Resident Spotlight: Betty Lloyd cherishes her memories

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Betty Lloyd cherishes her memories!

Golf with friends. Bridge. Travel with family. Betty Lloyd has brought a lifetime of good memories to Homeland Center.

Homeland Center resident Betty Lloyd visits with her son, Greg. “Homeland has a lot of activities,” Betty says. “You can join them and do anything you want to pick from. I always enjoy talking to people.”

Betty came to Homeland in March 2015. Here, she follows politics and welcomes her son, Greg, when he visits from Providence, Rhode Island, every month.

Before Homeland, she lived in nearby Susquehanna Township, in the same home since 1961. From that house, one of the first in its development, Betty and her husband, Reese, built a life that revolved around the community. Greg spent summers at the neighborhood swim club. Betty played bridge with several groups. Reese worked selling specialized packaging tape and taping machinery to manufacturers.

“It was about finding interesting ways to use lots of tape,” says Greg.

When Greg was grown and moved to Portland, Oregon, Betty and Reese would make annual visits with stops at interesting sites along the way – New Orleans, the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, San Francisco, Hearst Castle. Often, they would golf as they traveled. Though golf was a big part of their life, Betty says she wasn’t very good at it.

“There were four couples, and we played together,” she says. “We enjoyed it. The men were good, but the women weren’t good. We went along just to make it easier for them to get out and golf.”

The Lloyds were also longtime members of Zion Lutheran Church in Penbrook, Pennsylvania. Betty worked with circles of women, helping with fundraising, clothing drives, or preparing meals for receptions.

“It’s a little church,” she says. “I still belong there.”

Betty’s room in Homeland is decorated with items recalling the life she shared with her late husband. An enameled ink pot recalls his World War II service with the U.S. Air Force in China. Two duck decoys came from his time woodcarving, which he took up in retirement.

In those years, Betty and Reese were active in the woodcarving community, visiting shows where he would buy tools and books of bird images published especially for woodcarvers. They also took field glasses to nature sanctuaries around Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay, for first-hand looks at migratory birds.

“He liked going out and watching the birds,” says Greg. “It was a good reason to get out and go to those places, and when the weather was bad, he would spend it in the workshop.”

“He did wonderful work,” recalls Betty. “He’d be in his workshop in the basement, and he could hear me starting to get our dinner in the evening, and then I could hear him putting his tools away. Even with his poor eyesight, he didn’t give it up for a long time. It was fascinating. I was glad he had a good hobby like that.”

Today, Betty enjoys her life at Homeland. She chats with fellow residents, follows political news, and votes regularly.

“Homeland has a lot of activities,” she says. “If you want to, you can join them and do anything you want to pick from. I always enjoy talking to people.”

Homeland Center residents start the summer with music and strawberry shortcake

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Everyone loves the signs of summer. Fresh strawberries. Flowers in bloom. Music in the air.

Residents Carol Sweigert, left, and Flora Jespersen enjoy Homeland’s “Signs of Summer” party.

Homeland Center residents and staff enjoyed them all as they welcomed the warm weather during the “Signs of Summer” gathering under the Chet Henry Memorial Pavilion.

Balloons and decorations in bright blues, greens, pinks, and yellows echoed the flowers blossoming in the adjoining Homeland Center garden. The David Winters Quartet played jazzy renditions of classic standards, from “Cheek to Cheek” to “Chattanooga Choo-Choo.”

The party, held the day after Memorial Day, kicked off a planned summer series of picnics. Organized by Homeland unit and floor, the events will help residents and as many guests as each cares to invite reminisce and relive the fun and food of classic picnics.

At the “Signs of Summer” event, resident Flora Jespersen took the hands of another resident to dance in the shade of the pavilion. On the pavilion’s fringes, resident Doris Coyne said she loved the delicious shortcake, “Especially the strawberries, they were very fresh.” She also appreciated the music from a combo she knows well.

“This is a band I used to dance to all the time,” she said. “I love that kind of music.”

Residents heard all their favorites played by the David Winters Quartet

Coyne likes Homeland’s “homey atmosphere, and the rapport between the residents and employees.” She also is a longtime Homeland Center volunteer, including more than term on the Board of Managers, the all-female board which organized the celebration and is responsible for ensuring that residents enjoy a good quality of life.

