Homeland Center meditation sessions offer happy thoughts to banish stress

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Dr. Roxane Hearn, Homeland Wellness Program Coordinator

“We’re going to the beach today,” Dr. Roxane Hearn told a group of Homeland Center residents.

Sure enough, the residents went to the beach. Mentally, at least, they wiggled their toes in warm sand.

More importantly, they created calm places for mental getaways and for replacing stressful thoughts with happy memories.

Welcome to “Calm My Mind Tea Time.” Dr. Rox, Homeland’s Employee Wellness Program Coordinator, began the meditation sessions as stress relievers for residents when the Covid-19 pandemic began uprooting cherished routines.

A walk on the beach

At first, the sessions lasted 15 minutes, but they quickly grew so popular that they are now 45 minutes long, twice weekly for first and second floor skilled care residents. Every session starts with an affirmation of gratitude, as residents repeat after Dr. Rox: “Thank you for another day.”

Before meditation begins, Dr. Rox plays an upbeat song, such as “All is Well,” by Karen Drucker. A resident suggested that Dr. Rox look up the singer, whose life-affirming messages suited the sessions. “All is well,” say the lyrics. “I can rest. I am safe. All is well.”

“I felt that was the most perfect song for the residents,” said Dr. Rox. “You can rest well knowing you’re taken care of. You’re safe here at Homeland. All is well.”

After the song, Dr. Rox opened the Simple Habit app on her phone, and the 10-minute meditation began. A man’s voice with a lilting brogue directed participants to close their eyes and focus on their breathing. The voice walked residents through a meadow, down three steps, and onto a “wonderful, golden, sandy beach.”

“You have this beach to yourself,” said the voice. “Just find a place where you can relax and let go and enjoy the experience of being on this golden, sandy beach.” Remember this place, the voice said, and when you need to be calm and centered, return to it.

Pleasant memories

After residents opened their eyes, Dr. Rox reminded them that in addition to their calm place, they can conjure up a happy place. To help residents recollect one, she played a familiar song – “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Did anyone have a happy memory to share?

One resident immediately piped up. At age 4, her parents took her to a baseball game in Chicago.

“I had a sister, but they only took me, so I had both of their attentions,” she remembered fondly. She was wearing her favorite pale blue coat but somehow left it behind. Her father, coming to the rescue, went back into the stadium to retrieve it.

When Dr. Rox looks around the room, she sees that residents love hearing each other’s stories. Sometimes, she sees secret smiles on faces, as residents recall memories that they don’t share. That’s okay, too.

Relaxed residents participating in Tea Time

“Just for that time, their mind is off the news or thinking that their loved ones can’t visit or worrying about their family getting sick or not working,” says Dr. Rox, who also is conducting Zoom meditation sessions for Homeland at Home staff. “During that time, we’re tapping into happy memories.”

This day’s session also featured Elvis Presley’s “Blue Suede Shoes,” which prompted a resident to make everyone laugh with her story of a boyfriend who couldn’t dance unless he was on roller skates.

Every session ends with the playing of Celine Dion singing “God Bless America.” The anthem resonates deeply with every resident, as they all sing along.

“I feel like we have a Homeland choir,” marveled Dr. Rox at this Monday session. “I watch how it moves through you.”

Abundance of gratitude

Residents attending Tea Time say they have a lot to be grateful for.

“I am grateful for a nice clean place to live with friends that is virus free,” said Faye Dunkle.

“It’s like having family here,” said Ann Soder. “I enjoy the Story Time and Alphabet Trivia with Becky. I also am grateful for the aides who are patient with me.”

Ann added that she loves the music of Tea Time, which “puts the heart and mind in the right place.”

Vicki Fox loves “the energy in the room” that Tea Time creates. “Very calm and safe,” she noted.

The second-floor group agreed that the sessions take their minds off the stressful things going on in the world.

Every session ends with tea and Lorna Doone shortbread cookies. Before residents disperse, equipped with happy memories and calm places, Dr. Rox leads them in repeating another affirmation.

“Everything is well in this moment,” they say. “I am so blessed for everything I have. Thank you for another day.”

Homeland resident Clyde Johnson recalls a life of hard work and service

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Personal Care resident Clyde Johnson

It wasn’t always easy for Clyde Johnson, but after a lifetime of service to community, church, and country, he is happy to be at Homeland Center.

