Friendly Faces, We Are Here For You!

The title of this article is true.  It represents the normal behavior of Homestead Village team members and the experience of most of our stakeholders. We indoctrinate our staff with this concept.  We preach smiling and friendliness and warmth.  It is viewed as a critical part of our service experience.  That feeling of caring and compassion starts with a friendly face and it ends with the knowledge and belief that we are here for you.

The title of this article is also the first line of the third stanza of Homestead Village's theme song. Written by our devoted staff members, it accurately reflects our values and culture.  The first stanza was written by several staff during a teamwork exercise and the remaining stanzas were written as part of a contest.  The third stanza sums up the Homestead Village customer service experience:

"Friendly faces we are here for you,

In small ways to make your day for you.

We're all part of one big family,

From day to day we're living happily."

The title of this article is also our "company mindset."  What, you might ask, is a company mindset?  Well, it is a leadership tool that defines the personality of an organization.  If you think about any company you patronize, they have a certain way of interacting that defines their personality.  A company mindset is a powerful message that helps every team member to understand their customer service goal.  By its very nature, it needs to be short (no more than seven words) and memorable.  Some famous organizations have clear company mindsets which are reflected in their customer service.  Examples include Disney and Apple.  This approach to customer service is also taking root in organizations with significant telephone interactions with customers.  Geico is an example of an organization that reflects its company mindset in every voice communication.  All great companies that provide great service do so because they understand how critical it is to have consistent, passionate, joyous interaction between team members and other stakeholders.

At Homestead Village, we are blessed to have a company mindset pulled directly from our theme song, written by our own staff members and that perfectly reflects our mission and vision.

Service Worthy of A Story: Two more stories from the Apostles Center!

One of the keys to creating a special culture of caring and serving is recognizing great teamwork.  This is becoming a regular occurrence at Homestead Village.  

Krista Haus, Rigor Lado, and Kristy Gonzalez

Recently a nurse leader in the Apostles Center sent an email praising the work of the Radcliffe House Team.  She stated, “A special thank you to Kristy Gonzolez, Krista Haus, and Rigor Lado for a team approach to staff challenges yesterday.”  She went on to share that after recognizing that they had just two caregivers instead of three for the day shift, the LPN, Rigor, and the two caregivers developed a plan for the day that was “pretty darn successful.” The Nurse Leader, Megan Wike also credited our medical records nurse, Michelle Fleetman, with great teamwork and lending an occasional hand; but these three ran the ship and made sure our residents’ needs were met. When they came across a challenge, whether it be that two residents needed help at the same time or that we had to figure out how everyone was going to get breaks, they quickly discussed and implemented a new plan. Megan summarized the success by stating that yesterday was a great example of how our team should function - talking and planning saves time in the long run. “It was a lesson for me to resist the temptation of hitting the ground running and thinking there is not time to talk it through-communication is the key that turns the lock!”

Sarah Deets

Just a day or two later, one of our supervisors in another department shared an email recognizing another Apostles Center nurse, Sara Deets, LPN, for assisting during the power outage caused by the violent thunderstorm early in September.  Dinner service was interrupted by the power outage. When this supervisor stopped in to check if dinner service had resumed, Sara heard the question and headed right in to the kitchen to help expedite the lost time without anyone asking her for assistance. "It is truly wonderful to have other departments help each other when these unfortunate things happen," stated the supervisor

"I’m sure there were many Homestead Hero’s during the power outage. It was wonderful to see the many staff that took the time to calm residents & still try to meet their needs. A big thanks to the employees behind the scenes to make Homestead work again as well!"  A big thank you as well to these four team members who exemplify our team philosophy.

Meaningful Stories: Service Worthy of a Story

 Service Worthy of a Story is a series of meaningful stories appearing on Homestead Village's Wellness Facebook page throughout 2017.  These stories highlight staff members who embody our vision which is to serve all who come into our community with genuine and remarkable kindness, respect and skill.  In just the past couple weeks, four more excellent example have been shared!

Jennifer Stout, Pam English and Joe Roeting

A team leader shared that, "When I was leaving the Bachman Center Friday evening I saw Jennifer Stout making a flower arrangement. I asked her what it was for and she told me it was to cheer up a resident who had to cancel her birthday party due to an unexpected trip to the hospital ." Jennifer is the manager of The Bachman Center and also supports both our development efforts and The Facilities Department.  She truly models our vision statement.

Lisa Andrews

 Another leader stated, "I just wanted to extend praise and a very sincere thank you to Lisa Andrews, a member of the housekeeping staff.  Our caregivers are constantly praising Lisa for her thoroughness in regards to her tasks, but even more impressive is the excellent customer service she displays toward residents and visitors daily, as well as kindness and friendliness to nursing staff. I could state at least 10 examples, but the one that left an impression on my mind today was seeing Lisa very kindly and gently holding an elderly visitor’s hand to assist her around a wet floor area that was just cleaned."  Homestead Village is blessed to have Lisa Andrews on our team!

A third leader shared the following experience, "Just wanted to take a moment to comment on the excellent care and work ethic I observed this week while working in Gelhard House. Jo Roeting is in constant motion, caring for the residents but never too busy to stop everything and calm an anxious resident. I observed her sitting with a resident who was tearful and Jo took time to support her. The caregivers in Gelhard House are the unsung heroes who day in and day out meet the needs of these dear residents. Jo is another example of the quality team members we are privileged to work along side.

