Archive for category: Homeland Center News

As Homeland Center celebrates a year marked by glowing state inspections and the ability to provide increased benevolent care, the kudos came with a word of caution.

“The foundation of our future success is to provide consistent quality for residents and patients who have entrusted the end of their lives to use,” said Barry S. Ramper II, President and CEO.

In the highly regulated health care field, few organizations reach Homeland’s level of quality, said President and CEO Barry S. Ramper II during the recently held annual meeting of the center’s boards of Trustees and Managers. He warned, however, that today’s success is not simply guaranteed tomorrow.

“The only way success will happen in the future is if we make it happen,’’ Ramper said. “The foundation of our future success is to provide consistent quality for residents and patients who have entrusted the end of their lives to us.’’

Homeland Hospice, which earlier this year started Central Pennsylvania’s only dedicated pediatric hospice program, continues to grow and receive superior quality assurance reports that set it apart from its peers.

“We have an unbelievably good staff that works with families,’’ Ramper said of Homeland Hopsice. “They provide a service that is almost broaching what most would believe to be impossible to do.’’

In keeping with its mission to help those in need, Homeland Center provided $3.3 million in benevolent care for residents, a 32 percent increase. The money benefits residents whose true cost of care is not covered by medical assistance and residents who have exhausted all of their assets.

“Our residents and patients are receiving a quality of care that sets us apart from other facilities,” said Peggy Purdy, Chairwoman of the Board of Managers.

To ensure that Homeland’s tradition of never asking a resident to leave because of financial reasons endures, Homeland is in the second year of its goal to increase its endowment by $20 million by the year 2020. As part of this goal, Homeland established The 1867 Society to recognize individuals and couples who have made significant, tax-deductible commitments to the endowment.  Charitable annuities, trusts, bequests, gifts of life insurance and real estate are among the donations that can support Homeland.

Earlier this year, 60 charter members were recognized in a ceremony unveiling The 1867 Society Wall of Honor, a digital display set in an attractive wood frame located in Homeland’s Sixth Street lobby. In addition to recognizing members who make significant donations, the display shows many of Homeland’s features.

Ramper pointed to two key elements of Homeland Center’s success: Certified Nursing Assistants and other front-line staff who give their all every day and a focus on lessons learned from the hospitality industry.

“I have researched Hilton, Marriott and others because in reality healthcare is a service organization,’’ he said. “There is no reason why our entire health care system cannot take what has been

learned in the hospitality industry and apply it.’’

“Together, we move forward with confidence and to sustain and build on our legacy established 148 years ago,” said Morton Spector, Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

It’s an approach that is clearly working: For the fourth year in a row, a poll of Harrisburg Magazine’s more than 30,000

readers resulted in Homeland Center being selected as the Readers’ Choice for Best Long-Term Care Facility. Homeland is also named as one of the nation’s best nursing homes by U.S. News & World Report and continues to be one of the few facilities in the region to receive Medicare’s top five-star rating.

“The quality assurance reports for Homeland Center and Homeland Hospice continue to show our residents and patients are receiving a quality of care that sets us apart from other facilities,’’ said Peggy Purdy, Chairwoman of the Board of Managers.

Purdy noted that Homeland’s historical contribution to the Harrisburg area was recognized this year by the Open Stage of Harrisburg in its performance of “Stories from Home: People Who Care.” In addition to looking at Homeland Center’s founding after the Civil War to care for widows and orphans, actors interviewed eight residents and portrayed their stories as monologues.

Morton Spector, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, echoed Ramper in saying Homeland cannot afford to lose focus.

“We will be dramatically affected by changes in governmental funding, the Affordable Healthcare Act, the demands of the boomer generation and yet unknown factors, Spector said.

“But Homeland has demonstrated that it does not falter from such challenges and does not waiver from its commitment to provide the highest quality of care in the most appropriate setting available,’’ he said. “Together, we move forward with confidence and to sustain and build on our legacy established 148 years ago.’’