“They treat me just like a king,” he says. “I can’t even describe it.”

Clyde, the fourth of 11 children, grew up in Reedsville, North Carolina, in the tobacco-growing country near the Virginia border. His parents were sharecroppers, obliged to give half of everything they planted to the landowner.

His grandfather owned his own land and may have been a slave before Emancipation, but Clyde doesn’t know for sure. That grandfather, who used to give Clyde piggyback rides, died from a crash at a county fair auto race.

Between his father’s meager earnings and a couple of dollars his mother made doing laundry for the local white people, “it was rough,” Clyde says. Flour, sugar, shortening and other staples from the Red Cross helped the family survive. So did a cow they kept for milk and butter – when the cow cooperated.

“The cow would get mad and stick her foot in the bucket,” Clyde says. “She would do it on purpose.”

Every Sunday, the family would walk three miles to church, where Clyde’s father taught Sunday school. Black children couldn’t enroll at Clyde’s local high school, so his cousin – a schoolteacher – helped him enroll in a high school in a nearby town.

Later, he drove a school bus, and that’s how he met his “sweet Cecilia.” Sometimes, his passengers would complain because he would get off the bus to walk her from the bus stop the half-mile to her home.

After he graduated from high school, Clyde was determined to leave sharecropping behind. With World War II raging, he joined the Army and initially served at Fort Bragg before transferring to Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he helped guard the nation’s gold supply.

Following his discharge from the Army, he and Cecilia married and traveled around North Carolina, New Jersey and other states. For a time, they lived with Cecilia’s family after she became pregnant with the first of their two sons.

Clyde used the GI Bill benefits to learn bricklaying at night school and began working for contractors in Pennsylvania and the Washington, D.C., area.

Eventually, they settled in Bressler, where Clyde built the family home. He was active in his church, serving as treasurer and singing in the gospel choir.

Singing was always a big part of Clyde’s life. In his younger days in Reedsville, he was part of a gospel quartet called the Pearly Gates. For seven years, the group performed live on the radio every Sunday morning. They traveled to Chicago, South Carolina, New York, and Virginia to perform at churches.

Giving back is also important to Clyde, who is a 33rd degree Mason. His order – based in a former Steelton firehouse that he helped renovate – engages in a variety of community activities, such as preparing gift baskets for neighborhood residents at Christmas.

While Clyde was an active Mason, Cecelia rose to become Grand Worthy Matron of the Pennsylvania Order of the Eastern Star, a Masons’ auxiliary.

“I had to take her all over the state,” he jokes. “I was her chauffeur.”

Cecilia died in 2017, two weeks short of their 75th anniversary. At the hospital, before she died, Clyde held her hand and told her, “We have to make 75 years.”

“She squeezed my hand and smiled,” he said.

At Homeland, Clyde appreciates the excellent food and the attentive laundry for his sharp wardrobe, hanging neatly in the walk-in closet of his sunny suite.

“Everything they do here is very nice,” he says. “They really care about the people who live here.’’

Spiritual guidance, meditation and wellness keep Homeland staff in top form during crisis

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Chaplain Dann (seated) visiting with a member of our staff and a resident

At Homeland, even the heroes on the frontlines and in core services need inspiration to get through hectic days. Fortunately, they have heroes of their own to turn to, in the form of four chaplains and a wellness adviser.

While Homeland Center’s stringent actions are protecting residents from COVID-19, leadership also is safeguarding the well-being of employees. Meditation and spiritual guidance are equipping staff with the endurance to maintain Homeland’s renowned quality of care.

Even Homeland residents are joining the effort, with meditation sessions that tap into their sense of gratitude.

“Homeland is doing very well with all the physical precautions needed to prevent infection, but we also make sure that people’s minds and hearts stay strong,” says Homeland Hospice Chaplain Reynaldo Villarreal.

Physical protections, mental wellness

Homeland’s strict containment measures include prohibiting entry to all but essential staff (with exceptions for end-of-life situations), mandatory health screening of staff, and maintaining social distancing.

But there is another aspect to protection — the well-being and emotional resilience of staff. Homeland is helping all employees perform at their best through:
• Spiritual and emotional support from Homeland Hospice chaplains.
• Five- and 10-minute meditation sessions.
• Meals provided daily for Homeland Center employees – another step to seal the physical facility from encroachment of the virus.
• Purchase of two cloth face coverings for each employee to wear outside of work and remain protected at all times.

