Carrie Barlow is a licensed Physical Therapist, Board Certified Pediatric Specialist, and Director of the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs at Franciscan Hospital for Children. If you have questions about this topic, or to schedule a PT or OT appointment for your child, please email us at info@fhfc.org or call (617) 254-3800, ext. 2180. Back-to-school is an exciting time of year – filled with school shopping, orientations, meeting new teachers and making new friends. As vacation mode fades away, it’s easy for families to get caught up in establishing a new routine. Our lives ..read more

Carrie Barlow is a licensed Physical Therapist, Board Certified Pediatric Specialist, and Director of the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs at Franciscan Hospital for Children. If you have bike safety related questions, please email us at info@fhfc.org or call (617) 254-3800, ext. 2180. Everyone knows the saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  Well now that the weather is warming up and we all want to play outside – I’ve got a great prevention tip. Wear a bike helmet! Did you know that 85% of head injuries due to bike accidents could have been prevent ..read more

Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners enable people of all ages to live life to the fullest by helping them promote overall health and prevent, or live better with injury, illness, or disability. Occupational therapists help patients improve their functional living skills despite any limitations they may have. These limitations can be physical, cognitive, social-emotional, and/or environmental. The goal of OT is to facilitate functional living skills across all contexts through the therapeutic use of meaningful activities (occupations). For the patients and students at Franciscan Children’s ..read more

Written by Paul Ward, Director of Adaptive Sports As someone who was born with spina bifida, I know firsthand how beneficial getting involved in adaptive sports can be. Adaptive sports are competitive or recreational sports that have modifications for people with disabilities. These modifications may involve special equipment or rule changes that allow individuals of all abilities to become active and play. I have been involved in the adaptive sports community from a very early age. The fellowship and camaraderie that is built through participating in adaptive sports helps to create a se ..read more

Every day, we want to acknowledge the dedicated, caring, highly-skilled team of professionals from many disciplines at Franciscan Hospital for Children who provide excellence in pediatric physical and pulmonary rehabilitation. In keeping with our philosophy of family centered care, our staff members address the challenges of each child and family and promote the best possible outcomes. From Abe, born at 1-½ pounds with chronic lung disease and other medical complications, who at 5 years of age can now eat totally by mouth and is lovingly described by his father as a “sports maniac ..read more

Carrie Barlow is a licensed Physical Therapist, Board Certified Pediatric Specialist, and Director of the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs at Franciscan Hospital for Children. If you have Physical Therapy related questions, please email us at info@fhfc.org or call (617) 254-3800, ext. 2180. Physical Therapists love it when people move.  Exercise is wonderful in so many ways. But now that the weather in New England is starting to change and afternoon sunshine is starting to fade, how can you keep your kids moving indoors? In celebration of October being National Physical ..read more

Carrie Barlow is a licensed Physical Therapist, Board Certified Pediatric Specialist, and Director of the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs at Franciscan Hospital for Children. If you have Torticollis or PT-related questions, please email us at info@fhfc.org or call (617) 254-3800, ext. 2180. Thanks to a child from our Franciscan Family Child Care Center, for demonstrating how daily Tummy Time can help to encourage head movement in all directions and strengthen neck and back muscles while playing! Torticollis. A word that might make you think of tortoises or turtles, Tortico ..read more