“The Board of Managers does such a good job here,” she said. “It’s so pleasant for the residents. They do programs. These things don’t happen overnight. The residents especially like this, to get outside.”

The Board of Managers organizes events fostering that “homey atmosphere,” said Board Chair Susan Batista.

“We’re essentially here to make sure the residents have a safe, secure, and homelike environment,” said Batista, as the party went on around her. “We try to make it as much as possible like their home as we can.”

Residents paired their strawberry shortcake with planter’s punch, a refreshing concoction of orange juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice, ginger ale, and a splash of Grenadine. Board of Managers Member Kelly Lick, serving the punch, said the board originally planned a May Day party, to help residents relive memories of circling the maypole on May 1, but spring-like weather wasn’t in the forecast that day.

After a cold, rainy spring, the weather gods “are smiling on us” for the summertime kick-off, Batista added.

“Oftentimes, we have parties inside,” she said. “It’s so nice to get everyone outside, especially in this gorgeous setting.”

Homeland’s summertime picnics make everyone smile, Batista said.

“It’s wonderful,” she said as guests applauded the band’s rendition of “Sunny Side of the Street.” “The families so appreciate it.”

Food truck rolls in with French fries and memories for Homeland Center residents

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Homeland Center resident Ray Caldwell remembers the joy of French fries on a warm night.

“As a kid, I’d go to local fairs in the street,” he said. “In the summertime, people had fairs, maybe a block fair or carnival. Fries were always one of the main items. It was a good way to satisfy your appetite.”

Caldwell and fellow Homeland residents relived those memories on a rainy Friday, when a French fry truck pulled into the parking lot. The event, inspired by residents and planned by caring staff and board members, dovetailed perfectly with Homeland’s philosophy of serving nutritional meals without depriving residents of tasty favorites.

The day originated when the Homeland Center residents council, including Caldwell, asked for French fries with their meals. Sadly, their wish couldn’t be accommodated because French fries lose their heat in the transfer from kitchen to dining rooms. But Board of Managers member Kelly Lick said she “put my thinking cap on.”

“How can we get French fries to the residents?” she said. “Fresh, hot, nice, crispy French fries.”

Lick contacted York-based Bricker’s Famous French Fries, and soon, truck wheels were turning. Homeland’s dietary and activities departments joined in, collaborating to bring residents a special treat.

“We have to work together for the residents,” said Asst. Dir. Of Nutritional Services Carmella Williams. A Homeland employee for 24 years, Williams said the residents keep her coming back.

“I can have a bad day, and I come in here, and they have smiles on their faces,” she said. “Having a conversation with them can change everything. It’s all about the residents.”

Homeland balances delicious, nutritional meals with treats that boost quality of life. Among the elderly, vibrant quality of life that averts complications like depression and overreliance on medications “always trumps the diet as far as making sure they have adequate fruits and vegetables,” said Director of Nutritional Services Yolanda Williams. Moderation is encouraged, but diets are rarely restrictive.

“If someone wants ice cream every day and it improves quality of life, that’s what they’re going to get,” Yolanda Williams said. “Besides, if you do everything you need to do health-wise and nutrition-wise to get to 85, why can’t you have what you want?”

When the Bricker’s truck arrived at Homeland, Plan A was to take residents outside for the delight of getting their fries straight from the fryer, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Instead, Lick and other board members ran out in the rain, piled servings of French fries and ketchup on trays, and brought the goodies inside.

Residents were delighted, accepting the fries with exclamations of “Wow!” and “Very good!”

Homeland residents are “absolute dolls,” said Lick. “If there’s something they like, I’m going to make sure they get it.” As for the mystique of French fries, she agreed with Caldwell that “they take you back, to memories of going to the beach and the boardwalk.”

The lunchtime treat confirmed Caldwell’s belief in Homeland as “a wonderful place.”

“It’s one of the nicest places you ever want to consider,” he said. “People go out of their way to be friendly.”

‘They just love people’: Homeland Center and Homeland Hospice volunteers honored

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When Ronald Brinkley visits Homeland Hospice patients, he believes he gets more out of the encounters than they do.