“When employees feel appreciated and supported, it reflects in everything they do,’’ says Homeland Director of Human Resources and Corporate Compliance Nicol M. Brown. “We look at the whole employee — mind, body, and spirit.”

Reflections on togetherness

Chaplain Rey can sense Homeland Center’s calm efficiency when he walks in the door.

“The character of Homeland’s leadership, their uplifting spirit, and their determination really is amazing,” he says.

Homeland’s chaplains – Dann Caldwell, Mark Harris, and John Good, along with Villarreal – had been offering prayers during Homeland department-head meetings. The devotions were so well received that the chaplains extended the opportunity to staff. During shift changes, the chaplains visit nurses’ stations and stand with those who choose to gather. Each chaplain says a prayer, and they offer time to anyone who wants personal prayer.

Chaplain Rey often shares a message of togetherness.

“This is a team effort, and you can’t do it on your own,” he tells listeners.

Sometimes, residents join in. So do staff who don’t consider themselves religious.

“They’ve told me that they feel a tremendous change in the atmosphere,’’ Chaplain Rey. “Words of encouragement are given.”

The chaplains submit encouraging thoughts for the internal employee newsletter and created fliers with uplifting texts and scripture. They also set up an email account for direct contact, and wrote a questionnaire allowing staff to self-check their mental well-being that includes resources to contact for any help they need.

“We call ourselves the beacon of hope,” says Chaplain Rey. “There are different ways of sharing hope. For some people, hope is getting through this with somebody. For others, it is knowing there is a rainbow at the end of the storm. We’re all going through the storm, but the storm passes.”

Easing stress with Dr. Rox

Dr. Roxanne Hearn leading a relaxation session.

Five or 10 minutes. That’s all it takes to “Relax, Relate, and Release with Dr. Rox.”

Employee Wellness Program Coordinator Dr. Roxane Hearn leads Homeland Center staff in mid-day meditation sessions. These allow staff to relax from the bustle of the day, relate to everything going on around them, and release any anxious thoughts.

“The sessions are about calming the mind, which helps staff focus on providing quality care for residents,’’ says “Dr. Rox,” as she’s known around Homeland. A 20-minute Zoom version is launching for Homeland at Home employees.

The positive response from the staff inspired “Calm My Mind Teatime” sessions for skilled-care residents. Residents affirm the positives in their lives, meditate on what makes them grateful, and discuss their revelations over tea and Lorna Doone shortbread cookies.

Residents say they are grateful for three meals a day, the attentiveness of Homeland staff, and the fact that even though loved ones can’t visit, they can still drop off items.

“One resident was happy for her new pink slippers,” says Dr. Rox. “It made her day.”

Dr. Rox has always witnessed the compassion of Homeland staff, but that empathy has heightened during the challenging times.

“The level of compassion I see through all this warms my heart,” she says. “It’s like chicken soup for my soul.”

A positive atmosphere shields Homeland residents from stress during crisis, says Chaplain Rey. The chaplains are doing their part.

“That beacon of hope is where our heart is,” says Chaplain Rey. “People can look toward the lighthouse and find there is hope in the storm. Somebody has to hold that lantern.”

Resident Lee Spitalny: Feeling safe at Homeland

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Despite being raised in Brooklyn, one of Lee Spitalny’s fondest memories is riding horses when she was a girl.

“There was a bridle path in one area,” Lee says. “My friend and I would take a bus dressed in our jodhpurs and boots, feeling very ‘la-di-da.’ We would ride around the area. Those horses knew; they would stop at a red light. We thought we were pretty fancy.”

Now a Homeland rehabilitation resident, Lee keeps moving. She receives physical therapy as part of the comprehensive range of services Homeland offers through partner Genesis Rehab Services.

“Their therapists are wonderful,” she says. “I feel so safe here. I’m being taken care of.”

Attending Lafayette High School in Brooklyn, Lee enjoyed acting in plays but not in musicals.

“I cannot carry a note if my life depended on it,” she says.

However, that talent gap led to one memorable moment. Famous singer Vic Damone had attended Lafayette and returned to lead a music class. Sitting at the piano, he noticed that Lee wasn’t singing, so he invited her to sit with him.

