Living the Mission

Homestead's mission is simply, "Enhancing independence and dignity as together we create a compassionate community."  There are many ways the staff of Homestead Village can live the mission.  From out attitude to our willingly providing excellent service, Homestead Village staff bring the mission to life.

Not very many people like to get shots!  About five years ago, we took a closer look at our staff flu shot participation.  The Department of Health, the CDC and leading medical journals were emphasizing that the best way to keep influenza from spreading through retirement communities was to increase staff member participation.  Unfortunately only about 70% of Homestead Village staff were getting the flu shot even though it was a no charge benefit of working at Homestead Village.

Four years ago as flu season loomed, we took a new approach, pointing out that if employees truly believed our mission, then they would happily get the flu shot, because doing so might save a resident's life.  It took some coaching and encouraging; but 100% of Homestead Village's staff members were immunized.

The following year 100% of staff were immunized again.  Last year, it happened again.  With the arrival of flu season this year we can announce that for the fourth straight year 100% of Homestead Village's staff have once again received the flu shot.  Four straight years with 100% compliance. That is a record that very few companies can boast.  It is a record that directly relates to our staff members' commitment to our mission and to our residents.  It is a very tangible way for our staff to show they care.

The best way the Homestead Village family can honor the staff's commitment is for every resident and every visitor to Homestead Village to get the flu shot as soon as possible.  Flu is a very dangerous disease resulting in many deaths every year.  The best way to keep the flu out of Homestead Village is for every member of our community to get the flu shot.  The other key is not to visit if you are feeling under the weather.  Coughing, runny nose and fever could be signs of the flu.  Please do not enter our building if you have any of those symptoms.  A visit could have tragic consequences!

If you do not get the flu shot, we ask that you use the hand sanitizer at each entrance and wear a mask during your visit.  Thank you for helping to keep Homestead Village healthy and flu free this year!

Two years with our vision - how are we doing?

At Homestead Village, our creeds are not just words for brochures and picture frames. We take them at their word and focus our efforts on fulfilling them every day.  Approximately two years ago, the Homestead Village Board of Directors approved a new vision statement.

Our vision statement is really two separate statements.  The first sentence IS the vision, "To serve all who come into our community." How? With genuine and remarkable kindness, respect and skill.  So our goal is very clear.  To achieve it requires every employee to be engaged and focused every minute of every day.  We must improve our hiring, our training, our orientation, our leadership,  and our support of each employee if we hope to achieve such a high level of service.

The second sentence provides further clarification.  Our service should be individualized.  In other words, we should learn your preferences and deliver them.  Our service should be continually improving.  This includes new programs and services; but most importantly improving our personal service.  Our service is more than the things we do for one another here at Homestead Village.  In reality, the Homestead Village community can only be great if it is giving to others, It is better to give than to receive and a big part of our focus must be helping our friends and neighbors both here in Lancaster and around the world.   Our vision ends with a focus on wellness.  True service seeks the best for the person being served.  There is no better service than helping people to be as well as possible, including physical, emotional and spiritual wellness.  We achieve that with the programs and services we offer you on a daily basis.

It is our hope that you experience the promises of this vision statement each and every day.

Homestead Village Health Care - What You Need When You Need It

Whether it is called a Continuing Care Retirement Community or a Life Plan Community, one of the main reasons individuals choose communities like Homestead Village is the availability of health care when it is needed.  The vast majority of Homestead Village residents move to Homestead Village residential living neighborhoods - the
Apartments, Cottages, Villa Court Villas, The Mews or The Farmstead.  When more services are needed, Homestead Village is ready to assist.  Our best means of helping residents stay independent is our home care service, Homestead Village Home Care.  With it we can provide as little as one hour of service or as much as needed.

At some point in their stay most residents see the benefits of a move to our apartments as we can provide round the clock services through our personal care program in a setting that also offers easy access to all of our other services under one roof.  Life in the apartments is very convenient and truly enhances independence with the new European bathrooms and updated kitchens.
 
If memory support services are needed, they are available in both Gelhard House (personal care) and Young House (nursing care).  Gelhard House features 13 private rooms and Young House offers nine rooms and accommodations for fifteen residents.

