Homeland Activities: Kids bring their energy to story time

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Kids bring their energy to story time

Homeland Center Activities Coordinator Dee Smith strides into the Homeland Solarium and the children lining the benches sit up and smile.

“How is everyone?” Smith says brightly. “Good? Good! Nice day out today! Which stories are we going to read today?”

It’s Story Time at Homeland. Twice a month in the summer the children from McLamb Memorial Church Day Care Center walk just around the corner from their child care to Homeland. The first- through third-graders hear Smith read a story, while residents watch and smile.

Today, Smith reads “Pizza and Other Stinky Poems.”

“Onions are round, and yellow and smelly,” she begins. “No one would eat them with strawberry jelly.” From there, the poems continue, and the kids giggle over the idea of Irish stew that tastes like glue.

“The book rhymes!” one boy says. Another child alertly corrects Smith when she mistakenly reads the word “sitter” as “sister.”Kids bring their energy to story time

After poems about the joys of growing watermelon and the futility of getting peanut butter off the roof of your mouth, Smith comes to one about ice cream.

“Ice cream!” she says. “Remember this? ‘I scream. You scream.’” The kids join in and so do the Homeland residents. “’We all scream for ice cream!’”

After the reading, Smith shares a treat – Dunkin’ Donuts for everyone. When Smith asks if anyone knows a word that rhymes with donut, no one can think of anything, but one student suggests, “Ronut?” All agree it was a nice try.Kids bring their energy to story time

Homeland resident Shirley Miller thoroughly enjoys the encounter.

“It’s wonderful,” she says. “Just the fact that we get to see little children is nice. These children are so well-behaved.”

One girl named Jan’Yae was actively engaged in the activity, answering all of Smith’s questions and riveted by the poetry readings.  “They were stinky,” she says.

The day care’s head teacher, Chinia Plant, said the kids love coming to Homeland. They enjoy hearing Smith read to them, looking at the birds in the solarium aviary, and singing at the end of the program. If they miss a day, one boy named Jermaine always asks, “When are we going to Homeland? We missed our trip to Homeland.”

“I look forward to it, too,” says Plant. “The staff are very nice to us.

They treat our kids with nothing but love.”

Jermaine said he likes to come to Homeland for the donuts and to see the residents.

“They’re happy,” he said.

Seeing all the children “brings back a lot of memories of when you were a child yourself,” says Homeland resident Ray Caldwell. “We didn’t have anything like this in school. We had recess. That was just a time to get together and play a game or two, and then you went right back in. This is a nice outing for the kids.”

Caldwell remembers that his parents had two books depicting the First World War. “I used to love to sit on the couch with my dog Spot, and I would look at those pictures,” he says.

As the children were leaving, Smith asked for hugs, and they happily complied. Smith joined Homeland in early 2017 and is “loving it.”

“I love what it stands for,” she says. “You can see the staff cares. I come here to do a job and make other people feel good, and they have no idea how good they make me feel.”

As for the visits from the kids, Smith loves their energy.

“I love the way they interact with the older generation,” she says. “It brings out the residents’ inner child. It spruces them up. You can just see the energy when the kids are around.”

Homeland Center Wins Harrisburg Magazine Readers’ Choice Award for 6TH straight year

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2017 READERS CHOICE For the sixth year in a row, Harrisburg Magazine’s more than 50,000 readers voted Homeland Center as Readers’ Choice for Best Long-Term Care Facility.

The Readers’ Choice honor comes as Homeland is celebrating its 150th Anniversary and on the heels of achieving a perfect 5.0 score in U.S News and World Report’s Best Nursing Homes 2016-17.

“This recognition is truly a testament to our committed staff, which both care about our residents and consider them family,” said Barry Ramper II, Homeland’s president and CEO. “For generations, families have counted on Homeland to look after their loved ones and this recognition underscores the commitment we have to provide the highest quality care to our community.”

Chartered as the Home for the Friendless in 1867, Homeland originally sheltered destitute women and homeless children, including Civil War widows and orphans. Today, occupying a full city block in uptown Harrisburg, Homeland is the home of 145 residents. Fifty individuals (some married couples) occupy contemporary suites; another 95 are cared for in Skilled Nursing Units, 24 of which are devoted to the care of those with Alzheimer’s and dementia related diseases.

