Homeland Creates a Culture of Teamwork and Fun

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homeland staff playing cornholeOver the years, Homeland has learned that bringing together a talented group of professionals working toward a shared mission results in a successful workplace. Providing opportunities for employees to get to know each other outside of their job duties builds a team and creates a culture of compassion and friendship. The staff at Homeland strives to create an engaging culture where employees have fun through volunteering and spending time together.

In April 2021, the directors and assistant directors of Homeland Hospice, Homeland HomeCare and Homeland HomeHealth formed the FUN Committee as a way for employees to take a break from the stress and demands of their jobs, which has dramatically increased since COVID-19 hit the region. The concept was to provide staff opportunities to participate in activities on a monthly basis.

“Many staff members work entirely in the field,” Laurie Murry, volunteer coordinator for Homeland Hospice says. “These activities have given us a chance to get to know our coworkers we rarely see during the workday.”

Laurie has taken the lead in organizing and implementing the activities. The first step was to survey staff to hear what types of activities piqued their interest as well as what the activities should be named. The staff voted to give back to help others as well as connect in different geographic areas throughout Homeland’s vast footprint. As for the winning name; “Staffivities!” won the day.

homeland staff volunteering at the food bankThis summer, staff held a corn hole tournament with food trucks. Staff members who didn’t know one another were paired together to play in the tournament. Since then, Homeland staff members have volunteered at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and collected coats for children in need living in Cumberland and Perry counties through the Warm the Children program.

To celebrate the holiday season, the staff held a cookie exchange and an office door-decorating contest. The team also helped make the holidays brighter for local children by providing gifts for children in need through a program led by Silence of Mary. This has been a Homeland tradition for many years. This year, the program expanded to include all of Homeland’s outreach programs.

Most recently, Homeland staff participated in a deeply personal and heartfelt project in honor of their coworker and beloved friend Chaplain Mark Harris who passed away this fall. The staff purchased 11 wreaths through the Wreaths Across America program, which were placed at the Dauphin County Cemetery on December 17. To know Mark was to love and respect him for his deep well of compassion. Mark served Homeland Hospice as a spiritual counselor. As a former navy corpsman, Mark was involved in Homeland’s We Honor Veterans program, which recognizes the bravery and sacrifice of veterans during their time in hospice.

homeland participates in wreaths across america“Our staff members have big hearts,” Kris Crockett, RN, BSN, CHPN, and Director of of Homeland Hospice said. “Working together to give back to the community has helped us create stronger bonds as coworkers.”

Homeland Hospice, Homeland HomeCare and Homeland HomeHealth are outreach programs of Homeland Center to provide a continuum of care for patients and families in need.

For more information about Homeland at Home services, contact us at (717) 857-7400.

Homeland Participates in Wreaths Across America Day

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hanging a wreath to honor veterans

Every day, hundreds of people drive by the Dauphin County Cemetery, also known as a potter’s field, not knowing the importance of this humble site or the stories of the people buried there. A simple stone with the words “Every life has a story” marks the entrance to the cemetery. For Homeland Hospice these five words represent the dignity each life deserves. Homeland Hospice is a hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania.

The Dauphin County Cemetery serves as the final resting place for more than 800 unclaimed remains. World War II Navy Veteran Frank Bakanus, Jr., from Derry Township is buried here. He is the only known veteran who has been identified and given a veteran marker on his grave.

On December 17, Frank and all of the unidentified veterans interred at the cemetery were remembered for their service during a wreath-laying ceremony. Homeland Hospice volunteers and staff placed ceremonial wreaths and flags representing each branch of the military, soldiers missing in action and prisoners of war on the fence outlining the cemetery. Individual wreaths were placed throughout the cemetery. It has become a beloved tradition to place a special wreath on Frank’s grave marker.

homeland honors america's veterans with wreaths“Everyone buried here was someone’s son or daughter,” Laurie Murry, volunteer coordinator for Homeland Hospice says. “It’s our privilege to honor their memory and sacrifice.”

For the past several years Homeland Hospice has partnered with the Dauphin County Coroner’s Office in the National Wreaths Across America Day held in December. Through the program, wreath-laying ceremonies are held at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as more than 2,500 locations in all 50 states, at sea and abroad.

