Dining Changes Enhance Homestead Village

Newly installed artwork and pendant lights accentuate the popular booths.

Enhanced senior living took a bold step forward with the reopening of the Homestead Dining Room on December 18, 2013.  After many years of casual dining, Homestead Village has created a dining experience that is the best of both worlds - both informal and causal as well as formal.  Each day begins with our outstanding breakfast offerings.  Seat yourself and our friendly servers take your order and bring you one of our many made to order breakfast offerings.

The new lunch time experience features a bright and pleasant food court with choices of chef-prepared made-to-order specials, made to order deli sandwiches, hot entrees and a fantastic salad bar.  Lunch at Homestead is casual; but the food selections are wonderful.  Of special note is the delicious and healthy salad bar.  Efforts have been made to focus on more fresh vegetables and fresh fruit as well as other healthy toppings.  The salad bar will continue to transform into the healthy option our residents, staff  and visitors want.  The chef's action station features a different entree every day.  You choose the ingredients and our staff prepare it before your eyes.

Between lunch and dinner, the dining room is transformed with table cloths and the addition of eight servers, smartly dressed and ready to provide you with a quality dining experience.  Our hostess will seat you and our servers are excited to make your evening meal special.  On Sundays, brunch is a special experience with all you can eat or a la carte choices.  The Sunday Brunch takes advantage of the expanded food court to offer wonderful brunch choices and more actions stations for waffles, omelettes and other specialties.

Some of Homestead's many friendly servers at your service!

Our goal with the new dining room service is to provide the highest quality dining experience for each of the desired dining options.  In addition to the expanded, spacious food court, the dining room has been redesigned to offer a more pleasant dining experience.  The addition of booths and brand new chairs, along with beautiful window treatments result in a beautiful room for dining.  In the near future, a canopy over the sun room will greatly improve the sun room dining experience as well.

Another wonderful benefit of the new dining services is the expanded space allows for improved accessibility for residents with mobility devices.  While motorized scooters must still be parked in the lobby, residents with walkers and wheelchairs have greatly improved accessibility.  Another accessibility improvement is the expanded wait staff, allowing for a greatly improved dining experience for all residents who benefit from assistance in the dining room.

Creating Home

Since 2006, Homestead Village has been working diligently to create the most homelike environments possible in our small houses for care:  Fickes House, Radcliffe House and Gelhard House.

Our culture change started with permanent assignments to make sure that caregivers developed a closer relationship with the elders for whom they care. That closer relationship helps caregivers to better know the wants and needs of their elders.  Our second major initiative focused on the best possible dining experience.  With food, the emphasis is on choice, made to order, natural ingredients, and service when our elders are ready to eat.  Our third initiative in the Apostle Center focused on creating environments that allows our elders to live in a more homelike environment.

  Changes include the addition of showers to every room, the creation of more private rooms and more privacy in semi-private rooms with a small dividing wall and flat screen TVs that face opposite directions to cut down on noise.

In Gelhard House, the improvements focused on creating more common space and adding additional resident rooms so that thirteen elders can be accommodated.  Perhaps Gelhard House's best improvement is is its wonderful life enrichment program.  What makes it special are the staff who focus on creating a loving and caring environment for each resident.

 Improving life enrichment is the number one goal in the immediate future for the Apostle Center for Care.  The Apostle Center's other major initiative is individually washing all personal laundry in the houses.  This improvement will begin in January, 2014.

The journey from very institutional to more homelike care is commonly labeled as a culture change or person centered care transformation.  Our culture change journey is now seven years old.  We have come a long way; but we are no where near finished!

A nursing home or memory support personal care home can never BE home.  Our goal is to make each house comfortable, caring and a pleasant place to live, and if possible, return home as soon as possible.

Communities for Older Adults: What does the future hold?