If short-term rehabilitation is required before a return to home, it is available in Radcliffe House and Fickes House with our therapy partner, Genesis Rehabilitation.  Radcliffe House serves 21 residents in 7 private and 7 semi-private rooms.  Fickes House servers 22 residents. Historically, Medicare and Medicaid services can only be accessed in a nursing home such as the Apostles Center for Care.  Medicare is health care insurance that pays for skilled nursing or therapy services for a short time - usually about three or four weeks up to a maximum of 100 days.  Medicaid pays for services in a nursing home when a resident has exhausted their financial resources.  Medicaid does not pay enough to cover the cost of health services provided at Homestead Village and thus every resident on Medicaid is subsidized through our endowment and the fact that Homestead Village is a charitable, non-profit organization.

With our many health care services, Homestead Village can meet your need wherever you are while at the same time providing a high quality of life with enriching activities, caring neighbors and dedicated staff members creating a compassionate community.

Improvements and Changes Happening All Over Homestead Village

New Port Cochere, therapy addition and Young House

Homestead Village's fiscal year ends June 30th each year.  Every year we review what we accomplished in the past year and we lay a course for future achievements.  Some of the changes are very visible:

• The beautiful additions to the Apostles Center.
• The new outside courtyards and patios.
• The new homes at The Farmstead.
• New furniture at the main entrance.
• The renamed Bachman Center and the key areas inside: The Mumma Room and the Hungerford Room.
• The beautifully decorated Farmstead Clubhouse.

  

  The Farmstead Clubhouse

Some are less so:

• Our Marketing Department has moved to The Farmstead clubhouse.
• Our Human Resources Department moved to The Bachman Center.
• The President and Executive Assistant moved to the former Marketing Offices.
• Kate Wise, our wellness nurse, is now up front by the apartment mailboxes.

For 2016, we have many exciting projects planned, including:

• Renovations to the second floor and ground floor corridors and common areas of the apartment  building.
• The library and ground floor activity room will both be renovated and reconfigured.
• New Gazebo and outdoor areas in the cottage area and around the flag pole.
• The room next to the chapel will become the supportive services activities room.



Young House Entrance and Addition

• New safety and security initiatives will be implemented.

As always, we will strive to improve the quality of our services and fulfill our mission and vision.  As our vision states, Homestead Village's goal is to serve each individual with genuine and remarkable kindness, respect and skill.

Putting Leadership into Practice

The past few days have been a time of assessment and testing for our leaders at Homestead Village. The annual Global Leadership Summit was held August 11th and 12th.  Over 300,000 individuals attend around the world as the program is simulcast in hundreds of locations worldwide from its home in Chicago. Twenty three Homestead Village staff members had the opportunity to attend the GLS this year. Speakers included Alan Mulally, the leader credited with saving the Ford Motor Company; Melinda Gates, head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation;  Horst Schulze, one of the founders of the Ritz Carlton Hotels and many other successful leaders.  Homestead Village team members from nearly every department took part in the training.

Global Leadership Summit 2016 

Homestead Village had 23 attendees

Less than 24 hours later, that training was put to the test for many of the attendees of the summit. Saturday afternoon around 3 PM, a sprinkler head in the uppermost ceiling of Radcliffe House burst, sending thousands of gallons of water into the living room and down the South hallway, into the parlor, the entrance vestibule and even Fickes House’s living room.  All of the residents in South Hall had to be relocated - the situation was serious - as much as an inch of water siting on top of the carpets in some areas!  All water and much of the electric was shut off in the Apostles Center.  

By 3:20 pm, efforts were underway to get the disaster cleaned up and by shortly after dinner, all residents were back in their rooms.   Those four hours were filled with incredible teamwork 

and hard work.  The staff on duty first made sure all residents were safe and comfortable and then

Sprinkler head replacement
 deep in the ceiling

began to tackle the flood waters, creating dams with linens and moving furniture so that it was not ruined by the pouring water.  Our maintenance team shut off the water and electric and prepared to find the problem.  Staff from all over Homestead Village responded to the scene to pitch in and help.

