Individualized Care Lives Here at Saint Joseph Berea

For Ashley Purkey and her family, the outpatient rehabilitation team at Saint Joseph Berea is a partner, especially for her two boys who have developmental and sensory needs.

“They have been so good to the children, and they understand that my life is a little bit of a zoo,” Ashley, of McKee, said. “Our family life is unique. Most families do not have two children they are seeking professional support for.”

Jayce, 7, and Gareth, 14, have received Outpatient physical, occupational and speech and language therapy at Saint Joseph Berea since October 2023. In previous care settings, provider turnover affected the consistency and stability of care they both needed. This has not been the case with the team at Saint Joseph.

Consistent Care Makes a Difference

“My children are still seeing the same people they started seeing when they started with Saint Joseph, and that is a huge thing,” Ashley said.

“Gareth has made strides,” she said. “My older son has made progress since he has been with them. It is incredible how much better he is doing now.” Much of this progress can be credited to the relationships he has built with the providers and his personal commitment to working hard to build his skills.

Because of the severity of his needs, Jayce’s progress has been slower. Ashley said his problem with elopement (running away), his verbal skills and his use of an augmentative and alternative communication (ACC) device have improved in the last couple of years.

“He is like a completely different child right now compared to what he was when he started with them in 2023,” she said. As with her older son, she credited the progress to his providers at Saint Joseph Berea. In Jayce’s case, they have worked hard to give him the interpersonal and communication skills he needs to interact with others, helped him have a better understanding of danger, and helped him understand when and how he should ask for help when he needs it.

Personalized Therapy Engages Children

The therapists also have taken the time to get to know the boys, and that knowledge helps them engage both of them in their therapy. For example, Gareth is interested in history and science. To improve his fine motor skills, his therapy team created a board game for him with question cards geared toward his interests.

“They understand him,” Ashley said. “They have focused on what he enjoys doing, what is important to him and the things he likes, and wrap the treatment goals into the things he enjoys doing so he is more engaged with them.”

The boys also enjoy working on their motor skills in the facility’s specialized gym, making their therapy fun. That has been especially helpful for Jayce, “because after he is given a little bit of time to play, he finds focusing on his ‘work’ a little easier,” his mother said.

Ashley praised the collaborative spirit of the boys’ therapists. “You get a comprehensive treatment approach,” she said. “Physical therapy is working with occupational therapy. Occupational therapy is working with speech.”

A Collaborative, Compassionate Approach

The collaboration extends beyond the hospital, since Jayce also attends Excel Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in Richmond for therapeutic services 35 hours a week, while Gareth attends public school. “The people at Saint Joseph have been helpful to collaborate where it is needed, with teachers, with special education staff, with the providers at ABA,” Ashley said.

She said she has had no trouble getting appointments for the boys’ weekly sessions, and she is fully involved in what the caregivers are doing. “Every time we are doing the handoff when we are bringing the children in for therapy, I spend time with each of the individual providers who are working with them that day, giving them an update so they know just as much of what is going on currently as I can give them information for.”

Her sons are not the only family members who receive services at Saint Joseph Berea. Ashley had occupational and physical therapy there. Her husband, Joshua, receives cardiac care at Saint Joseph London. Joshua, who had a massive heart attack in 2024, cares for  Jayce while his wife works as regional supervisor for Kentucky IMPACT, which provides services to children who have serious emotional disabilities (SEDs) and their families.

Humankindness, a cornerstone of Saint Joseph’s mission, Ashley said, “is apparent with every person who works in that office. They go out of their way to make the patients comfortable and heard. And I like how they collaborate. They are keen on understanding what families want to get out of the services, and they direct their treatment toward helping families achieve their goals, and individuals as well.”

Stories like this show how a child’s journey benefits from dedicated care. Learn more about developmental and sensory therapy services available at Saint Joseph Berea or find a doctor near you.