Suzanne Sheaffer with the Dauphin County Coroner’s Office serves as the coordinator for the program. She launched the Wreaths Across America Day project at the cemetery several years ago after visiting the site and noticing Frank’s grave marker. As a Gold Star mother, this project has a special place in her heart.

“I think about the sacrifice each veteran has made for our country,” Suzanne says. “On this special day, we bring something amazing to this humble site in their honor.”

The team at Homeland Hospice selected the Dauphin County Cemetery because of its similar mission and history with Homeland. One of the earliest markers at the cemetery is dated July 20, 1870. It began and remains a final resting place for individuals who have nowhere else to go.

Homeland’s story begins during the aftermath of the Civil War. Battlefield casualties were not the only human losses of that conflict, as soldiers’ wives, widows, and parents struggled to provide for dependent family members without the support of dead and disabled husbands and sons. Representatives from nine churches concluded safe shelter for women and children was needed. The “Society for the Home for the Friendless” was formally chartered in May of 1867.

grave reading 'every life has a story'As Homeland celebrates its 155th anniversary next year, the organization’s commitment to our region’s must vulnerable residents continues. Through Wreaths Across America, Homeland honors and remembers the dignity and beauty each life brings to our community.

“Homeland staff and volunteers help make the cemetery look beautiful for the holidays,” Suzanne says. “It is a pleasure to partner with the Homeland team.”

Homeland Hospice is a hospice program that serves 14 communities throughout Central Pennsylvania by providing end-of-life care either in a person’s home or wherever they reside, including nursing facilities. Homeland also provides bereavement support to families for a full 13 months following the death of their loved one. This service is available to anyone in the community who is experiencing grief.

To learn more, please contact at Homeland Hospice at (717) 221-7890.

Telling the Story of One’s Life: Homeland Hospice Launches My Life, My Legacy Program

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homeland helps their patients tell their storiesWe all have a story to tell filled with memories and experiences of our life. Like a good book, our story is cataloged into chapters, with recollections of our childhood, youthful dreams, careers and families of our own. These memories can fade quickly with the passage of time. To honor and preserve the story of one’s life, Homeland Hospice has launched the My Life, My Legacy program for hospice patients and their families. Homeland Hospice is a nonprofit hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania.

Through the My Life, My Legacy program a hospice volunteer meets personally with the each patient and their family to ask questions about the patient’s life. Over a series of visits, the volunteer records the responses and allows the family to add their thoughts and recollections, as well as photographs. The end result is a printed book for the patient to help him/her find peace, and pride in his/her life story. The book also helps families preserve memories after their loved one dies.

“Each story is distinctive based on the patient,” says Laurie Murry, Volunteer Coordinator for Homeland Hospice. “We focus on the topics that interest them most.”

The concept for the program originated with an existing component of a patient’s end-of-life journey. Each patient goes through an informal “life review” with a volunteer, which helps the Homeland team best serve a patient’s individual needs.

Homeland Hospice volunteers and staff believed the life review process could be enhanced to better tell a patient’s story.

“Our volunteers guided the creation of the program,” Laurie adds. “Their insight has been invaluable.”

For Carol Wambach and her family, the My Life, My Legacy program has provided insight into her father’s life, especially his childhood memories. Carol’s father, James Pagano, receives care from Homeland Hospice for Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and heart failure. While James struggles with short-term memory loss, he vividly remembers his parents, family and friends growing up in Rutherford Heights on the outskirts of Harrisburg.

In his book, James also shares fond memories of his wife of 73 years and his four children, as well as his passion for gardening.

“My siblings and I helped with the book,” Carol says. “We added some questions around topics important to our father.”

With James’ book completed, Carol has made copies for her sibling and the grandchildren in the family.

“Memories can fade over time, but we will always have this book about our father,” Carol adds. “It has brought our entire family comfort.”

When Sharon Reed’s mother was approached about the program, she eagerly accepted and looked forward to her time with Glen Dunbar, the volunteer from Homeland.

“My mother greatly enjoyed her time with Mr. Dunbar from Homeland Hospice. His questions and life legacy topics provided wonderful memories and even insightful information to us,” Sharon says.

Sharon’s mother was fortunate to have full control of her faculties up until the last few days before her death. Her vivid memory provided wonderful content for her book, which was completed and delivered the day she died.