New Members to the Board of Trustees:

• Brice Arndt, DDS
• Mrs. Sally Klein
• Mrs. Karen F.  Snider

New Members to the Board of Managers:

• Ms. Gail Holland
• Ms. Deborah Brinser McDivitt
• Mrs. Catherine N. Rauth
• Mrs. Sue Shebosky
• Mrs. Sherry Stout

Returning to the Board of Managers:

• Mrs. Babs Phillips
• Ms. Barbara Cleeland

Since 1986, Open Stage of Harrisburg has given theatrical life to stories of love, memory, conflict, and courage.

Resident Gloria Jackson says she is pleased every day to see her son Albert, who is one of Homeland’s well-known community receptionists.

Since 1867, Homeland Center has provided shelter, care, and dignity for people with stories of their own to tell.

So it was only natural that these two highly regarded institutions join forces. For the 2015 production of “Stories from Home: People Who Care,” Open Stage turned to Homeland for true stories demonstrating how a community cares for those who can’t care for themselves.

“Stories from Home: People Who Care” is the fourth and final production in Open Stage’s series on how the people of Harrisburg have shaped its character and its neighborhoods. Homeland’s storied history made it an ideal subject – the tale of 18 women who, after the Civil War, raised money, donated land, worked with nine churches, and enlisted businessmen to help create a home for the many destitute widows and orphans in their midst.

“They made it happen,” says Open Stage Education Director Anne Alsedek.

Today, Homeland has grown into a continuing care community offering skilled care, personal care, a specialized dementia unit, and short-term rehabilitation. No resident whose resources are depleted has ever been asked to leave. Still, Homeland remains rooted at the spot where “The Home for the Friendless” was founded in 1867.

“It’s extraordinary,” says Alsedek. “The culture there, the environment, the atmosphere is extraordinary. All the residents can talk about is how well cared for they are and how well treated they are. They’re given freedom. They’re given autonomy. They’re quite content there. The whole place was founded on extraordinarily humane principles, and those principles have been maintained for almost 150 years.”

For “Stories from Home,” Open Stage actors interviewed eight Homeland residents and wrote their stories as monologues. One resident, Geoffrey Davenport, was born in Harrisburg to the family that owned the fondly remembered Davenport’s Restaurants. He enjoyed sharing his story with Open Stage actor Joseph Osborne, telling of his years as a restless young man who was angry until a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis finally explained why his body wouldn’t behave in a way that felt normal.

“I’m in a good place, and the people are good to me,” says resident Geoffrey Davenport.

“You would tell me something about your life and I wanted to be that way with my life, and it wasn’t that way and I didn’t know why,” said Osborne as his Davenport persona.

After years of working in restaurants and hotels, Davenport returned to Harrisburg. In 2014, he came to Homeland, where staff is attentive, the food is good, and “the right people are in the right jobs.”

“I’m okay now,” Davenport says. “I’m in a good place, and people are good to me.”

Another resident, Gloria Jackson, told actor Jennette Harrison of her life as an athletic young woman who grew up to be the mother of seven children. The diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan worked as a nursing assistant in a retirement community, making sure that younger staff took good care of residents.

After suffering a stroke, Jackson moved to an area retirement community but didn’t like it there. She moved to Homeland, where she is pleased every day to see her son Albert, who is one of Homeland’s well-known community receptionists.

“I love it,” said Harrison in her portrayal of Jackson. “I have peace of mind.”

Homeland was the perfect centerpiece for “Stories from Home” and its discussions about a community’s responsibility to care for its members.

“Homeland is about respect for other people,” says Alsedek. “It’s a model of how you are your brother’s keeper, or your sister’s keeper. You just treat people with dignity.”

Marianna Bjurstrom doesn’t let severe arthritis keep her from enjoying the day trips and activities that Homeland has to offer. Her rehabilitation services have helped her retain as much mobility as possible and even taught her to use a power wheelchair.

