Put Me in Coach, I'm Ready to Play!

If you've looked at my website you know by now that I am a HUGE Astros and baseball fan. And if you're a baseball fan you probably know the John Fogarty song, Centerfield and its famous chorus, "Put me in Coach, I'm ready to play..." So what does that have to do with pediatric physical therapy? Well in this scenario, I am the coach and you, the parents, are the players. More specifically I'm talking about the use of telehealth since the start of the pandemic.

So in the world before CoVid, I did all the handling of the babies in a clinic. But luckily for me, I also taught handling skills to PT assistants at HCC for 10 years. I also spent a lot of time teaching caregivers to help family members after their rehab stays. And in my practice with 0-24 month olds, I always have a family member present in my sessions. So guess what?? They get to learn how to facilitate skills too. I'm a therapy nerd like that, I love to teach what I do.

But that was all back in the in-person world.

When we went on lockdown, PTs were allowed to begin telehealth sessions. I'll admit it was scary but not in the way you think. I hate technology and I get frustrated really easily when the internet isn't nice to me. I don't have a lot of coping mechanisms for poor connections and links that don't work. But to my surprise (and through the grace of having my 20 something children home during the pandemic to help me) I had very few mishaps with virtual therapy.

But the most surprising thing that happened was the progress kiddos made when their parents were empowered and had to perform my therapy magic. You all really stepped up. You watched on the screen as I directed you on how to help your child right in your own living room. Grandparents and nannies were online too and they got with the program and helped your babies as well. To quote my children's camp directors... I was the magician, but now you also know how to put on a magic show! Because of CoVid, parents were able to confidently work on their baby's gross motor skills.

I know the lockdown is long over and we're returning to a more normal life. And as a mother of grown children, I am so glad to get to hold beautiful babies again. But virtual therapy can still be a great option. It can be helpful for working parents who have a limited lunch hour. It can be a temporary solution when siblings are sick and you feel like you need to quarantine your germs. It means you don't have to miss therapy when your car won't start or you have a flat tire. All you need to do is text me that you need to go virtual... Just Put Me In Coach, I'm Ready to Play, Today!