The source of the problem

Soon, staff members contacted at home began arriving to begin the process of extracting the water and preparing the resident rooms for re-occupancy.  Some staff had just finished their shift and were heading home, when they heard about the emergency and returned to pitch in. The atmosphere was serious; but the attitudes of all were positive and even joyful as the ultimate goal was to fix the problem and get our residents back into their homes.  Mission accomplished!  The after effects of the flood will be evident for weeks as the process has turned to thoroughly drying out all the walls and carpets and determining which drywall needs to be replaced due to water saturation or damage.

Some of the residual damage that will need to be
repaired or replaced

Apostles Center for Care Additions on Schedule for June Opening

Any visit to Homestead Village these days reveals projects underway all around our campus.  One project that is nearing completion is the Apostles Center additions.  This project is actually many different projects including:

• Four Private Rooms in Radcliffe House
• Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen and spa for the new, fifteen bed Young House
• An expanded therapy room
• a port cochere (car port) at the Plow and Pineapple entrance
• New roofs for the Apostles Center building and the Westvue Building
• An expansive, secure courtyard for Gelhard House with a gazebo
• A secure courtyard for Young House
• A covered porch and patio for Radcliffe House
• A new gazebo for the Apostles Center courtyard entrance
• A new stairwell for easier access to the fitness center, pool and accounting.

Each improvement adds to the enjoyment for the persons served in that area; but the total of all the changes will have a dramatic impact on the overall quality of life in our community.

The new Apostles Center will feature three smaller houses.  Fickes House features a home for 22 community members in 10 semi-private rooms and 2 private rooms.  Radcliffe House will offer 7 private rooms and 7 semi-private rooms - a total of 21 beds.  Young House will focus on memory support services and offer 3 private rooms and 6 private rooms.  The smaller houses will create a more homelike, less institutional lifestyle.  

The therapy space will be double the size and help us help our short term rehabilitation residents return to home more quickly.  It will also improve the access to therapy for residents seeking outpatient services.

One major change that has been pointed out is that a number of entrance doors that were regularly used are no longer available.  How will residents, family members, visitors and other stakeholders come and go?  The answer is actually quite simple and both access and security will be improved.  Radcliffe House and Fickes House will have two entrances.  The courtyard-like main entrance will feature a new Gazebo and expanded outdoor sitting options.  The alternative entrance will be at the Plow and Pineapple covered entrance.  This will be the preferred entrance for bus trips, ambulances and families dropping off or picking up residents.  The Plow and Pineapple entrance with its automatic doors and covered drop-off will become a favorite entrance.

Gelhard House and Young House will feature their own entrance court and parking area.  The Gelhard/Young House entrance court will also feature a new stairwell entrance to the ground floor and second floor of Westvue, allowing access to the fitness area, Novacare, accounting offices as well as the offices on the second floor.

Both inside and out, the new Apostles Center will better serve our community.

Parish Resource Center Renamed!

Three years ago, Homestead Village was blessed to be able to purchase the Parish Resource Center building from the organization which gave the building its name.  Due to the fact the Parish Resource Center organization continued to lease a portion of the building, that name and a shortened version, PRC, have been used interchangeably as a short-term name for this very important structure at the crossroads of our community.

With the relocation of the Parish Resource Center to another location, Homestead is ready to utilize the center to its fullest capacity.  With the opening of this exciting new chapter in the use of the building, we are excited to announce the new name as well.  Effectively immediately, the new name will be:

The Bachman Center

Named for Homestead Village and long-time Lancaster resident, Mary Ellen Bachman, in honor of her generous gift to the capital campaign back in 2007-08, The Bachman Center fulfills Homestead Village’s naming promise that was originally slated for the construction of a new auditorium.  While a new auditorium is still on the plans for future construction, the Parish Resource Center allows Homestead Village to honor Ms. Bachman with the naming of one of the most important buildings at Homestead Village.  Mary Ellen Bachman is a graduate of Penn and a retired Anesthetist at Lancaster General Hospital.

                      

Mary Ellen Bachman 

Chick Hungerford 

Nancy Hungerford

Harvey & Melinda Mumma

Likewise, two other Homestead Village families donated to the capital campaign for meeting rooms and their names will grace rooms in The Bachman Center.  The two rooms off of the main hall will be known as The Hungerford Room and The Mumma Room. Charles and Nancy Hungerford have been residing at Homestead Village for over ten years.  Both Charles and Nancy worked in education. Charles retired from the School District of Lancaster and Nancy from Millersville University.  Harvey and Melinda Mumma lived in Lancaster where Harvey owned a construction company.   It is exciting to honor the contributions of Homestead Village stakeholders in this fashion and know that their generosity will be remembered in a very public manner.

