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A Decade of Dedication: Meet Tera and Alice

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One of the most precious commodities we have in life is time. During an average week, we give 40 hours or more of our valuable time to our job. The fortunate are able to combine their career with their passions and interests. The blessed hear a calling to non-profit-based work, and find gratification in being able to stop counting hours and start changing lives.

Alice Kirchner, Strategic Planning and Special Projects for Homeland Center and Homeland at Home, and Tera Quarcco, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) for Homeland Hospice, are two such individuals whose paths have led them to fulfill a calling to support the compassionate work of Homeland. Alice and Tera have each worked for Homeland for more than 10 years.

As a CNA, Tera is part of the Homeland Hospice team providing direct care so patients and their families can make the most of their time together. Homeland Hospice is a hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania.

Tera believes her work is a true calling and cherishes the bonds she has formed with patients and families.

“Every patient has a special place in my heart,” Tera says. “It’s a privilege to help families find comfort and peace during an end-of-life journey.”

Like Tera, Alice felt a calling to this mission. After she retired in 2009 from a career with IBM, Alice became a hospice volunteer. At the time, Homeland Hospice was a newly formed outreach program of Homeland Center. She immediately loved the patients, families and staff. After two years, Alice was hired part-time as a bereavement coordinator.

“This is where I wanted to be,” Alice says. “My heart was dedicated to the work of hospice.”

Alice studied thanatology to understand the spiritual, social and human behavior aspects of end-of-life care. This education, along with her experience in strategic planning, led her to her current role with Homeland Hospice and Homeland Center six years ago. Today, Alice is working to ensure Homeland serves the needs of the community for the next 150 years.

“Everything I have ever done in my career has led me to where I am at Homeland,” Alice adds. “I love this work.”

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.

For Love of Country: Retired Chief Petty Officer and Corpsman John Keeney

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Retired Chief Petty Officer and Corpsman John Keeney died on August 4, 2019. On July 24, 2019, Homeland Hospice honored John for his remarkable courage and sacrifice for our country. We share this article to honor John’s legacy.

“When I returned from active duty in Vietnam, I was greeted by protesters in San Francisco,” retired Chief Petty Officer and Corpsman John Keeney recalled. “I’ve held on to that hurt until today.”

On July 24, 2019, Homeland Hospice along with the Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Harrisburg, Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) and local retired Chief Petty Officers recognized John with a special pinning ceremony for his remarkable valor and allegiance to our country. Homeland Hospice is a hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania.

Retired Chief Petty Officer and Corpsman John Keeney and Co.

At the time of the ceremony, John was a resident of Harmony at West Shore in Mechanicsburg. In addition to active and retired military officers, John’s family, residents of Harmony and members of the community gathered to honor him for his selfless acts of courage during some of the darkest hours in our country’s history.

As a Navy corpsman, John provided medical support to sailors and Marines in combat during his tour in the Korean War and two tours in the Vietnam War. As a sign of respect, the Marines address corpsman as “Doc.” A distinguished few are known as “Devil Doc” for their proven valor in battle. John was a Devil Doc.

At the pinning ceremony, Command Chief Christian Jimenez, NOSC Harrisburg, presented John with a Navy anchor pin insignia and named him honorary member of the master chiefs association.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your service,” Jimenez said. “You are what we all aspire to become.”

At the close of the ceremony, Chaplain Mark P. Harris, M.A., M.Div., Spiritual Counselor at Homeland Hospice, led military members in a salute to John. Mark also retired from the United States Navy as a corpsman and has a special place in his heart for his fellow “Docs.”

For Love of Country: Retired Chief Petty Officer and Corpsman John Keeney

“John lived the words ‘country first,’” Marks said. “Despite the challenges of combat, he was a humble servant to our nation up until his last day.”

During his tours of duty in Vietnam, John was responsible for completing the necessary paperwork to ensure qualified sailors and Marines received their Purple Heart Medals. He put his comrades first and turned down two Purple Heart Medals because he felt others were more deserving.

Eleven days following the pinning ceremony, John died.

“I spent time with John several days after the ceremony,” Mark adds. “He felt at peace with himself and the world around him. It was an honor to know him.”

