Tara Roland and the Homeland Center’s housekeeping team often hear the same thing from the families of residents: “Thanks for taking care of my mom. You have my mom’s room looking like home.”
As a housekeeping supervisor, Tara ensures the Homeland environment remains clean, neat, and organized for residents, visitors, and staff.
“On our behalf, that lets us know we’re keeping up with the facility,” said Tara, a housekeeping supervisor. “The same thing I do at home to keep things neat and clean, I do here.”
Tara grew up in Harrisburg, not far from Homeland, with her three siblings and their mother, who worked for a dry cleaner until she retired. Tara attended Harrisburg city schools and graduated in 1998 from John Harris High School.
One of the most memorable days of her life came in summer 2000, when she learned she got the job at Homeland – and her doctor told her she was pregnant.
“That was a good day,” she said with a laugh. “I will never forget that day.”
Tara started her Homeland career in dietary before switching to housekeeping. She has worked all around Homeland and, today, is primarily in Ellenberger memory care.
Tara lives with family just a block from Homeland, saying she’s blessed to have found a newly built home in the revitalizing Sixth Street corridor. From the spring through the fall, she and an older brother take long walks in Harrisburg’s Riverfront Park, enjoying views of the Susquehanna River while getting in their daily steps.
“We get about six miles in,” she said. “He says, ‘Tara, you probably got 10,000 steps in at work.’”
Her sons, ages 25 and 20, work for Amazon. When she walks in the door at the end of her workday, she especially loves hearing her 2-year-old granddaughter, Aunystee, saying “Grandmom!”
“She’s so precious,” she said. “She likes to help me with the dishes, wash clothes, cook, and vacuum. She’s a big helper.”
At Homeland, Tara calls herself a “jack of all trades,” starting her days helping dietary staff set up for breakfast and lunch.
Homeland is all about teamwork, she said. If a resident’s room needs something beyond housekeeping’s scope, a call to maintenance gets it done. Homeland’s housekeeping staff can also be eyes and ears, on alert for changes in a resident’s behavior or demeanor that could signal a problem needing attention.
The Homeland team is “like a big family,” she said. When Tara’s second son was born prematurely, the Homeland administration and staff stepped up to help.
“I didn’t have to buy anything for a whole year for that child,” Tara said. “They bought me a crib, clothes, everything. That was a blessing. Homeland helps overall. It’s an awesome place to be.”
