by Vickie Jenkins – Writer/Photographer
The Lakes, is a leading facility for skilled nursing, rehab and long term care in Oklahoma City, OK. With proven quality outcomes for over 18 years, The Lakes offers care focused on each individual in today’s ever changing healthcare environment. Our multifaceted skilled nursing is the best option when transitioning from hospital to home, with outpatient therapy options to ensure continually of care. Our long term care services are overseen by physicians and 24-hour nursing, making it an optimum place to retire, with comforts from home. –The Lakes-
Just off of MacArthur and Britton, you will find The Lakes Healthcare Community; the perfect setting for a senior long-term care home, full of the utmost nurses and caregivers with plenty of tender loving care to give. One particular nurse is Lakeysha Royal, LPN. She has been a nurse for ten years. “I actually started out here at The Lakes, as an aide, thirteen years ago,” Lakeysha said. “When I was little, I was raised by my grandmother who was a nurse. I got to go with her to work sometimes and I watched as she took care of the patients. My grandmother supported me in everything I did and I feel like she is the main reason that I am a nurse today,” Lakeysha said. “I wanted to be a nurse just like my grandmother,” she added.
“I’ve had quite a few jobs working in home health. I also worked in drug detox, a methadone clinic, and worked for several home health agencies and ended up coming back to The Lakes about a year ago. This is my full time job Monday through Friday and I still work some nights in home health part-time,” Lakeisha said. “I love taking care of others,” she added.
Asking Lakeysha what her favorite part of her job is, she replied. “Well, my favorite thing to do is wound care. The reason I like wound care so much is the fact that I get to see the whole picture; from beginning to end. I get to see the healing process from start to finish. As strange as it sounds, I like wound care best of all,” she said with a laugh.
Lakeysha’s biggest asset is flexibility. “I have to have plenty of flexibility here at work. I have worked all of the floors, doing different jobs, whether it is caring for the patients, or passing medications. I will do what is needed to be done,” she said. “We strive for excellence and I am focused on doing my best.”
What qualities do you think make a good nurse? “I think a good nurse needs to be friendly, punctual, and empathetic. I am never too busy to stop and help a resident if they need me. I will drop everything to help them and that is how a nurse should be,” Lakeysha said.
Motivation comes easy for Lakeysha. “I love to be around the residents. It’s my job and I know they need me. I know that being a nurse was, and is my calling. I made the decision to become a nurse; I chose to work in the medical field and that is what motivates me every morning. I want to be the best nurse I can be,” Lakeysha commented.
“When I was in nursing school, I had quite a few mentors. It was the older nurses that helped me through the ups and downs. It was like the older women took me under their wing. To this day, that very first nurse that trained me is one of my best friends,” Lakeysha said with a smile.
Lakeysha stays busy at work but finds time for hiking and camping too, “I like all of the outdoorsy stuff and like spending time with my family. I have two kids, Alayna 17, and Marcus 14. Sometimes, they volunteer here at The Lakes with the activities. Alayna wants to be an architect and Marcus wants to be a firefighter. I want them to do what they want to do and keep after it. We also have a dog, a pit mix. He was a rescue dog and he is all white. We named him Zero due to the lack of colors.”
Asking Lakeysha to describe herself, she said, “I am a very charismatic person, fun-loving, and I am an open book; asking and answering any questions.”
Lakeysha’s favorite words to live by are: Care for others as you would like to be cared for.
Summing up Lakeysha’s life in one word: “That would definitely be,” Fulfilled.