Maryann Smith and Tessy. who enthusiastically greets visitors to Homeland Center’s gift shop.

“It’s been a blessing and truly a privilege,” said Brinkley. “You get to know them well. Most of them are very gracious and thankful that somebody came to see them.”

Brinkley was among the volunteers honored at the Homeland Center and Homeland Hospice’s Annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet in April 2016. Dozens of volunteers filled the Homeland Center main dining room, decorated with pansy centerpieces and tiny stars sprinkled on the tablecloths.

Homeland Hospice Coordinator of Volunteers Leanne Porterfield thanked the volunteers by reciting the lyrics to “Seasons of Love,” from the Broadway musical, Rent which emphasizes the theme of all the friendship and love that can be measured in a year.

“I can’t think of a better thing to share with all of you, for all that you do for the seasons of life that our patients at Homeland Hospice and our residents are Homeland Center are going through,” Porterfield said.

Homeland Center Director of Skilled & Personal Care Activities, Ashley Bryan, revealed that Homeland Center CEO Barry Ramper challenged her to increase volunteerism by 10 percent, and it rose by 15 percent.

“That’s all thanks to you, and it’s a benefit to our residents,” she said.

All volunteers received gifts reflecting their time in service, while individuals honored were Jeanne Shellman, most gift shop hours at Homeland Center; Kelly Lick, most hours by Board member; Tierra Meade, most companion hours at Homeland Center; Ronald Brinkley, most patient hours at Homeland Hospice; and Sherry Lank, most administrative hours at Homeland Hospice.

“Homeland Center and Homeland Hospice volunteers are part of the foundation which enables our organization to provide consistent high quality outcomes to our patients and residents,” said Ramper. “Our volunteers are the best. We very much appreciate their heartfelt commitment.”

Meade was recognized for cheerfully helping Homeland Center residents one-on-one and wherever needed. “The residents put a smile on my face,” she said, “they keep me laughing.”

One Homeland Center volunteer who didn’t get a gift but received plenty of attention was gift shop greeter Tessy, a 9-year-old teacup Yorkshire terrier wearing a sparkly green dress. She came to the dinner with her owner,  Maryann Smith.

“If someone is distraught, she listens to their problems and gives them a kiss,” Smith said. “If they’re in a wheelchair, I put her in their lap. They pet her and talk to her. She’s very patient with them all.”

Homeland Hospice volunteer Brinkley enjoys conversing and getting to know the needs of patients. His wife, Brenda Brinkley, also is a Homeland Hospice volunteer and was a longtime member of Homeland Center’s Board of Managers. They both had relatives who lived in Homeland Center, including Brenda’s mother, who celebrated her 100th birthday in the Homeland Center diner.

“They do a good job of taking care of the people,” Brenda said.

Homeland Hospice staff is “the most special group, the most caring,” Ronald added. “They just love people, and I just love being around them.”

Homeland residents, separate but together, keep their love alive

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On the rainy day when Don and Lorraine Englander first met, he was whistling “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.”

Don and Lorraine Englander

That was around 1978, and it has been their song ever since.

Today, the Englanders live in separate Homeland wings but they get together every day to talk, laugh, watch TV, and share meals. And they still share all their favorite love songs with each other and with fellow Homeland residents.

Don is an accomplished, lifelong singer and keyboardist who has performed with combos throughout Central Pennsylvania. On Valentine’s Day, he presented a program at Homeland, performing from a playlist of the Sinatra standards that he and his Homeland neighbors love – “Fly Me to the Moon,” “You Make Me Feel So Young,” “My Funny Valentine.”

While Don performs, Lorraine is at his side. Though his eyesight has deteriorated, he can still play his Yamaha keyboard because he taught Lorraine – who readily admits she “can’t carry a tune in a bucket” – to program the songs.

From Don’s cozy room, Lorraine recalls how she came to Homeland first, from their home on Reeser’s Summit, outside of New Cumberland, where they loved watching storms roll in over the valley. Don followed about a year later to join her.

“I wanted to come here,” he says.

“Because I was here,” Lorraine adds.

