Singing historian tells America’s story, and triggers memories, through songs

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Roy Justice blows on a conch shell, eliciting amazingly musical notes, and the regular presentation of “The Singing Historian” at Homeland Center begins.

Roy Justice, “The Singing Historian,” brings his blend of storytelling and song to skilled care residents in Homeland’s solarium.

Twice a month, Justice brings classic American songs and the stories behind them to Homeland Center. The popular presentations explore the side streets of history while also using effective methods to spark memories and intellectual engagement among residents.

On this day, Justice is continuing a series of patriotic songs. He tells, in story form, the confluence of events that led Francis Scott Key to climb above deck on a British ship in 1814 to see how Fort McHenry survived following an all-night bombardment.

Justice choked up as he described Key’s vision of the Star-Spangled Banner visible in the morning fog.

“No matter how many times I talk about this, I’m overwhelmed with what he must have felt when he looked at the harbor,” Justice said. Now that residents had a refresher in the meaning behind the lyrics, he led them in singing the National Anthem.

Twice a month, Roy Justice brings classic American songs and the stories behind them to Homeland’s residents.

Justice believes in the ability of older audiences to “understand the intellectual aspects of what I do.” He incorporates memories his listeners might recall, such as today’s discussion of the contentious, Depression-era debate over making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the National Anthem.

Even blowing the conch shell, just as canal boatmen did to signal lock tenders they were coming, is meant as a distinctive sound to awaken awareness that his presentation is starting.

“Everybody has memory markers,” Justice said. “It’s just a question of finding them. You can improve the quality of their lives based on bringing these things to the forefront that are sitting there, dormant. If you can get them there, there are moments of recognition and getting in touch with who they are and where they came from. It gives them some peace and some comfort, at least for that period of time.”

Homeland residents respond eagerly to Justice’s presentations. When he sings one of his signature songs, “16 Tons,” many sing along with every word – “You dig 16 tons, and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt.” They listen attentively, respond to Justice’s questions, and jump in with their own questions.

Justice’s programs offer “history from a little different viewpoint,” said resident Phoebe Berner. “He presents songs of a different era and explains how they originated, why they were written, and how they were used and what the words mean.”

Sitting in the front row, resident Mary Anna Borke answered Justice’s questions about the leader of France during the Thomas Jefferson administration (Napoleon) and the nation where Britain feared its next uprising after the colonies rebelled (Jamaica).

Borke was a history major in college who, like Justice, appreciates the causes and effects of history. That attention to detail makes Justice a good historian, Borke said.

“There are some things that weren’t in the history books,” she said. “So many people think history is just the study of dates. The real history is what caused things to occur. We have to follow the lessons, or, like they say, we’re doomed to repeat it.”

In fact, Borke was one of several residents who told Justice he made a mistake, pointing out that he said “Boston Harbor” when he should have said “Baltimore Harbor.”

“I have to really be on my game,” Justice said with a laugh. “I learn a lot from these folks.”

Employee Spotlight: Gillian Lawrence focused on helping others

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Gillian Lawrence is focused on helping others.

Whether she’s on the job or volunteering in the community, Gillian Lawrence is always doing good for others.

Homeland Center Activities Assistant Gillian Lawrence, left, enjoys a visit with residents Rosie Massaro and Ethel Boyer

“I’m very passionate about helping people, especially individuals who are not able to help themselves,” she says.

Lawrence is Homeland’s Activities Assistant, becoming a full-time employee in July 2016 after working part-time for two years. The Harrisburg native left the area as a teenager, attending high school in Providence, Rhode Island. After graduating, she returned to Harrisburg to help care for her older sister, who was battling pancreatic cancer and eventually succumbed to the disease.

She stayed in the city, building a close relationship with her sister’s five children. She studied early childhood education for a while, but her career trajectory changed when her mother suggested she apply for a job at Hamilton Health Center, the Harrisburg-based community health care provider. As HIV/AIDS educator, counselor, and case manager, she realized she could “give a little bit of hope to people in a devastating situation.”

“As soon as I started working in it, I found my niche,” she says now. “I didn’t want to be a nurse, but I noticed that I liked the education, awareness, and prevention side of health care.”