 What do older adults want?  Most express the desire to stay in their own home as long as possible.  We all dream of staying independent the rest of our life and not becoming a burden for our kids.  We see portrayals in the media and we may know of mature couples living rich and fulfilling lives, staying in their own home, traveling and enjoying their retirement years; but the reality for many older adults is not so ideal.  The family home eventually becomes a burden, and the reality of aging in America is poor health and chronic diseases often rob individuals of their independence - too soon.  Often children our required to get involved, assist with care and make decisions.  Too often mature adults encounters with loneliness, chronic illness, and depression make the retirement years less fulfilling.

What is the answer?  Make the necessary lifestyle changes and make a plan for the future!

Lifestyle Changes

Everyone should read the book, Younger Next Year, by Henry Lodge, MD and Chris Crowley.  The book vividly describes the path to obtaining the best possible, most independent future.  The answers are simple; but almost foreign to our modern, American culture.  They include improved nutrition, regular, seven day a week exercise and involvement in activities for which you have a passion.  All three required dedication and discipline to achieve.

Lifestyle changes leads to living longer and more fulfilling lives.  Little things could make a big difference.  A walk to the store and back is far better than driving the car and watching TV.  Passing on processed foods as well as large portions and desserts  make a huge difference in nutrition.  The earlier you being to make the changes, the longer and more independent life you are likely to lead.

Planning for the Future

Planning for the future obviously involves financial planning first and foremost; the aforementioned lifestyle changes are just as important.  The third big planning decision is where you plan to live during your mature years.  There really are six main choices:

1.      Stay in your own home

2.      Downsize to a senior friendly home in a traditional neighborhood.

3.      55+ Community

4.      Rental Retirement Community

5.      Continuing Care Retirement Community

6.      Move in with your kids.

Move in with your kids

Let's tackle this option first.  While added to the list sort of tongue-in-cheek, this option has a lot of merits and is the traditional solution; but not the first choice for many parents...or children.  If it is an option for you, then it is a great option to explore, especially if the adult children have nursing or care-giving experience and can assist with your needs when the time comes.

Stay in your own home

If you eat well, exercise and stay active mentally then living in your current home is an option…for awhile.  Are there stairs?  They will become a problem.  Are your bathrooms designed for aging need?  Where is the washer and dryer located?  When you can no longer drive, how will you shop?  Besides the TV, what will be your source of cultural and community activities.  For most older adults the family home becomes solitary confinement in later years.  Other issues to consider:  Home Care will be very expensive.  When you need a nursing home, where will you go?

Downsize to a senior friendly home in a traditional neighborhood.

If you improve your nutrition, exercise and stay active mentally then this option will work …for awhile longer... Assuming the design issues are addressed (single floor living, convenient laundry, and safe bathroom design), this is an improvement.  The same two issues will remain:

Home Care will be very expensive.  When you need a nursing home, where will you go?

55+ Community

The third option is a 55* community.  All the benefits of a well designed home in a community focused on seniors.  Theoretically, the senior focused community will provide you with more activities and community interaction; but in most cases, there are very few planned activities.

If the home designs are good, then this is a viable short-term option.  Yet, home care will be very expensive and when you need a nursing home, where will you go? 

Rental Retirement Community

This option has become popular recently; and looks very similar to a full service retirement community.  One would expect well designed apartments or cottages and a focus on providing for the needs and concerns of mature adults.  Most rental communities do not generate the revenue to provide the full range of services, or to provide them with the depth and quality that residents desire.  Often they do not offer the full range of health care from independent living to personal care to memory support care to nursing care and home care.  Thus, a rental community is a viable short-term option.  It features lower costs in the short run, and very little commitment.  The same concerns remain.  Home Care will be very expensive.  When you need a nursing home, where will you go?

Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC)

This is truly the best option if you have the financial ability to afford a full service retirement community.  They offer all the benefits of a well designed home in a community focused on seniors.  With their charitable, non-profit, mission-focused care, commitment to charity, history of serving thousands of older adults, extensive life enrichment and activity programs, full service dining options and spiritual services, a CCRC truly meets all of the needs of today’s seniors.  This holistic, all-encompassing approach gives seniors their best opportunity to stay independent and enjoy their life with less worry and more enjoyment.  Most CCRCs offer Home Care

services to help you stay in your own home longer.  Most offer personal care services to care for your needs when they arise.  Most offer memory support services if you or loved on develop memory issues.  Most offer a quality, state of the art nursing home where you will be well served when the time comes.  A continuing care retirement community is your best choice!