Finally, we were made aware of the unique contributions of Pam English, one of Homestead Village's wonderful drivers.  When the request came out for donations of clothing protectors in the Apostles Center, Pam volunteered to make them at home.  When our laundry needed a volunteer to help mend sheets, Pam brought in her portable sewing machine and repaired fitted sheets during slow times in Transportation. Pam always assists residents in any way she can when she sees they have a need. She helps them find solutions to their dilemma. Here are a couple of her many acts of kindness.  Pam routinely picks up a loaf of bread for a Homestead resident from a bakery that the resident used to frequent because Pam knows the resident enjoys that bread so much.  She also routinely picks up fresh produce for another resident who can no longer go to her favorite produce stand.

Meaningful stories provide a great opportunity to highlight and honor our employees and share their great acts of service.  If you would like to read more, then "like" Homestead Village's Facebook wellness page.  Search Facebook for H.V.Wellness or copy this link:  www.facebook.com/H.V.Wellness

Service Worthy of A Story: Outstanding Evening Maintenance Team

One thing is for sure, when you need service at night, you can count on John Der and Dale Brian.

Dale Brian

Just recently a cottage resident shared that on the hottest day so far this year, their air conditioning stopped working - at 4 pm on a Friday night.  They were sure it was going to be a hot weekend; but they reported it to maintenance and Dale came right over.  According to the resident, Dale assessed the situation, went back to the maintenance shop and came back a short time later with an assortment of parts and tools.  In no time, their house was cool again.  The resident's final words on the matter:  "If I lived in my own home, it might be Monday or Tuesday before my Air Conditioning was working again - especially on the hottest day of the year. Thank goodness I live here at Homestead Village!"  Thank you Dale for your excellent work.

John Der

John Der makes things happen.  Residents and staff alike remark that John takes care of business.  No job is too tough or too unpleasant for John to handle.  He is a friendly, courteous team member.  John exemplifies our vision of "serving all who come into our community with genuine and remarkable kindness, respect and skill." No matter how challenging or difficult the task, John tackles it with vigor.  His love for our residents is evident in everything he does.

Thank you gentleman for your service, your smiles and your skill.  It really makes a difference and it is appreciated!

Service Worthy of A Story - Fulfilling the Promise

Recently I had the opportunity to share examples of our service deserving of a story with prospective residents of Homestead Village.  Afterward an individual approached me and stated that she could verify the stories were true because a friend of hers lives at The Mews and had a similar experience.

Jeff Woerner defines Service with a Smile!

The prospective resident related to me that her friend needed to be at an important meeting the morning of the Nor'easter in mid-March.  She told a passing maintenance person of her need, knowing that the normal pattern of snow removal is to start clearing driveways after all of the roads have been cleared, and any particular driveway could be at the beginning, the middle or the end of the snow removal process.  The maintenance staff person told her don't you worry, I will see to it that your driveway will be cleared in time  to get to your appointment.  Of course it was!

After a little checking, I became aware that this great example of service was Jeff Woerner in our mainteance department.  This is not a surprise as Jeff was awarded the Homestead MVP in Fall 2014 for similar acts of service and kindness.  Thank you Jeff for being a constant example of the Homestead Village vision and mission.

Service Worthy of A Story - Fulfilling High Flying Dreams!

The epic plane ride

Daniel McGinn loves his job at Homestead Village; he drives for our Home Care Agency.  Dan sees it as an opportunity to give back and bring joy to other people.  So it is not surprising that when Dan engaged in conversation with one of our residents and asked him if there is anything that he misses or would like to experience again, his question was not just posed to pass the time.  Dan wanted to make a difference.  He wanted to bless this individual with his greatest desire!  What was the response? Our elder stated that more than anything he missed flying.  Well that put Dan on a mission.  Less than two weeks later our resident was soaring over Lancaster County.

Dan McGinn

Dan and Co-Worker Kathy Noll (with the support of Homestead Village leadership) secretly arranged to make this dream come true!  “What if” became “Why Not!” and “Why Not” became “Let’s Go!”  Dan remembers.  

On Saturday, February 18^th, Dan picked our elder up for a morning drive. At 10:30 am, the pair arrived at Lancaster county airport to reveal the surprise.  Local Pilot John Brubaker welcomed them at the Aerotech hangar.    Homestead Village Social worker Lisa Zimmerman also attended, and enjoyed the plane ride as well.   What a tremendous

Dan McGinn and Pilot John Brubaker

story of blessing other people.  Asking the right question and then going a few extra steps provided a truly amazing opportunity for one of our elders.  Daniel McGinn exemplifies the mission and vision of Homestead Village.

Service Worthy of a Story - Triple J Success!

Recently our personal care home administrator, Tawana Winder Nock shared this story: 

"I have a story I wanted to share with our Homestead family.  One of our Supportive Services residents goes to the Plow & Pineapple every day for breakfast.  A couple of weeks ago she was unable to articulate what she wanted.  She could only describe it.  Our wonderful Dining Services team member, Janelle Rineer, figured out what our resident wanted by the resident’s description.  After consulting with Jimmy Martens, Dining Services Assistant Manager, Jimmy talked to our Supportive Services leadership about the fact that it is hard for some of our residents with cognitive decline to order their food because they can’t read anymore or understand what they are reading.  

JoAnn Gillis, Supportive Services Assessment Coordinator, suggested that Jimmy make a picture menu for residents with this need. Jimmy came up with the menu right away. This is a perfect example of team work between departments.  There was a problem and immediately our staff went to work to solve it!  Kuddos to JoAnn Gillis, Jimmy Martens and Janelle Rineer."

Note, this is the second in an ongoing series of meaningful stories, and we have already come up with a new name to describe them.  Meaningful Stories will now be known as Service Worthy of a Story.