Now at Homeland, Lawrence’s goal is finding new ways to help residents enjoy their days and stay active. For the morning exercise class, she introduced kickball, and by the second day, residents were kicking the ball to each other like soccer pros.

“We’re giving them hope that there are still things to learn and that they’re able to do,” she says. “They like new things. They like new activities. I like to help make them happy in that moment or that day, if I can.”

Lawrence gets her ideas for activities from many sources, including the residents themselves. “One of the residents said they like to bowl,” she says, hinting at a future possibility.

With support from her husband, Marcellus Sumpter, Lawrence earned her associate’s degree in health care administration from University of Phoenix and is pursuing her bachelor’s degree from Central Penn College, majoring in health care management and minoring in business. Her athletically inclined 16- and 10-year-old sons and 5-year-old daughter keep her busy. So does volunteering to help the city Parks and Recreation department and LOOP BNG, a youth-activities organization, hold summer and after-school events for kids.

“The children in our city have so much potential,” she says. “A lot of them are talented, and there is a lack of programing for them. Kids need a positive outlet. They need people to pay attention to them.”

Lawrence gives 100 percent to her job at Homeland because “everyone’s like a family here.” And like her, Homeland is committed to the city of Harrisburg. “They could be anywhere, but you know what? They’re right here,” she says.

Lawrence was raised by a single mother, Carol Mitchell. Her mom, she knows, taught her to keep her priorities straight. “She taught me to put God first in all that you do,” she says.

For fifth straight year Homeland Center Wins Harrisburg Magazine Readers’ Choice Award

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For the fifth year in a row, a poll of Harrisburg Magazine’s more than 50,000 readers resulted in Homeland Center being selected as the Readers’ Choice for Best Long-Term Care Facility.

“We are honored to again be recognized for our quality service to the Central Pennsylvania region,’’ said Barry S. Ramper II, Homeland’s president and CEO. “Next year Homeland will celebrate its 150th anniversary and throughout our history we have always looked for way to meet the needs of our community.’’

In keeping with that goal, Homeland earlier this year unveiled two new services to help seniors remain in their home while receiving the quality care they need. Homeland HomeCare will assist seniors with daily tasks such as meal preparation and transportation, while Homeland HomeHealth will provide doctor-ordered medical assistance, ranging from providing intravenous therapy and other medications to physical therapy.

 

Homeland Hospice, which serves 13 counties, last year became the only service in central Pennsylvania to offer a dedicated pediatric hospice program. Homeland Center also is one of the few skilled nursing care facilities in the region to repeatedly earn Medicare’s top Five-Star rating.

“Homeland Center was established in 1867 to provide a home for our area’s women and children whose husbands and fathers had died in the Civil War,’’ Ramper said. “Our mission may have changed, but our commitment to providing quality care has never wavered.’’ 

To learn more

  • Homeland Hospice offers care for adults as well as providing the region’s only pediatric hospice program. For more information, go to www.homelandcenter.org  or www.homelandhospice.org 
  • To learn more about the new HomeHealth and HomeCare services, go to www.homelandathome.org

Resident Spotlight: Room neighbors discover family connection

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Residents and guests often comment on Homeland’s home-like atmosphere, where everyone feels like family.

Homeland neighbors Patty McGowan, left, and Loretta Jean McCauley discovered an amazing coincidence — they grew up in the same part of Perry County and are first cousins by marriage. At Homeland, they enjoy playing bingo together and reminiscing about their relatives.

Now, two residents in facing rooms have taken the family theme one step further, discovering not only that they have roots in the same rural enclave but are first cousins by marriage. What are the odds? Who knows? But it all centers around the tiny village of Reward in Perry County, Pennsylvania.

The residents are Patty McGowan and Loretta Jean McCauley, and their coincidental discovery started with a laundry mix-up. One day, Loretta Jean sent her granddaughter to Patty’s room, right across the hall, with some mismarked laundry. Could these be Patty’s? Yes, indeed. They even included Patty’s favorite blouse.

Patty crossed the hall to thank Loretta Jean for returning the blouse. They got to talking, and Patty asked where Loretta Jean was born. Reward, she said. Patty immediately knew the connection. Her husband’s family came from Reward, and she grew up nearby.

