Any medical devices or equipment related to your condition (cane, walker, crutches, brace, sling, orthotics)
• We recommend wearing loose fitting clothing that will easily allow you to expose the area we will be evaluating. For example, if you are coming to therapy for your knee, we recommend wearing shorts. For the shoulder, we recommend wearing a tank top. For the low back, we recommend wearing a loose fitting shirt and pants so we can perform a thorough examination. During the winter months or wet days we recommend bringing an extra pair of dry shoes.

We recommend arriving 15 minutes before your first scheduled appointment to allow time to fill out paperwork and go over your insurance benefits.  You can also complete the paperwork ahead of time by filling out the Physical Therapy Forms online.

• Get a referral from your primary care doctor

~If your doctor gives you the referral as a piece of paper call Pemi-Baker directly to set up the appointment (603-536-2232)

~If you didn’t get a paper referral, your doctor is faxing it to us and we will call you once we receive it.

• Insurance-  We will need Insurance Authorization.  Please have your insurance card ready when speaking with the Pemi-Baker Outpatient physical therapy Administrative Assistant.
• Paperwork-  Depending on what area of the body our Physical Therapists are seeing you for, our Administrative Assistant will tell you what form to download/print/and fill out to bring to your first appointment.  Resources and Forms