Lexington Office

Long-term care and Coker go back a ways. “I grew up around the senior care industry. My mother was a director of nursing at a local facility where I spent countless hours as a child.” Prior to founding DayBreak in 2002, Coker worked for a long-term care software company. Today, he oversees operations in the lowcountry centers operations.

Coker wants customers to know Daybreak focuses on keeping them happy and safe in their current environments. That’s where “going above and beyond” is the standard, not the exception.

In his free time Coker spends time with family or fishes. (He serves on DNR’s Marine Advisory Committee.) A past deacon at South Aiken Presbyterian Church, he’s a founding member of the Caregiver Coalition of the Midlands and serves on the board of Palmetto Place Children’s Shelter.

Ameena’s experience includes volunteering with Palmetto Health Hospice, a year as a social work intern at the Lexington Medical Center Emergency Room, and four years as a social worker at Newberry Memorial Hospital. She’s spent nine years at DayBreak.

“My approach to adult care is basic. All clients are important and deserve to be treated with respect. It’s our job to ensure the client remains in their home as long as they can. That means we respect their home, capabilities, and needs—always. Doing so enables us to provide the appropriate services and a positive client experience.”

When not at work, Ameena likes to exercise, read, and spend time with family and friends. As well, she enjoys music, movies, and concerts.

Joyce began her career in Fort Worth, Texas, and returned to Columbia to bring personalized care to the geriatric and long-term care fields. Joyce joined DayBreak in March 2006 as Marketing/Admissions/Community Liaison. She promotes DayBreak to referrals, assesses and admits new clients, educates families on services, cares for seniors, and speaks to groups throughout the Midlands. She also coordinates care with other providers.

Active in the field in the Columbia area for almost 20 years, Joyce began the Senior Care Professionals of the Midlands in 1999. Having been a caregiver for her husband, she understands just how much personal assistance and care mean to families.

Having seen her mother, family members, and friends in assisted living, in-home care, and hospice care, Robin understands senior living’s benefits and challenges. That’s why she treats each client with courtesy and respect.

I worked with the senior community in state government and the private sector for the past 30 years.” Robin puts that wealth of experience to good use creating and maintaining client and caregiver schedules. She maintains client and statistical information and keeps clients and caregivers aware of day-to-day scheduling.

I have a beautiful family I’m extremely proud of. I enjoy spending time with them and I have a love for music, antiques, and shopping.” A super South Carolina fan, Robin enjoys Gamecock sports.

Marsha has accumulated more than 30 years’ of experience as a medical-social work professional and has specialized in geriatric social work for the last 15 years. Her experience guides her in the field where she visits clients’ in their home to assess the quality of their care by DayBreak caregivers. She reports service levels to colleagues at DayBreak and interviews family members to determine if they have any additional concerns. She addresses these concerns, often on the spot, bringing peace of mind to families. She also completes client histories to help tailor Daybreak services to fit each individuals’ needs. Her deep experience and awareness of just what constitutes quality service helps DayBreak provide consistently good services. As well, her leadership skills earned her the role of Chairman of the Caregiver Coalition of the Midlands.

In her personal time, Marsha likes to cook, read, and travel.

Amanda, though new to geriatric and long-term care, isn’t a stranger to the challenge of helping people in need. As a Special Education teacher, she taught high school students with severe needs.

Today, her experience as a Special Education teacher helps her to identify and understand older persons’ needs. “The care level for students with special needs can be similar and even more significant than geriatric population. I bring a wealth of knowledge from Special Ed that translates well into geriatric and long-term care.”

That knowledge serves her well as the Human Resource manager. She hires and manages caregivers, customer service personnel, and helps with client intake. She does so with a priority on residents’ safety and independence. “Independence translates to self-worth and a better quality of life, both of which make our later years enjoyable.”

In her time away from work, Amanda enjoys traveling, food, new experiences, and unwinding at the beach. Her hobbies include tap dancing and television production.

Chelsea’s duties at DayBreak include client support, and, in particular, keeping clients and caregivers abreast of day-to-day scheduling needs. Recently, she returned to school to study nursing. Having had two grandparents with dementia/Alzheimer’s, she knows what a difference care makes. “I saw what they had to go through and how much better it could be if someone was just there with them.”

When it comes to providing the best adult care, she sees that care as a vital part of being human. “Treating our clients with the care and compassion they deserve is a high priority for us,” she said.

Chelsea, who’s from Indianapolis, is new to the South and likes what it has to offer, especially its sub-tropical climate, and she finds that the South is quite historical. “I love being able to explore a new town every once in a while. There are many neat places to go to around here.” In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and baking.

Paulette manages referrals and explains the benefits of DayBreak’s services to new clients and providers. She evaluates clients and helps with new client admission. As well, she educates families and community providers to the importance of senior care.

Paulette’s experience with geriatric clients runs deep and includes eighteen years as a social worker with the Richland/Lexington County Disability Board and Community Long Term Care. She worked fifteen years with Palmetto Health (Prisma) Community Relations–HomeCare services helping onboarding physicians while promoting their specialty’s importance to community providers and other physicians. She educated families and senior health groups on senior care issues and solutions.

“Experience has shown me how important it is to listen and identify both the needs of clients and caregivers so we can provide the highest-quality care. It’s important, too, to meet clients where they are. It gives them a sense of comfort and care.” —Paulette Freeman

In her own time, Paulette enjoys spending time with family and friends, gardening, and cooking.