No resident in financial distress has ever been asked to leave, and Homeland’s commitment to charitable, uncompensated care stands as a resource for the community. A nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, Homeland relies on the generous support of our friends and neighbors to continue helping the less fortunate. To find out how you can make a difference, call 717-221-7900 or go to homelandcenter.org/donate

In keeping with its goal to meet the community’s needs, Homeland unveiled two new services in 2016 to help seniors remain in their home while receiving the quality care they require. Homeland HomeCare assists seniors with daily tasks such as meal preparation and transportation, while Homeland HomeHealth provides doctor-ordered medical assistance, ranging from providing intravenous therapy and other medications to physical therapy.

Homeland Hospice, soon to celebrate 10 years of serving Central PA, has a team of caring professionals certified in both adult and pediatric care.

“Since we opened our doors 150 years ago our mission may have changed, but our commitment to providing quality care has never wavered,” Ramper said. “We never stop looking for ways to meet the medical and social needs of Central Pennsylvania.”

Employee Spotlight: Dignity is paramount to assistant director of nursing Virginia Halty

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Virginia HaltyDignity is paramount to Assistant Director of Nursing Virginia Halty

Virginia Halty entered nursing in pediatrics, but she was inspired to serve the elderly by watching her beloved grandmother deal with “the issues of aging.”

“She was probably the most beautiful, understanding, kind, and considerate person I’ll ever meet in my life,” says Halty. “She was like my best friend. She taught me how to cook, sew, crochet.”

Halty joined the Homeland staff in late May 2017 as assistant director of nursing, responsible for infection control and restorative care. Nursing seemed to be her calling, as she discovered that her family tree is full of nurses, teachers, and social workers. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Jacksonville University and a master’s degree from Drexel University.

“I’m a people person,” she says. “I learn from people. I can appreciate making them feel better. Maybe I’m coming in to take you to the bathroom, but please, have a conversation with me. Let’s talk. It’s not just the task but about helping residents feel like people.”

Though she has worked in a variety of settings, Halty got her start in nursing at Homeland, serving at age 15 as an assistant alongside her mother. Her mom, the late Esther Brooks, enforced rigorous standards that went as far as being sure to wash between the fingers and behind the ears when bathing residents.

“In between your toes and the base of your neck,” Halty recounts. “It’s about doing the kind of things that make you feel clean as a person.”

In her infection control role, she oversees the myriad details that comprise an effective, workable approach to managing such common challenges as urinary tract infections, which can “set the elderly population back.”

On the restorative side, Halty works with the physical therapy department on “how to maximize residents’ functional ability, so their quality of life is improved or maintained.” The approach includes helping residents keep flexibility through range-of-motion programs.

“That simple exercise helps them maintain the ability to wash their face and brush their teeth, which helps them maintain their dignity,” she says. “Walking, ambulating — we want to keep them moving as much as possible.”

Outside the office, Halty enjoys reading inspirational novels. She and her husband, Erwin Joyner, are active in their small congregation, the New Life Christian Church, doing whatever needs to be done – cleaning the church, bringing in food, taking hats and scarves or sandwiches and soup to Harrisburg’s homeless.

“We don’t have a lot, but we try to give what we can,” she says.

She has three stepsons and two sons, who are both now expectant parents, with babies due in October and February.

Halty feels fortunate to be at Homeland, where she “couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with.” Here, institutional attention to detail and quality of life matches her own. She even sees it in the meticulous care given to residents’ appearance.

“People are dressed,” she says. “Their hair is combed. Their teeth are brushed. The women have makeup on. Their nails are done. That speaks volumes to the type of care we are giving here at Homeland. It is a wonderful sight to see.”

Resident Spotlight: For Jim Phillips, cooking is love

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Jim Phillips for website minMany people cook for fun, or because they must. Jim Phillips, though, believes that cooking “can become a means of worship.”

The Homeland resident has spent his life on a spiritual quest entwined with cooking as a ministry, whether he’s preparing meals for a few friends or hundreds of people.