Homestead Village is an accredited CCRC

We offer a wide range of independent living, from studio apartments to a three bedroom, three bath, two car garage villa and everything in between at a wide range of price points!

We offer personal care -  in our apartments – Aging in place.

We offer home care services which are available in cottages and villas.

We offer memory support care which is available in apartments, Gelhard House and our nursing care.  Gelhard House is a wonderful, secure memory support environment offering the best of care for residents with memory support needs.

We offer quality, person-centered nursing care that is available when you need it!

We offer a great dining program which many tasty options to help you eat nutritiously.

In effect we offer the ingredients to allow you to live the ideal life of good health, independence, dignity and fulfillment.

Get Vaccinated!

Get your Flu Vaccination!

Homestead Village is serious about protecting our community from influenza.  Last year, we achieved 100% vaccination compliance from our staff members. This year we plan to do the same.  Since influenza is transmitted both in the air and by contact, it is imperative that every visitor and resident of Homestead Village take precautions to avoid a flu outbreak.

Here are the  suggested guidelines for all residents and visitors:
1.  Get vaccinated!
2.  If you fail to get vaccinated, then:
3.  Sanitize your hands when you enter.
4.  Wash your hands regularly, especially after touching your mouth, nose or eyes or after coughing or sneezing.
5.  Wear a mask when in public areas and when visiting family members in the Apostles Center or Gelhard House.
6.  We request that no one enter the Apostle Center or Gelhard House unless they are vaccinated.

Influenza is a life threatening disease for older adults.  Please help us keep every member of the Homestead Village Community healthy and safe!

Medicare, a Praying Mantis and Artistic Dining Staff

A Praying Mantis

A friend who happens to be a musician, pastor and father shared the following story recently.  The other night my boys were looking at a praying mantis that their "Papa" (my father in law) caught in a jar. When he let it go, he told my boys, "Be careful. Sometimes these little guys can get angry."

My son asked, "Why is he angry?"

To which Papa replied, "Because he's scared."

Teaching moment!

When you encounter someone who is angry, upset, or frustrated....there is a good chance they're just scared. Scared of being "found out". Scared that they may be wrong, but they've believed they were right for so long. So, maybe next time, when you're tempted to respond to them in kind....choose peace instead. You just might help them be less afraid!  This is a technique that we have been advocating for years at Homestead Village.  It is called "pull-back" and all staff are trained to respond in this manner!  When put in practice, the results are wonderful.

Medicare Open Enrollment is Approaching

Homestead Village recommends that you enroll in traditional Medicare (Part A, Part B and Part D with a supplemental insurance policy) as that will ensure the best coverage for all circumstances.  If however, you want to take advantage of the cost savings afforded by Medicare Advantage Plans, Homestead recommends that you choose from the four companies with which we have or are pursuing a contract.  They are:
1.  Capital Blue Cross

• Commercial
• Keystone Health Plan Central 
• Senior Blue PPO
•  Senior Blue HMO

2.  Highmark

• Commercial
• Freedom Blue PPO

3.  Health America

• Commercial
• Medicaid (Coventry Cares)
• Advantra HMO
• Advantra PPO

4.  Aetna

• Commercial
• Medicare Advantage

Artistic Dining Staff

Eloy Jaimes

Rachel Poletti

Recently chef Eloy Jaimes and server Rachel Poletti decided to pit their artistic talents against one another as they both created paintings based on the word "Culture."  The result were the following works of art, painted over a two to three day period!  Both Eloy and Rachel are commended for their talent and their ability to capture the essence of culture.  Rachel stated that the image of the child was painted from a picture she took during a recent missionary trip to Costa Rica.  Eloy said that his painting was a reflection of his love of Spanish Culture, especially the vibrant colors.  Their creations were displayed in the dining room for a few days this summer.