“We displayed the book at my mother’s funeral,” Sharon adds. “It was a lovely way that day to share such special information and photos. We still turn to Mr. Dunbar’s book as a happy remembrance of my Mom.”

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Homeland Hospice is a hospice program that serves 14 communities throughout Central Pennsylvania by providing end-of-life care either in a person’s home or wherever they reside, including nursing facilities. Homeland also provides bereavement support to families for a full 13 months following the death of their loved one. This service is available to anyone in the community who is experiencing grief.

For more information about the My Life, My Legacy program, call Laurie Murry at (717) 221-7890.

Finding Creative Methods for Channeling Grief: Meet Amy Zecha

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amy zecha with a pillow she sewedWith a stitch of a needle or stroke of a paintbrush, Amy Zecha of Harrisburg is finding creative methods for channeling her grief following the death of her mother Angelyn. With the help of Homeland Hospice’s bereavement program, Amy has found productive ways to discuss her grief and reconnect with art and crafts, which she has always loved. Homeland Hospice is a nonprofit hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania.

In April, Amy connected with Homeland Hospice when her mother was in the final stages of her battle with kidney disease. As her illness progressed, Amy knew they needed the extra care and support only a hospice program could provide.

“From the beginning, the Homeland team listened to my mother’s needs,” Amy says. “Being seen and heard during this challenging time was so important to my mom.”

At the time, Angelyn was living at Bethany Village in Mechanicsburg. Homeland’s hospice services are available any place an individual calls home. The Homeland team worked with the staff at Bethany Village to provide comprehensive care for Angelyn, which brought Amy comfort during a difficult time.

Following the death of her mother, Amy began bereavement counseling with Noelle Valentine, MSW, LSW, lead bereavement counselor for Homeland Hospice. Working with a counselor who specializes in helping people deal with grief, helped Amy in ways she never imagined.

“While I was grieving the loss of my mother, I realized I had unresolved grief over the death of my brother,” Amy says. “Counseling lifted a weight off of my shoulders.”

Homeland Hospice provides bereavement support through phone calls, mailings, one-on-one consultations and support groups up to 13 months after the death of a loved one. Support groups offer self-awareness, healing, helping others, a sense of community and coping skills. Bereavement support is available to the bereaved of Homeland’s patients as well as anyone in the community who is experiencing grief.

paintings and drawings by amy zechaAs the weight of grief lifted for Amy, her creativity returned. Amy has begun painting, drawing, sewing and knitting again. Her mother taught her many of these skills and encouraged her to pursue them as a child.

“Over the past few years, I didn’t have energy to focus on my creative pursuits,” Amy adds. “I’m productive again and enjoying every minute of it.”

Amy’s creations include funny paintings and greeting cards with puns, which remind her of the wonderful sense of humor shared by both her mother and brother.

This fall, Amy became a Homeland Hospice volunteer. She is creating memory pillows for families who have lost loved ones. The pillows are frequently made of articles of clothing worn by the deceased family member. Amy’s first memory pillow was created for a woman who recently lost her husband. The pillow is made from his ties.

“Sewing meant so much to my mother,” Amy says. “I am so happy I can help others while using a skill she taught me.”

To learn more, please contact Homeland Hospice at (717) 221-7890.

Kindness and End of Life

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elderly patient in end of life care

World Kindness Day, celebrated annually on November 13, promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. It is a reminder that compassion for others is what binds us all together.

When working with patients through their end-of-life journey, compassionate guides and partners are vital. Having an experienced team comprised of nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains, bereavement counselors and volunteers can make the journey more comfortable, less frightening, and provide an opportunity to learn how to embrace life while preparing to die. Sprinkle the knowledge and experience that hospice has to offer with a generous amount of kindness and patients and their loved ones will feel sustained during a time of great need.

Hospice kindness involves staff …

  • Slowing down and taking time with someone to provide thoughtful listening, and in many cases, merely sitting in silence with the patient.
  • Helping patients explore spiritual frustrations, loss of hope, and questions of value, worth, and meaning, and encouraging and assisting in life review, a process that allows patients to understand and affirm that past actions were good and justifiable and that they had worth.
  • Providing reassurance to alleviate fears of pain, suffering and loneliness.
  • Conversations that lead to an understanding of the person, not simply of the disease.

Homeland Hospice is proud to practice this every day with our hospice patients and their families,  ensuring each person in our care is treated with respect and kindness.