Gabriel Cranley OTR/L

My name is Gabriel Cranley. I have been an Occupational Therapist for over 30 years. As a treating therapist and a therapy director , I’ve spent the last 25 years working at Capitol Lakes, a vibrant beautiful retirement community in downtown Madison, WI. I’m incredibly grateful for the wealth of experience I’ve gained working in a subacute nursing and rehabilitation facility and providing therapy services to our residents as well as providing out-patient therapy for our independent and assisted living residents and the greater Madison Community. Working with residents and families all these years and being involved in thousands of admissions and discharges, my desire and passion has grown to do more to help people live to their best potential while aging in place. In the fall of 2023, I founded Thrive At Home to do just that.

The heart of occupational therapy (OT) is using a holistic approach to help people be as independent as possible to improve one’s quality of life. I learned about OT as a high school sophomore at a job fair at West Allis Nathan Hale High School (Go Huskies!). Of special interest to me through my experiences was the idea of “Health by Doing” – using everyday activities such as dressing, bathing, household chores, and community activities as a means of regaining or maintaining strength while aging or recovering from a medical condition. That job fair was almost 40 years ago and my passion for helping people live their best lives has never been stronger.

In 1992, I graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in occupational therapy. I worked in numerous rehabilitation facilities in California, New Mexico, South Carolina, Illinois, and Wisconsin. My initial focus was on stroke and brain injury rehabilitation, and I spent over a year working at the prestigious Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC). I learned a great deal at each stop along the way, but found my true passion when I filled in at a retirement facility and first started helping the “grandmas and grandpas” (as I said to my kids) along with their families develop tools and strategies to become as independent as they could be.

Over the last 25 years as a therapist and director, I have developed the expertise to provide evaluations, implement interventions and continually educate and guide our older adult population and their families. Using an evidence based research and practice approach along with my years of experience, I am excited to continue to use my best clinical judgement to help clients live safely, actively and successfully wherever they are in the aging process.

Post Covid times has presented the healthcare system with challenges due to staffing, reimbursement , regulations and insurance demands. Post Covid has also pushed the healthcare system to think outside the box to properly manage the incredibly staggering number of aging seniors and the increasing shortage of staff to care for them in traditional environments like the hospital and long term care facilities. I am confident Thrive At Home, a mobile Occupational Therapy private practice, will be a great addition to keeping our seniors actively and safely aging in place.

I am here today because of the constant love, support, positive attitude, and energy my mom has provided my 5 older siblings and me our entire lives. My mom, (pictured below), a beautiful 90-year-old woman is the epitome of healthy aging-everything in moderation and living each day to the fullest. She is my greatest inspiration. Also, I could not create this private practice without the love and support of my husband Phil and our three beautiful children Owen, Joe and Lucy. They have been my biggest cheerleaders throughout this journey. I am excited to be on this adventure with everyone I meet along the way.