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Therapists are an essential part of care

Parsons Presbyterian Manor’s therapists are an essential part of helping temporary and long-term residents live their lives to the fullest and retain as much independence as possible for as long as possible.

Therapy is provided through a partnership with Aegis Therapies®. The therapy department works hard to help residents regain strength and wellness after surgery or illness and return to doing the activities they choose to do.

Please take a moment to meet our therapists. We appreciate each one of them.

Kaysha O’Daniel, PTA/DOR

Two years at Presbyterian Manor; with Aegis almost 5

Why did you decide to become a therapist? I wanted to see people be able to reach their physical goals in order to perform their day to day activities to maintain independence, just as my grandmother did when I was in high school.

What do you enjoy most about your position? I love playing a role in their rehabilitation process and seeing the small gains that not everyone looks for.

Hobbies/interests outside of work: I have two small kids, Sophia and Tristen, and a husband, Jeff. As a family, we love going on side-by-side rides and fishing! I started baking and decorating cakes on the side within the past year and love the challenge on more intricate cakes.

Lana Gofourth, COTA

Parsons Presbyterian Manor for 4 years

Why did you decide to become a therapist? One of my sisters introduced this career path to me. She thought it would be a good field for me since I was a CNA for 13 years in the long-term care setting. She also happens to be an occupational therapist.

What do you enjoy most about your position? The wonderful thing about this career is meeting so many people. You really get to know and spend a lot of time with our patients. You can get a pretty good history lesson just by listening to this great generation of people. It’s amazing to see our patients’ hard work pay off when they either return home, increase their safety, improve their independence and are able to return to their daily living. Sometimes it can be difficult to say goodbye when the time is right. However, you can’t beat knowing the important role you played in each and every patient’s life!

Hobbies/interests outside of work: I have always had a love for animals which keep me busy between our multiple cats, three dogs, two horses and six head of cattle. I enjoy attending rodeos, hockey games, red dirt country concerts, traveling and just love to be outside!

Robyn Gant, PTA

Parsons Presbyterian Manor for 4 months

Why did you decide to become a therapist? I have worked in healthcare for over 10 years and decided I needed to do more than just draw blood. I have had to go through therapy a few times and have always enjoyed it and was fascinated in how much it helped. I wanted to be able to help people through the difficult times that they were going through and bring back the parts of their lives that they loved and get back home to their families. And therapy was just that!

What do you enjoy most about your position? I love getting to interact with all of the residents and getting to know them. It is fun to find out what it is that they enjoy and try to incorporate that into their therapy.

Hobbies/interests outside of work: I have two kids that I love getting to spend time with and enjoy all of the activities that they do. Outside of all of their activities I like to play softball and volleyball.

Jessica Brinkley, SLP

Parsons Presbyterian Manor since the end of April.

Why did you decide to become a therapist? Communication and neuro-science have always been fascinating to me. I originally thought I wanted to be a physical therapist growing up, until I was encouraged to shadow the field of speech pathology. I truly feel as though speech therapy and new research-based methods within adult populations are helping manage cognition, communication, and dysphagia in ways we have never seen before. Being a part of new approaches and techniques within my scope is exciting for me and how it will shape the future of care provided by speech therapists.

What do you enjoy most about your position? The relationships ... from being able to see my patients daily to my fellow therapists and coworkers. I love the closeness and family atmosphere skilled care provides.

Hobbies/interests outside of work: I have a one-year-old daughter named Eastyn that is the light of my life. My husband and I own three cross fit gyms throughout northeast Oklahoma. I love pizza, make up and traveling.

PHOTO: Show, right to left, are Lana Gofourth, Robyn Gant, Kaysha O’Daniel, and Jessica Brinkley.

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