“When she said Reward, I thought, ‘I know who this is. I know how this happened,’” says Patty. “I knew about her. There’s nobody else who could have been born there. Her dad was a brother of my father-in-law’s.”

The pieces fell into place. Loretta Jean was a McGowan by birth, first cousin to Patty’s husband, the late Jim McGowan. Their dads belonged to a clan of 11 siblings, including the brothers who operated farms “that all ran together,” as Patty recalls.

Patty grew up playing with her future husband, his sister, and all the other kids around, so it’s likely she and Loretta Jean crossed paths as children.

“The big times were when the church had something going on because our lives were pretty much church-based,” remembers Patty. “Every little church had their own festival, and each church would go to the other church’s festival.”

Loretta Jean was 9 when her mother died, and she left home to live with relatives. At 15, her father remarried, and she returned to live with him and her stepmother, “who was a very lovely person,” she says. “She couldn’t have treated me more like one of her own.”

As an adult, Loretta Jean lived in Harrisburg’s Camp Hill area. Reconnecting with Patty, who stayed in Perry County and maintained childhood friendships, brought back memories.

“She knew so many of the people in that area where I lived,” she says. “She knew all my dad’s brothers and sisters, which is unusual to know such a big family. It was quite amazing.”

The cousins both enjoy life at Homeland. McCauley likes the food and playing bingo. McGowan, a singer all her life, loves the wide variety of music programs.

“I like it very much here,” McGowan says. “I like the people. I like the place. I like the food. I like everything.”

Finding a relative has enhanced the pleasant times at Homeland, they say.

“I had no idea she knew so much about the people on my side,” says McCauley. “It’s weird that it happened that way.”

And as McGowan says, “It’s a good feeling in your heart to know you’re not alone. There’s still somebody out there who’s a part of you.”

Employee Spotlight: Kathy Kuchwara looks after Homeland’s feathered friends

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Kathy Kuchwara looks after Homeland’s feathered friends!

Resident Mary Jane Baum noticed that the birds in Homeland’s second-floor aviary seemed to appreciate their new toys.

Homeland’s “Bird Lady,” RN Kathy Kuchwara, explains why birds love swings and millet to residents (from left) Mary Jane Baum and Peg Harnish.

“They love the swing,” agreed nurse Kathy Kuchwara. “They’re probably like people and the way we love to rock. For birds, maybe it’s the same type of thing.”

Kuchwara has been a registered nurse at Homeland since 2005, full-time until retiring and part-time in 2015. And while she performs such nursing duties as immunization audits and teaching CPR to staff, she is also known throughout Homeland as “The Bird Lady.”

That’s because the avid birdwatcher brings her knowledge about birding and bird care to Homeland, which has aviaries in the first-floor gathering room, second-floor solarium, and Ellenberger dementia care unit.

Kuchwara, of Hampden Township, started working in healthcare at age 16. Homeland excels because “the quality of life is very good,” she says. “I’m very happy to be here. The staffing ratios are better, and activities are very, very attuned to residents’ needs. They work on getting resident input on activities offered. It’s a lot of fun. It makes it very special.”

Kuchwara’s lifelong interest in birds took flight around 2006. Since joining the Appalachian Audubon Society, she has developed a cadre of friends with whom she takes birding trips. She might go to the shore, balmy Monterey, Canada in February, or somewhere in Central Pennsylvania, where the birding is excellent. She once took a day for birding while in Guatemala, and just when she despaired of seeing the rare pink-headed warbler, one popped out of the greenery to show off its bright colors.

Homeland’s investment in three aviaries provides a special treat for residents, who experience “that ability to get out of themselves and look at the birds and appreciate them,” said Kuchwara. For residents with dementia, birds can trigger fond memories.

“They might say, ‘I remember when I was a little girl, and we had a parakeet,’ or ‘I remember when I used to feed the birds, when we would throw seed out in the yard and all the birds would come,’” Kuchwara said.

Two of Homeland’s aviaries had been established when Kuchwara arrived, but she quickly took an indispensable role in maintaining them and helping the other staff who take care of daily food and water. She helps direct birds to veterinary care when needed. She answers questions about temperatures and the right kinds of toys. Sometimes, she’ll separate injured or ill birds from the others for their safety.

