Wellness Programs at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital

Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital in Malvern offers hands-on, individualized care through a variety of wellness programs specially designed for our patients both to follow a course of outpatient therapy and to maintain their fitness and wellness goals. These programs fall into the categories of Group Exercise, Independent Exercise, and our Education Series.

Group Exercise

These sessions are led by a therapy aide with a degree in exercise physiology or exercise science, or who have a personal training background. The outline and content of these sessions are developed by specialized physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists. Eligible patients for this program include those who have been discharged from outpatient therapy and deemed safe and an appropriate fit for these wellness programs. Participants are also reassessed by a therapist annually to determine if they have any new therapy needs and to assure they are still able to take part in these programs safely.

Started in 2015, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital offers a six-week LSVG BIG Maintenance Program for graduates of the standardized Parkinson’s Disease treatment protocol (who have completed the four times per week over four weeks program within the last 12 months), which is led by a physical therapy or occupational therapy assistant. These sessions take place from 12-1 p.m. in the Patient Dining Room at our Malvern location and cost $20 per session.

In October 2024, two Parkinson’s Wellness class levels were added to our offerings. Level 1 classes — offering seated-level exercise to participants — take place in the Patient Dining Room every Thursday at 12 p.m., and Level 2 classes — offering standing-level exercise — take place on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. and Fridays at 12 p.m. in the Ortho Gym. The cost of these sessions is $15.

Bone Health Wellness classes, which began in December 2024, offer stretching techniques and enable participants to work on prolonged positioning, strengthening, body mechanics and balance. These sessions cost $15 and take place every Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the Ortho Gym.

Independent Exercise

Aquatics Therapy patients at Bryn Mawr Rehab, especially those recovering from a severe injury or major surgery, use water therapy as a confidence-building step to regaining their strength. It combines the special properties of warm water (kept at 92 degrees Fahrenheit in our therapeutic pool) with physical and occupational therapy to help patients achieve the best recovery possible. Through the program at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, warm water helps patients relax, enhances functional movement and boosts confidence and ability.

Many program participants are recovering from a sports injury, joint replacement, spinal cord injury, brain injury or stroke. Teens and adults of any age can benefit from this type of therapy, which can be particularly helpful for those who'd like to keep active despite suffering from arthritis, muscular dystrophy or other degenerative joint disorders. The aquatics maintenance program is open to patients who have been discharged from a course of outpatient aquatics therapy and deemed safe and an appropriate fit for independent exercise. They are also reassessed annually by a therapist to determine if they have any new therapy needs and to assure they are still able to take part in these programs safely.

A physician’s prescription is required for aquatic therapy at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital and can be made on an inpatient or outpatient basis. There are six outpatient offerings per week: Mondays and Wednesdays at 8 a.m., Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 12 p.m., and Mondays at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $15 per session, and a lifeguard is present at the pool during all sessions.

Education Series

Both in-person and live virtual education classes are offered on a periodic basis at Bryn Mawr Rehab by expert therapy clinicians. Recent topics have included Mild Cognitive Impairment, offered as an eight-class series, and Bone Health Wellness, offered as a six-class series. The cost is $5 per one-hour class, and registration for these (and all future education series offerings) is available on the Main Line Health website.

Please note that while the costs for each of the sessions covered above are out-of-pocket, participants may be eligible for financial support from Bryn Mawr Rehab’s Patient Assistance Endowment. For more information on how to apply for funding assistance, please contact the Bryn Mawr Rehab Foundation at BMRHFoundation@mlhs.org.

For more information on Bryn Mawr Rehab’s wellness offerings, please contact Manager of Outpatient Therapy, Colleen Rocus, at rocusc@mlhs.org.