Occupational therapy for Parkinson's, at home in Berlin

What we work on

• Moving safely: standing up, walking, turning in tight spaces and using your hands with purpose. With approaches from LSVT BIG® and PWR!Moves®, and strategies for freezing.
• Preventing falls: we look at risks in your daily life and at home and reduce them.
• Assistive devices and home adaptations: we find aids that really fit, try them out with you at home and help with insurance applications. Kathleen Olstedt is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS).
• Family members: advice on everyday strategies, safety, aids and home adaptations. Relatives can join the sessions if you wish.

The German Parkinson's guideline (S2k guideline of the German Society of Neurology, 2023) recommends occupational therapy for limitations in daily life, at work or in the arms and hands. Our article on the guideline (in German)

How it works

The first weeks: we visit you at home, look at your daily life and agree together on what matters now. Then we meet once a week for about 90 minutes: movement, strategies, assistive devices and a safer home. We support you in coordinating with your health insurer, your doctor and specialist companies. At the end we review what is working and what needs more time.

Ongoing support, for as long as it helps: you practise at home with your own plan. We come back to deepen, refresh and adjust. New hurdles we tackle together.

Where we come

We visit people all over Berlin and in the surrounding area, especially in Köpenick, Karlshorst, Treptow, Lichtenberg, Friedrichshain and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Live somewhere else? Call us, and we will tell you right away whether we can come to you.

Costs

• Statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung): with a doctor's prescription, your insurance covers the therapy. Unless you are exempt, you pay the statutory co-payment of 10 % of the treatment costs plus €10 per prescription. For one 90-minute session a week, that is about €75 a month.
• Private insurance and self-payers: a 90-minute home visit currently costs €242.78, about €971 a month for weekly sessions. The price includes preparation and follow-up, all therapy reports and coordination with specialist companies. On request, we prepare a cost estimate for your private insurer.
• Home adaptations: from care level 1 (Pflegegrad 1), the long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung) can contribute up to €4,180 to adaptations in the home. We help with the application and the communication with local contractors.

The prescription (Verordnung)

With statutory insurance, you need a prescription from your neurologist or your GP (Hausarzt). This is what should be on it, in German as your doctor writes it, with the meaning in brackets:

• Muster 13, Ergotherapie (form 13, occupational therapy)
• Diagnose: ICD-10 G20, gegebenenfalls mit Untercode (diagnosis: Parkinson's disease, with a sub-code if applicable)
• Diagnosegruppe: EN1 (diagnosis group)
• Heilmittel: Sensomotorisch-perzeptive Behandlung, Zusatz „Doppelbehandlung“ (treatment: sensorimotor-perceptual therapy, as a double session of 90 minutes)
• Hausbesuch: Ja (home visit: yes)
• Therapiefrequenz: 1–2 × wöchentlich (frequency: once or twice a week)

No prescription yet? Call us anyway. We will work out the next steps together. Information sheet for your doctor (PDF, in German)

Frequently asked questions

Do you offer occupational therapy for Parkinson's in English?

Yes, on request. Just let us know when you call or write to us.

Is it covered by German health insurance?

Yes. With a doctor's prescription, statutory health insurance covers the therapy. You pay the usual co-payment unless you are exempt. Private insurers often reimburse it too. Please check with yours first.

Can I contact you on behalf of a parent or relative in Berlin?

Yes. You can call or write for your family member, also from abroad. We are available Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 Berlin time.

Who is the therapy for?

For people with Parkinson's, whether recently diagnosed or living with it for years, who want to stay safe and independent at home. You don't need home adaptations or assistive devices to start.

About us

Kathleen Olstedt founded SELMA Zuhause. She is a state-certified occupational therapist, LSVT BIG® certified, a PWR!Moves® trained therapist and a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS). SELMA Zuhause is a member of the German Association of Occupational Therapists (DVE) and the German Parkinson's Association (Deutsche Parkinson Vereinigung).

Contact

• Phone: 030 3758 0867 (from abroad: +49 30 3758 0867)
• Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 (Berlin time)
• Email: info@selmazuhause.de
• Address: Blockdammweg 63, 10318 Berlin (Karlshorst)