“Believe me; there were many days when I was here full-time that I shared my office with a little bird in a cage, just to monitor it,” she said. “When it got better, it would go back in the aviary.”

One day, Kuchwara was explaining to residents Mary Jane Baum and Peg Harnish that the service contracted to clean the aviaries had just installed new toys and hung millet.

“Millet to birds is like chocolate candy to us,” she explained.

Kuchwara is “a darling lady,” said Harnish. “She’s been a mainstay of the place, and I think she’s great.”

Baum said the birds are fascinating to watch, and told Kuchwara that she, too, had been a birder. Immediately, Kuchwara asked where Baum had gone birdwatching.

“The shore,” Baum said. “West Virginia. In Virginia, to the Peaks of Otter.”

It was just the kind of interaction the aviaries are meant to encourage.

“Our residents relate to the birds,” said Kuchwara. “It’s nice for them to be in that environment where they have the opportunity to see the birds and all that activity.”

Summertime Fair celebrates the Homeland Center family and community

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Another successful Homeland Center Summertime Fair dodged the raindrops – mostly – while offering fun for residents, neighbors, and kids of all ages.

Homeland resident Isabelle Smith meets Bridget. Children and the fair got a real treat by riding Bridget and a pony named Pumpkin.

The 2016 Summertime Fair, held on a warm Saturday, offered games, food, pony rides, classic cars, and a hidden treasure sale, while it spotlighted Homeland’s commitment to the community and staff. The fair has become an annual tradition and a fundraiser for Homeland’s activity fund, which helps residents enjoy outings to shows, restaurants and stores.

The fair was held all around Homeland’s grounds. Classic cars, including a Chevy Impala convertible and a little red Corvette, lined the street. A reptile petting zoo outside the front fence offered the chance to touch a tarantula and a snake. Kids enjoyed the bounce house, video game truck, face painting station, and carnival games.

At the hidden treasure sale, Homeland resident Phoebe Berner admired a pair of spike-heeled shoes in zebra print. “I like my heels an inch higher,” she joked. The fair “really has some good stuff for folks to enjoy.”

“There are a lot of fun things to do,” she said. “I need to get some tickets and try my hand at the games.” After trying the basketball-shot game, she admitted to doing “horrible, but I tried.”

The Summertime Fair, with many free and low-cost events for people of all ages, is Homeland Center’s way of thanking the community for its steadfast support. Here, two neighborhood girls have fun decorating birdhouses at the crafts table.

Deb Benna, attending with her best friend Barbara Cox, said they looked at many nursing facilities before deciding Homeland was the place for Cox’s mother.

“We just love it here,” she said. “We like the care. We like the friendliness of the employees and the cleanliness.”

Resident Rosa Walker and her daughter Beverly were soaking in the atmosphere from Homeland’s front porch, which happens to be Rosa’s favorite spot. The idyllic site overlooking the gardens and fountain “is beautiful, and very peaceful,” she said. “It’s scenic, and it’s a quiet area.”

When a pony named Pumpkin and a gray horse named Bridget arrived, children lined up for a chance to ride. Five-year-old Maliah Sumpter, daughter of Homeland Activities Assistant Gillian Lawrence, climbed on Pumpkin without hesitation. When she learned her pony’s name, she said, “That’s what my mom calls me, Pumpkin!”

“She saw the ponies and said, ‘It’s time to get on the pony,’” said Maliah’s dad, Marcellus Sumpter. The fair “is nice,” he added. “The kids wait for this every year.”

Over at the lineup of classic cars, Jesse Evans was taking his mom, 99-year-old resident Geraldine Evans, for a stroll. Geraldine was enjoying the warm day, even as a few raindrops started to fall. She loves getting outside, even in the winter, she said.

“It’s nice to get out,” she said. “When it snowed, I made my first snowball.”

The classic cars reminded her how much she also loved to drive, she said. Her son concurred, recalling their old Dodge Dart.

“She’d like to take one for a ride, if she could find the keys,” he said.

Homeland Center “is a wonderful home,” Jesse said. “If I have to go anywhere, I’m coming here. This is the best place my mom can be.”