“I thought I died and went to heaven,” Lee says. “I was glad at that point that I couldn’t sing.”

Lee’s mother was a buyer for Wanamaker’s department store. Lee herself worked at Gimbel’s, selling girls’ rabbit-fur muffs and hats, which shed white fuzz all over her clothes.

“When I walked into the house, my mother said, ‘What have you got all over you?’ It was bunny fur.” Lee laughs about the memory, but her mother “didn’t think it was funny at the time.”

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Howard and Lee Spitalny – up close!

Lee continued acting while attending Upsala College in New Jersey. While in college, she met Howard Spitalny, and they married in her junior year. She graduated with an education degree but went to work for an advertising agency.

“The day after I found out I was pregnant, I retired,” she says. “It was a short-lived career.”

Once again, department stores played a big role in Lee’s life. Her husband’s career as Pomeroy’s corporate merchandising manager brought him to Harrisburg.
They grew to love the area, raising their three children from their home in Susquehanna Township.

She remembers when the cartoon character Quick Draw McGraw came to Pomeroy’s, and she and her kids had a chance to ride around in a convertible around town with the costumed horse gunslinger.

“In my heart of hearts, I’m still a New Yorker,” she says. “I loved the theater. I loved the restaurants. I guess I loved the vitality of New York, but
I love Harrisburg now. It’s a warm and wonderful place to live.”

Lee put her education degree to use teaching comparative religion at Susquehanna Township High School.

“I would have ministers and rabbis and priests come to class,” she says. “I once had a voodoo priest talk to my students. I think they got a lot out of it. I didn’t care if they remembered dates, but as long as they left with respect for another person’s faith and religion, that was the important thing.”

Even though Lee had no business experience, a lifetime’s immersion in retail prepared her for the day when a friend suggested that the area needed an upscale bridal gift shop. She opened and ran The Proper Setting in New Cumberland for about 10 years.

“We had wonderful brides registered and met a lot of lovely, lovely people,” she says.

In retirement, Lee volunteers to read to young children at her synagogue.

“They sit all around on the floor,’’ she says. “Being the ham that I am, I love it. They seem to love it, too.”

Lee also served on Homeland’s Board of Managers; the unique board charged with maintaining Homeland’s home-like feel.

She volunteers for Homeland Hospice, spending time with families in mourning. “Everybody grieves so differently, but I hope I can help,” she notes. Lee shares thoughts from her own experience of losing her son Stephen 20 years ago and her husband just three years later.

“Life goes on,” she believes. “It’s so important to remember to have good memories.”

Lee loves to cook – maybe as a creative outlet to compensate for her lack of singing abilities – and she hopes to return to the kitchen after she goes home to her condo and its wonderful neighbors.

In the meantime, she is diligent about physical therapy, walking the hallways with her therapists. She wants to participate in Homeland’s morning exercise classes – “not that I have ever been an exerciser, believe me.” She reads a lot, currently enjoying Rita Mae Brown’s “Sneaky Pie Brown” mystery series. She keeps in touch with friends by phone.

Lee appreciates the sense of security she feels at Homeland, especially given the COVID-19 crisis.

“Homeland is very well run,” she says. “The people who are residents here feel safe, particularly now. The therapists are wonderful. They’re taking excellent care of me, and everybody who’s in here.”

Reimagined activities keep Homeland residents engaged and connected

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Hugs and kisses in a Covid-19 world!

At Homeland Center, residents are playing bingo, singing favorite tunes, creating fun crafts, eating pizza, and chatting with family – but not in the usual manner.

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the activities department went into high gear to keep residents safe but still able to enjoy the events and routines that sustain Homeland’s renowned home-like feel.

“It’s important that we keep our residents’ spirits up, even though they’re not able to visit their families and are not going out,” says Activities Director Aleisha Connors. “Keeping them engaged in activities has been a key part. That’s where we come in, to make sure that quality of life is maintained.”

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Homeland Center has implemented strict containment measures based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Pennsylvania departments of Health and Human Services. They include prohibiting entry to all but essential staff (with exceptions for end-of-life situations), mandatory screening of staff, and maintaining social distancing.