Homestead Village PRC Now a Reality

July 22nd marked the first "big" event at Homestead Village's new Performance and Recreation Center (PRC). By all accounts, our summer theme dinner, planned by the Resident Activities Committee with the help of staff, was a tremendous success.  The acquisition of the PRC allows Homestead Village to offer wonderful space for concerts, banquets and other life enriching events.  Over the next few months, PRC will host many additional events and begin its transformation.  New carpet, paint and chairs are the first step followed by the addition of a serving kitchen and bathroom.  This wonderful addition to Homestead Village along with all of the renovation and improvements will be funded through gifts from friends, residents and the Lancaster community.

Homestead Village Customer Satisfaction Results Once Again Positive

Thank you very much to all of the residents who took the time to compete this years satisfaction survey.  The 2013 Bi-annual Resident Satisfaction Survey once again revealed a high level of satisfaction on the part of Homestead Village Residents with some clear opportunities for improvement.  The survey contains two key components.  The first is the 20+ questions rating the performance of Homestead Village.  The second are the comments provided by the residents who completed the survey.  Both components are equally important to understanding Homestead Village satisfaction and improvement opportunities.

Statistical Scoring
The statistical scores are based on the following key:
4 - Exceeds Expectations
3 - Very Satisfied
2 - Satisfied
1 - Dissatisfied
0 - Very Dissatisfied
A careful analysis of the results revealed the following information.

Residences:	Highest Satisfaction:
[overall satisfaction]
Apartments	#17 Consistent staff helpfulness	3.77
[2.91]	#7  Housekeeping	3.37
	#2 Transportation	3.31
	#16 Communications admin/resident	3.12
	#12  Snow Removal	3.00
Villas	#17 Consistent Staff  helpfulness	3.06
[2.85]	#12 Snow Removal	2.95
	#8  Activities & Recreation	2.94
Cottages	#8  Activities & Recreation	3.88
[2.74]	#7 Housekeeping	3.67
	#6 Laundry	3.33
	#9 Activities Choices	3.30
Mews	#17 Consistent staff helpfulness	3.60
[2.79]	#12 Snow Removal	3.57
	#8 Activities & Recreation	3.18
	#9 Activities Choices	3.13
	Highest Satisfaction:
	Consistent Staff Friendliness, Helpfulness
	Activities & Recreation - Value & Choices
	Housekeeping
	Snow Removal
Residences:	Opportunities for Improvement:
[overall satisfaction]
Apartments	#5 Apostles Center for Care	2.27
[2.91]	#19  Food Quality	2.29
	#18 Village Café Value	2.39
	#4  Infirmary Care Quality and Avail.	2.51
	#10  Upkeep/repair	2.63
Villas	#19 Food Quality	2.10
[2.85]	#18 Village Café Value	2.26
	#10 Upkeep/Repair	2.33
Cottages	#10 Upkeep/Repair	2.35
[2.74]	#19 Food Quality	2.44
	#4 Infirmary Care Quality & Avail.	2.50
	#5 Apostles Center for Care	2.50
Mews	#10 Upkeep/Repair	2.01
[2.79]	#14 Grounds/Landscaping	2.18
	#19 Food Quality	2.31
	#18  Food Value	2.31
	Key Areas For Improvement:
	Food (Village Café) Quality & Value
	Upkeep/Repair
	Apostles Center for Care
	Infirmary Care & Availability

The good news is that the lowest ratings in most cased averaged close to very satisfied!  The very lowest ratings averaged better than satisfied.  The most important benefit of the statistical survey are the Key Areas For Improvement.  Utilizing the comments, each of these areas will be the top focus of attention in the future.

One of the most positive statistics is the percent of residents who would recommend Homestead Village to a friend or family member. In business, this is known as the Net Promoter Score. Here are those percentages for each residence area:
Apartments - 97.4%
Villa Court - 92%
Cottages - 95.6%
Mews - 100%

The overall net promoter score is over 97%!

The leadership of Homestead Village is currently reviewing all of the comments and formulating its strategy to address as many as possible in the coming weeks and months.  We will keep you updated on our progress!