Homestead Village Values and Philosphy

"We" statements.  Homestead Village's Values and Philosophy of Care boldly assert eleven "We" statements. Each states what we believe.  The governing leadership expects every stakeholder of Homestead Village to uphold and follow these creeds.  It is not a choice - it is a necessity to fulfill Homestead Village's mission, vision and purpose.  In our modern society, it is frowned upon to demand that people do anything.  Instead we ask, encourage and appeal to people to behave and participate in a certain fashion.  The Homestead Village Values and Philosophy of care are not a choice.   As you read each statement, it is clear that a reasonable person would readily agree with each and every one.  So the real challenge is not in accepting these statements, it is living them:

• Every day, 
• Both the good days and bad, 
• With people who are pleasant, fun and exciting to be around and with those who require a little extra grace.  
• With residents and employee team members and other stakeholders.  
• When we are calm and when we stressed.

Our values and philosophy of care were not written for the good times. They were written to guide us through the challenges, the rough patches in our individual lives and in the collective lives of our community.  As we read each statement, we need to commit ourselves to fulfilling its expectations. When we do, our mission and vision will be fulfilled as well.

Our Values

We value every member of the Homestead Village community.

We practice and expect high ethical standards, applying the principles of trust, honesty, respect, integrity, and commitment.

We strive to provide exceptional service, holding each individual in utmost esteem.

We support an environment that improves quality of life, fulfills individual aspirations, values diversity, and holds our Mission paramount.

We seek to minister to each individual’s body, mind and spirit.

We acknowledge and respect one another’s spiritual beliefs while honoring our Christian heritage.

Our Philosophy of Care

We believe in the dignity, inherent worth and right to self-determination of each individual resident.

We strive to meet the health and wellness needs of residents at all levels along the continuum of care.

We provide an environment that enhances and encourages continued personal growth and life satisfaction.

We make decisions utilizing open and honest communication involving residents, their families, and members of the health team,

We exercise thoughtful stewardship of the resources of the resident, Homestead Village and the greater community.

Whether you are a resident, employee team member, board member, family member or other stakeholder,  these values guide us in our daily tasks and in our interactions with one another.

The Life Enrichment Team at Homestead Village Makes a World of Difference

When you think Life Enrichment at Homestead Village, the first names that comes to mind our Karen Longenecker and her assistant, Maureen Deibert.  Karen, with Maureen's assistance, creates the wonderful programs each month detailed in the Adventures in Life.  Karen has been our Life Enrichment Coordinator since 2006 and came to Homestead Village with 25 years of experience.  In fact she will celebrate her tenth anniversary in August of this year.  Maureen has assisted her for about five years. Karen has a degree in Psychology from Millersville University and is married to our chaplain, David Longenecker.  Karen's passion for life enrichment and her tremendous experience are on display every month as she helps to facilitate outstanding residential living life enrichment.


Numerous other Homestead Village staff contribute to quality life enrichment at Homestead Village.  They include Ben Hayes, Katie Whallon and Virginia Lewis.  Ben Hayes has helped coordinate the life enrichment in the Apostles Center since 2004.

Ben has attended both Alvernia and Imaculatta colleges working toward his Bachelors Degree.
He has participated in all of the major culture change activities in the Apostles Center and continues to actively develop and improve the life enrichment services, especially in Radcliffe House.

This past year, Katie Whallon and Ginny Lewis joined the Life Enrichment team as coordinators for our two memory support programs.  Both have jump started their respective programs.  Katie has revolutionized the programs in Fickes House with the assistance of House Coordinator, Rachelle Rineer.  Ginny has continued the excellent programming in Gelhard House with the help of the nurse leader, Beth Tefsay.

Katie Whallon graduated from Gordon College with a degree in Business and minors in recreation and leisure studies, and non-profit organization management and social entrepreneurship.  Ginny graduated from LaRoche College with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a Gerontology Minor.

This team of dedicated professionals is making a difference in our community and the lives of persons served at Homestead Village.