The Englanders met on that rainy day when Lorraine was a secretary at a YMCA, and Don dropped by on business. They married in 1979 in a Las Vegas service performed by a minister wearing an enormous beehive hairdo. They raised a blended family of six children and loved traveling together. A map on the wall is pinned with dozens of places they’ve seen in the U.S., Central America, and Europe.

Don is a World War II infantry and Rome Area Command veteran. From a hospital bed in Rome while he recuperated from wounds, he witnessed the last major eruption of Mount Vesuvius, in 1944.

“That’s something to see,” he says now.

At Homeland, they attend programs together. Lorraine enjoys “Sports Talk with Herm” twice a month. They also get out to see shows in local theaters, Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra concerts at The Forum, baseball games, and tours of Hershey Chocolate World.

“We just enjoy being together,” says Don.

Homeland’s flexibility has helped them stay and dine together despite their residences in separate wings, the Englanders agree. Lorraine is a familiar figure in every corner of Homeland, getting around via a motorized wheelchair with a sign on the back that says, “I traded in this Chevy for a Mercedes-Benz.”

When Lorraine arrived at Homeland, health issues meant that she could barely sit up. She was, she says, “in very bad shape.”

“Now look at me,” she says. “They have been wonderful to me, from the top person to the bottom person. The kitchen, the maintenance, they’re all wonderful. And my aides, they’re great. I love the people. Everyone’s been wonderful.”

Homeland Center’s Kings and Queens of Hearts warm a February day

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In their 67 years of marriage, Flora and Jeff Jespersen have discovered a thing or two about lasting relationships.

Flora and Jeff Jespersen were elected as this year’s Homeland Center King and Queen of Hearts in a tradition dating back several years.

“It takes a little bit of tolerance for each other,” said Jeff Jespersen.

The Jespersens also enjoy the unexpected, and for Valentine’s Day, they got a real surprise – their election as a Homeland King and Queen of Hearts.

In a tradition dating back several years, Homeland residents circulate paper hearts and collect signatures from their neighbors, seeking votes to win the King or Queen of Hearts crowns for their units.

The Jespersens were crowned for the Personal Care Unit. Other winners were King Dale Williams and Queen Laura Buchanon, first-floor skilled nursing; King Michael Fludovich and Queen Wanda Berger, Ellenberger Unit; and King Leslie Kauffman and Queen Polly, second-floor skilled nursing.

Residents enjoy collecting signatures and interacting, said Director of Skilled and Personal Care Activities Ashley Bryan.

“The winners always have a big smile,” she said. “It’s a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, which is all about spreading a little love.”

Though Flora Jespersen looked pretty in her tiara and red cape, she was modest and egalitarian about her elevation to royalty.

“There should be no reason that we’re any more queen than anybody else,” she said.

The coronations capped a Valentine’s Day social, where about 60 Homeland Center residents – many of them dressed in red — ate heart-shaped cookies and drank fruit punch. They also enjoyed classic love songs sung and performed on keyboard by Tom Edmunds, smoothly singing everything from “Unforgettable” to “Try a Little Tenderness.”

Betty Ludwig is a second-generation resident who chose Homeland as the best place for her mother and then came to stay herself because “they were very good to her.” Wearing a pink shirt decorated with a white felt heart provided by Homeland staff, she said she attends any event featuring music. She grew up playing piano and flute, and her mother played the piano at home every night.

“If there’s going to be music, I’m going to be there,” she said. “It’s wonderful. Really enjoyable. Very few people will turn down good music.”

Ludwig was chatting with resident Vivian Black, who stays active by attending social events and helping tend Homeland’s library.

“I come to most of their musical things because I don’t like to be alone, and if you stay in your room, you’re alone,” she said.

Resident Marie Smith relived memories of being a Queen of Hearts two years ago.

“I have my crown, and I have a bracelet they gave me,” she said. “It’s all rhinestones. It looks like diamonds on your arm.”

Julia Douden attended the program and saw her dad, Leslie Kauffman, anointed a King of Hearts.

“I like the good music,” said Kauffman. It made him think of Valentine’s Days from “way past.”

Douden said her dad enjoys Homeland’s programs, and she loves them, too.

“It’s a break in the normal day,” she said. “It’s exciting. I saw a smile.”