Homeland honors all who served through its We Honor Veterans program, created by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The program works to improve the quality of health care for all veterans. Homeland Hospice has been part of the program for seven years.

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

From Caregivers to Friends: The Big Four

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Friends are like four-leaf clovers: Hard to find, but lucky to have

It started with a song and ended with a tribe of four. “The Big Four,” as they like to be called, met when Pat Taksen’s husband, Arne, received Homeland Hospice care from 2016 to 2018. An Army veteran, Arne died on September 11, 2018, a day of remembrance in our country, which coincided with the start of the Jewish New Year. Homeland Hospice is a hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania.

Pat’s Homeland team of support included Amy Zegers, RN case manager; Laurie Bassler, social worker; and Angelo Evans, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). During their time together, the group formed a remarkable bond while loving and caring for Arne.

“The first time we met, Arne serenaded me with the song ‘Once in Love With Amy,’” Amy says. “I knew I was meeting someone special.”

Arne, a lover of conversation, made the most of his time with his Homeland team. Pat often taught them Yiddish so Arne could quiz the team on what they had learned. He enjoyed sharing highlights from his five-decade career as the owner of D&L Distributing Co., a coin operated amusement business in Harrisburg. In retirement, Arne started NJG (Nice Jewish Guy), a successful driving service.

“Arne could make any story into an adventure,” Amy adds. “He never missed an opportunity to share his life experiences with us and bring a smile to our faces.”

During Arne’s 21 months of hospice care, he battled cancer and dementia. As the dementia progressed, Arne wasn’t able to cognitively understand the toll cancer was taking on his body. The Homeland team worked closely with his family to identify changes in his physical behavior. Together they helped Arne pinpoint the source of his symptoms. He often used drawings to communicate his pain and discomfort.

“The Homeland team welcomed me with open arms,” Pat says. “We became as close as family in the way we cared for Arne and for each other.”

Through Arne’s end-of-life journey, he left a legacy in the people he brought together to care for him. Following his death, The Big Four continues to meet for dinner, which include sharing memories of Arne. Most recently, they gathered to honor the one-year anniversary of Arne’s death and the unveiling of his tombstone.

“Some people come into our lives for a reason and some for a season,” Amy says. “I’m so blessed Arne and Pat Taksen came into my life.”

Homeland provides a full continuum of services to care for patients, and to support families, as their needs change.

Homeland Hospice teams are comprised of a registered nurse case manager, hospice medical director, attending physician, volunteer coordinator, social workers, counselors, home health aides and others. All team members are patient- and family-focused.

For more information, call Homeland Hospice at (717) 221-7890.

Mother and Daughter Share Memories and Milestones

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Frances and Louetta

 

At 97 years young, Frances Shoop has a keen mind filled with memories of milestone adventures and beloved family moments. Frances lives with her daughter and caregiver Louetta Romberger in Millersburg. The two enjoy looking through family photo albums of the past, and cherish frequent visits from Louetta’s grandchildren (Frances’ great grandchildren).

Through Homeland Hospice’s in-home care relief program, Louetta receives up to 40 hours of care each month at no cost. Homeland Hospice is a hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania. From light housekeeping to help with medication reminders, the in-home care relief program helps Frances and Louetta make the most of every moment together.

Louetta treasures conversations with Frances and the opportunity to learn about her mother’s life experiences.

Growing up, Frances and her parents rented a farmhouse near Millersburg. To afford the rental fee of $10 a month, Frances’ father cleared the land with his tractor and created a small garden for the family to grow their own vegetables.

Frances attended a one-room schoolhouse up to the eighth grade when she transitioned to high school. While she had dreams of becoming a nurse, the country was in the throes of World War II.

“At graduation, most of the boys had left for the war,” Frances says. “My plans of becoming a nurse changed.”

With labor shortages, Frances joined the workforce with other local women. She worked for a tool company and made equipment to support the war efforts.

On May 8, 1945, Frances and her friends where in Times Square on V-E (Victory in Europe) Day and experienced the pandemonium firsthand. This day marks the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany’s surrender. Unlike many of the iconic images of the day depicting celebrations, Francis and her friends were frightened.

Frances and friends in NYC

“The crowds were out of control and many men were aggressive,” Frances says. “We were terrified and took the first train back to Harrisburg.”