Jim grew up in Ohio, raised by foster parents after the death of his mother. When glaucoma took his foster mother’s sight, she would sit in the kitchen doorway and coach Jim through the steps of making the family dinner.

“She would ask, ‘Does it look like this? Does it taste like this?’” Jim remembers. “She was like a living cookbook. That’s what began my journey with food.”

After attending Northcentral University in Minneapolis, Jim’s career path wound from counseling troubled teens to buying for department stores, to preparing bank financial statements. But all his life, he had wanted to attend a monastery and he discovered idyllic Holy Cross Monastery, on the banks of the Hudson River.

There, the kitchen became a regular assignment. Every weekend, 140 guests would arrive for contemplative retreats, and Jim “learned by experimentation.”

“They had a refractory, like a dining room, with glass all around, and you could look up the river or down the river,” he said. “Guests loved that.”

Jim also spent time with religious communities in Massachusetts and Illinois. Food was the thread weaving through all his experiences, often in what he calls “rice and beans environments,” where a little creativity could stretch limited food budgets. He learned to use herbs for flavor and how to make “balanced meals without meat and still getting enough protein.”

He always went where he felt God wanted him to go.

“Self-discovery is part of fulfilling God’s plan in our lives,” Jim says. “But certain times, what we do is discover ourselves and then rush off, when the Bible says, ‘I know the plans I have for you.’ Instead of trying to discover what His plan is and let that carry us in a direction, we tend to try to make a path.”

Eventually, Jim came to Central Pennsylvania through friends. He worked as a computer-operations trainer in Hershey Chocolate Co.’s Hershey Kiss department, doing “the simplest job to the most complicated.”

In the meantime, he bought a home and had the idea to host holiday gatherings for the single members of his church.

“We all shared in the turkey my company gave me, and people would bring different items,” he says. “It was a directed pot luck. I had a fireplace and I built a fire. People looked forward to it.”

Among the dishes he prepared was cranberry relish, one of three recipes he contributed to Homeland’s 150th-Anniversary cookbook, “Heritage Recipes from Homeland Center.” He remembers when his mother would throw cranberries in a pot for cooking. “You could hear them pop. You had to have a lid on, or otherwise, you’d have a mess.”

When Jim looked at retirement communities, Homeland felt like the place where God wanted him to live. He moved here around 2013 and has loved it ever since.

“I feel like I have support,” he says. “It’s like a big family. I’m thankful for them.”

He spends his days reading, studying theology, and enjoying meals with his friend Pete Patton, a Homeland resident for more than four years. He teaches at his church, Cornerstone Fellowship in Wormleysburg, and counsels visitors who come to him for spiritual guidance.

For Jim, food “becomes a means to build community.”

“Love can take on a lot of formats, but for people who like food, love can come in food. Apple pie sometimes represents a mother’s love, or a casserole dish can express your concern for the death of a family member. Cooking can become a means of worship. It’s more than a cup and a piece of bread. The sacramental approach spills out into how you live, and cooking for me has been that means.”

Homeland’s summer picnics fire up the fun

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Kelly Calaman Betty Wise Jane Krebs for website minEnjoying the warm weather during one of Homeland Center’s recent picnics, resident Pete Patton and his daughter, Deb Herneisey, said it reminded them of past family get-togethers.

“We had a fire pit before fire pits were in style!” said Deb, recalling the family’s “wienie roasts,” where they cooked hot dogs and s’mores over an open fire. Pete, a retired lineman who was often called to manage challenging situations, has been at Homeland for more than four years. “I love it,” he said. “The people are all nice.”

Organized by Homeland staff and supported by Board of Managers members, the Wednesday summer picnics offer a chance for residents to visit with family and friends.

Homeland’s unique Chet Henry Memorial Pavilion provides the perfect picnic spot. Added to Homeland’s lush Fifth Street gardens in 2012, the pavilion honors a former resident who was Harrisburg’s youngest fire chief and Pennsylvania’s first state fire commissioner. A gentle breeze, helped by ceiling fans whirring overhead, kept the atmosphere cool and comfortable.

“We’re hot dog people,” said Jane Krebs, who joined her mother, Betty Wise. “We camped. Mom camped, and when I got married, we camped until the kids were in high school.”