“I don’t want to be a couch potato,” she says.

Homeland resident Marianna Bjurstrom and Occupational Therapist Manager Margaret McCabe.

Homeland partners with Genesis Rehab Services, a national provider, to offer rehab for Homeland guests. They may be long-term residents, or they may choose Homeland for rehab stays of a few days or weeks while recovering from a hospital visit or injury. Some are Homeland Hospice patients and receive rehab services in their home.

All get the same level of quality service that’s infused into the spirit of Homeland.

Genesis staff members include physical, occupational, and speech and language therapists, all skilled and educated in their areas of expertise. They work as a team with Homeland’s nurses and social services, including nurses and social services, taking a holistic approach to the needs of every patient, says Sherrie Knaster, area director for Genesis Rehab.

Help with a variety of conditions

Patients come to rehab for a variety of reasons, whether they’re suffering from the effects of a fall, trying to maintain cognitive abilities in the face of dementia, or recovering from surgery. No matter the reason, the rehab team focuses on every aspect of the patient’s circumstances.

“Is there a medical condition that’s changed?” says Knaster. “From a patient point of view, what is their mobility? What’s their balance? What’s their strength? We also look at it from an occupational point of view, how are they interacting with their environment, to make sure they’re getting all their daily activities accomplished in a safe way?”

In all cases, “the patient comes first,” says Knaster. Families are included in every step, while patients themselves set the goals meant to get them to the next level.

Knaster recalled one patient who came to rehab through Homeland Hospice. Genesis provided services in the home, working toward the goal of helping the patient get out of bed and join the family in the living room on Christmas Day – a goal that was achieved.

“When you keep things patient-centered and you listen to their goals, then you get the outcomes you want,” says Knaster.

Improving quality of life

Rehab services have helped Homeland resident Veronica Stibitz manage the effects of conditions that include scleroderma, a condition that can affect the skin and internal organs. A heat lamp and massage make her hands feel better. After emerging from a period when she was bedridden, her therapists helped her recover her balance.

“They’re encouraging, and they’re people persons,” says Stibitz. “They don’t push their patients so we feel uncomfortable. You feel very relaxed.”

Even when she has reached her goals, there are reviews and checks to “help you get back and make sure you’re okay,” says Stibitz.

Much of the work of rehab is about maintenance of abilities, especially in the case of patients with dementia, which, as Knaster notes, is a disease process that robs patients of the ability to accomplish everyday tasks.

“We look at how we can keep that person — who might deny having cognitive changes — engaged so they can stay well and do the daily activities that we take for granted,” she says.

“Your therapy, your way”

The rehab team can conduct home evaluations, to assess environment and safety for patients returning to their homes. It’s all part of providing “your therapy, your way,” says Occupational Therapist Program Manager Margaret McCabe.

Patients receive services in their rooms or in the cheery rehab space that opens to a Homeland garden. McCabe once took a cervical collar to a patient’s home, and “they thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.”

“It was such a simple fix, but it was huge for them,” she says.

Bjurstrom participates in therapy to keep her stiffened joints moving, while her Pronto power wheelchair propels her around Homeland and on trips. The therapy team helped her acquire the donated chair and provided three weeks of training in its safe use.

“It’s kind of like driving a car,” says Bjurstrom. “You have to be on the lookout for people coming and going, and you have to be able to keep going in the right direction and not roll over people’s toes.”

The longstanding relationship between Homeland and Genesis Rehab Services is built on the strengths of each, says Knaster – Homeland’s service-oriented philosophy, and Genesis’ extensive network that assures a free flow of ideas and up-to-date services.

“If you partner with the right people, then you can use their experience and do what you need to do to have the best outcome,” says Knaster.

Bjurstrom enjoys working with her therapists, who are all “very nice and always willing to help.”

“Their hearts are all in it,” she says. “I’m glad I’m here. I really am.”