Following the end of the war, Frances and her friends were fired from the factory to make room for men returning from the war in need of jobs. Frances quickly found employment working for a shoe factory where she worked for 39 years.

Like her mother, Louetta aspired to practice nursing. She entered the profession soon after high school and worked up until her recent retirement.

“Being a nurse helps me understand my mother’s needs,” Louetta says. “I feel prepared to handle situations as they arise.”

As a caregiver by profession, Louetta is cognizant of the importance of quality care.

“I’ve come to depend on Homeland Hospice because I trust them,” Louetta adds. “Whenever I need help, hospice is always here for me.”

For more information, call Homeland Hospice at (717) 221-7890.

The Most Vital of Signs

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Helen Haddick

By guest writer and Homeland Hospice Nurse, Helen Haddick. This article is republished with permission from Helen’s blog From Saving to Sending, Hospice Isn’t Just About Dying. Prior to becoming a Hospice Nurse, Helen’s journey included ten years of being a Med Surg, ICU, and Perianesthesia Nurse.

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As nurses, we are taught to be number lovers. Blood pressure, pulse, weight, height, time of last meal, distance ambulated….you get my drift… It is one of our chosen methods of communication… Listen to a nurse giving report… it’s a complex word soup of stats, values and findings.

For hospice nurses, it’s a tiny bit different, because while numbers are still important, they are not critical as they might be as say, to an ICU nurse. While we still treat the numbers, the patient and how they feel always take priority. My entire purpose is to make you as comfortable possible in any way I can.

But, what if making someone comfortable had nothing to do with a pill or a lab value? What if it couldn’t be fixed by a bandage or a prescription? Often times, the most profound healing unexpectedly changes both nurse and patient and cannot be taught or found in a book.

She was the type of older lady that we all think we will become. A spunky cross between Sophia and practical Dorothy, she lived in small home surrounded by her artwork and with her very loved, but equally as old dog. When I first met her, I thought she would never warm up to me. But, as my visits grew more frequent, her guard came down and I was privileged enough to really get to know all about her. She would say my visits were a gift, but, getting to know her was the real gift.

One afternoon, I entered, as I normally would have and expected to see her in the oversized brown recliner watching whichever judge show happened to be on. She was in the recliner, but, as she turned to greet me, her face was streaked with tears that glittered like prisms in the afternoon sunlight. “Honey,” I exclaimed and rushed to her side, “What’s wrong?” She brought her soft and weathered hands to her face. Hands that told countless stories and faced so many of life’s challenges. “I just found out that the last of my pinochle friends passed away this morning.” As I reached out to embrace her, she told me that they had been a group of 3 couples and now she was the last person left.

They hadn’t played in years, but my sweet little lady sometimes played the game with her son. “Who is going to ever play with me now? “. It wasn’t about the card game. It was about companionship and laughs. It was about friendship and stories. It was about not feeling alone. It was about feeling safe.

She was showing me a sign. It was a very vital sign, but, it had nothing to do with numbers. More important than a blood pressure, this was a glimpse into her internal emotional world. She was scared, alone, afraid, lonely and felt left behind. If these had been quantifiable vital signs would I have not treated them?

I pulled up a chair next to her and spotted a deck of playing cards. As I handed them to her, the emotions on her face changed from sadness to disbelief to sheer joy. “Teach me to play. And go easy, because I am no card shark.”

For the next hour or so, I got schooled on the game of pinochle. Had an ice cube’s chance in Arizona of ever hoping to win a hand. Truthfully, that game is so confusing that she could have been making rules up as we went along and I would have been none the wiser. That was not the point. Just like before, it was never about the cards.

She laughed, she told stories, told me about how she met her husband, how she adopted each of her dogs, how she started painting and how she raised her children. She would start remembering and a far away look would cross her face but, she would come back, just in time to tell me my hand was worthless. As she started to tire, I helped her to her bed and before she drifted off, she held my hand and just said “Thank you.”

How those we care for are doing sometimes has nothing to do with numbers. In this hurried world where we have to fit so many tasks in a day, so much can be overlooked. Stop and really listen to what someone is saying and hear what they aren’t saying. It’s in that silence that you will find the most vital of signs.