Betty enjoyed her hot dog and was also looking forward to a lunchtime excursion planned by Homeland the next day to popular riverfront restaurant Duke’s Bar & Grille, in nearby Wormleysburg.

Aveya McNealy for websiteBetty’s son-in-law, Jerry Krebs, also joined the family outing. His mother was a Homeland resident who “loved it here,” he said.

He appreciated the ongoing additions to Homeland’s facility that enhance quality of life, such as the breezy pavilion.

“I’ve always been impressed with Homeland,” Jerry said. “They’ve done an excellent job. The personnel have been very good. I probably know five or six of the staff very well.”

And what picnic would be complete without watermelon for dessert? Activities Coordinator Aveya McNealy, who offered watermelon slices to all the picnickers, joined Homeland in early spring 2017.

“I love it,” she said. “It’s great to have the interaction with the residents, getting to sit and talk with them, and learning their backgrounds.”

As for the ability of residents to host their families for the picnics, Aveya said, “That’s the best part.”

Song-and-dance pair brings music and memories to Homeland Center

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Kat and Tom sing for website minHomeland Center was rocking to “Mack the Knife” when Kat & Tom were back in town.

Kat & Tom are a husband-and-wife song and dance duo whose Homeland appearances always draw a crowd. The popular pair presents carefully crafted shows at retirement communities around the East, but their ties to Homeland are particularly strong and personal.

On this warm summer day, Kat and Tom Kovaleski performed everything from songs written by George Gershwin and Paul Anka – and even Bob Dylan’s ballad “To Make You Feel My Love” — to those made famous by Patsy Cline, Dean Martin, and Lee Greenwood. Homeland residents’ toes tapped to Frank Sinatra’s “Come Fly with Me.” The Nat King Cole-Natalie Cole duet version of “Unforgettable” drew appreciative applause.

During instrumental breaks, the pair would step away from the instruments to show off their elegant ballroom and tap dance skills. While Tom, a classically trained ballet dancer, wore spiffy, two-toned wing-tip shoes, alert residents noticed that Kat was barefoot.
“I have injured my knee, and I can’t dance on the carpet in my shoes,” she explained. “I’m dancing barefoot today, and I hope you don’t mind. Do you mind too much?”

“No!” the residents responded.

As the duo presented their songs, Homeland CNA and dietary supervisor Aprile Greene wandered the room, clapping and inviting residents to dance. Resident Flora Jespersen happily danced to “Put Your Head on My Shoulder.” Don Englander took some energetic twirls with Greene during the rousing “Mack the Knife.”

Aprile Greene Don Englander for website min“I love to see them enjoy themselves and the music, and getting them to smile,” Greene said later. “They love it. They make my day.”

Kat & Tom introduced each carefully selected song with a short history, with the year it was written or recorded and any interesting factoids, such as the fact that “Save the Last Dance for Me” was written by a wheelchair-bound man for his wedding to a Broadway star.

“We do a lot of research,” Kat said after the show. “It is trivia, but it’s not trivial. People say, ‘I love that song, but I can’t remember who did it.’ We always want to know who wrote it, who did it, what it was written for.”

Music “will take you back to a place in time,” added Tom. “One of the most exciting things is to see how all of a sudden it touches people. Music will take you to places you don’t forget.”

The pair has a personal connection to Homeland through Kat’s parents, Ray and Joan LaTournous, who were Homeland residents.

“Homeland holds such fond memories,” she said. “We know the care they give here is just marvelous. The staff is so special. They don’t just put the time in. They’re present and accounted for.”

Resident MJ Muro, who had been humming along with the tunes, said it “was just wonderful that they would come here.” She remembered dancing “many, many miles” with her late husband, James. “That was one of our favorite things and singing. We both were always singing with groups.”

The performance even attracted four generations of one family – Homeland resident Betty Dumas, and her daughter Donna Longnaker, granddaughter Michelle Laychock, and great-granddaughter Hannah Laychock. Hannah, a dancer herself, appreciated Tom’s dance performance. Betty has seen Kat & Tom before, “and the sooner, the better” for seeing them again. However, she admitted to not dancing much herself.

“The only dance I went to was my prom,” she said.