For Rick Winquist, being a physical therapist resembles the encouragement he received during his days as a high school and college athlete.

&#8220Physical therapists are like cheerleaders and coaches,” he said.

In addition to being a physical therapist, Winquist is a licensed athletic trainer at Lifeline Home Health Care, where he has worked since 1990. Although he works primarily in Warren County, in the past he has traveled to Simpson and Allen counties.

Winquist has provided care for patients of a variety of ages, from children to seniors. He averages about seven clients a day. The patients have various conditions, from orthopedic to neurological problems such as from a stroke, Winquist said. He may work for two to six weeks with an orthopedic patient while working much longer with a stroke patient.

&#8220I’m not working with any children right now, but I do have a patient who’s 100 years old,” he said with a smile. &#8220She’s doing remarkably well.”

Winquist grew up in Houston participating in various sports, including football, basketball and track. He continued to run track in college.

&#8220I was very interested in sports. I wanted to do something related to sports,” he said. &#8220I was originally going into sports medicine.”

But as Winquist’s studies continued, he started getting into more health care-related topics. He graduated from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas and did his prerequisites for physical therapy school at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. He has a bachelor’s degree in allied health, physical therapy.

&#8220I fell in love with home health. Working one-on-one is like no other setting,” he said. &#8220When you work in an outpatient or rehabilitation setting, you have to manage several patients at the same time. In home health, you’re 100 percent focused on the person you’re working with. At their home, you can address their specific needs.”

In addressing his patients’ needs, Winquist has been known to go beyond his physical therapist duties by helping build ramps and other modification items to help clients get around better.

&#8220Physical therapists work with mobility,” he said. &#8220I ask myself, ‘Can they get in and out of their house? How can I help this person get around better?’ ”

Winquist met his wife, Shan, while they were both doing internships in West Texas. The couple married and lived in Houston for a little more than three years in the 1980s before moving to Shan Winquist’s native Kentucky in 1990. She is a physical therapist for Warren County schools.

Flexible hours allowed Winquist to pursue his athletic trainer license. He works with Western Kentucky Orthopedics to cover high school football games on Friday nights. He also keeps busy with his children Talitha, 16, and Nickolas, 14

Winquist said he works with a group of people who want to provide the best patient care possible.

&#8220I work in an organization full of dedicated nurses and professionals. It’s very rewarding,” he said. &#8220If at the end of the day you can say you’ve addressed the patient’s needs, then you’ve done something.”