Under these circumstances, residents can no longer enjoy the musicians, family visits, and social gatherings that brighten their days, but that doesn’t mean the activities take a rest. Here’s some of what’s going on at Homeland:

  • Hallway bingo: From their doorways, residents play their bingo cards. Staff pull numbers and call them up and down the hallways.
  • Ice cream cart: An ice cream cart makes rounds in the hallways and features ice cream sandwiches, Nutty Buddy cones, Twin Pops, and frozen bananas. The cart, decorated in colorful pictures of ice cream treats, even plays the familiar jangly tunes of a classic Mr. Frosty ice cream truck.
  • Masked sing-along: Homeland residents love their sing-alongs. For the modified version, they maintain social distancing and wear face masks, even as they sing along to favorite tunes such as “You Are My Sunshine” or a cherished hymn with words they know by heart.
  • Gratitude meditation: Employee Wellness Program Coordinator and Health Psychologist Dr. Roxane Hearn leads residents in meditation sessions to calm their minds and focus on thankfulness. “The residents absolutely love it,” says Aleisha.

Personal Care resident, Gladys Mumper, enjoying a sweet treat – delivered to her home!

Additionally, Homeland recently purchased 35 Pizza Hut pizzas and distributed them to residents who miss their usual lunch outings.

 

Restricted family visits can be the most challenging burden, but with the help of Homeland activities staff and their tablet computers, residents are delighted to connect electronically.

“Not all of them are familiar with this new technology, but when we have group chats and FaceTime with family members, they’re so excited,” says Activities Coordinator Dee Smith. “They even see their great-grandchildren and family pets. It’s a real highlight – you can see it in our residents’ faces.”

The overall goal is to maintain a sense of normalcy.

“We try to keep our residents engaged with interesting activities to help them focus on what we are doing instead thinking about not seeing their family,” says Dee.

The revamped activities require redesigned logistics. Residents are staying within their units, no longer congregating in the same common areas. Each activity coordinator is assigned to a different space, aided by reassigned Homeland at Home Hospice liaisons who can’t go into the field during the shutdown.

Staff also work hard to keep up their own spirits.

“What the residents see on the staffs’ faces is how they’re going to feel,” Aleisha says. “I’ve been telling my staff we have to keep calm and keep doing what we’re doing.”

Dee praises Aleisha as a director who “digs in and helps” with all the activities underway during long days at work. Aleisha appreciates Dee’s talent at keeping residents involved and engaged. They both admire the work of Homeland’s social work staff in assuring that residents stay sharp mentally.

“This is such a good environment to work in,” says Aleisha. “Everyone is committed to coming together for our residents.’’

Effective immediately, Homeland Center’s nursing and personal care areas are closed to ALL visitors and volunteers until further notice.

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We’ll help arrange visits via computers and phones; details to follow

We understand the importance of visiting with loved ones, but we must maintain the safety and health of our residents as our top priority.

As you know, there are widespread outbreaks of COVID-19 in various places around the world and in the United States. Because older adults are at significantly higher risk of serious illness and death if infected with this virus, the Federal Government through The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has instructed all Nursing Homes to make restrictions.

Exceptions will be considered under extraordinary circumstances and will need to be scheduled and approved in advance. If you wish to discuss this option, please call Ashley Bryan, Director of Social Work at 717-350-8005.

While we are not aware of any cases of COVID-19 at Homeland Center, we take these measures out of an abundance of caution to safeguard the well-being of all our residents, youth, families, volunteers, visitors and staff.

We recommend following CDC guidelines by taking the following steps to stay healthy and help prevent the spread of the virus by visiting CDC.gov.

Homeland Center is receiving regular communication from local and state public health officials, including the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Keystone Health Care Coalition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, as well as with officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These restrictions will remain in place until the CDC states that we are no longer at risk for the spread of COVID-19, and the flu season is over. If you are unable to visit the community in person, residents may be reached by telephone and staff may be able to arrange a virtual visit using video conferencing technology.

The health and well-being of the residents and the staff that serve them is our highest priority. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we do our part to assist in combating the spread of the flu and COVID-19.

Check back for updates on this website. You can also call the Homeland Center Information Hotline at (717) 303-8833 for a recorded message with updates as they occur.

For Employees and Approved Vendors/Deliveries:

The doors at 6th Street and 5th Street parking lot must be used for entrance and exit to the building. You will not be permitted to enter or exit at Muench Street.