Leading The Way In Comfort & Care



Fickes House Living Room - only made possible by
your generous gifts to the capital campaign!

 Our capital campaign has been a tremendous success, raising over $3.2 million and fast approaching the goal set by the Board of Directors of Homestead Village when they authorized it.  Achieving this success during one of the worst economic periods in recent history is a testimony to the dedication and caring of Homestead Village's stakeholders.

Yet, the work is not complete and we need the assistance of our whole community to finish the campaign.  Will you consider your response to the need?  What is the need?  First and foremost, while the campaign has reached the $3.2 million mark, many of the gifts have been bequests and will not be available for many years.  The final cost of the project will be approximately $4 million so there is still a shortfall between the actual cash available and the total cost of the project.  The results, so far, speak for themselves.  The new living environments exceed our expectations with soaring ceilings, beautiful finishes and comfortable nooks for private conversations.  The kitchens and dining rooms serve delicious made to order food and provide great cooking activity space. The new laundries allow personal laundry to remain in the house and be individually washed.  Finally, the showers in every resident room greatly improve the bathing process for residents and staff.  Recently the Fickes House spa was completed with its beautiful wood floors, ceramic tile walls and state of the art whirlpool tub. Fickes House feels like a fine home.

The Fickes House Living Room, Dining Room
and Kitchen create a spacious, elegant home!

In preparation for our housewarming, Paul Risk Associates and its subcontractors and busy turning the old bathing room into Radcliffe House's living room.  It is fascinating to see the old tiled showers give way to a new picture window and window seat.  The final five rooms are being remodeled and very soon phase one of the renovation will be complete!

Everyone is invited to the housewarming on July 27th.  As part of the celebration we have put together a housewarming gift registry.  You do not need to bring a housewarming gift to attend this celebration - we want everyone at Homestead Village to see and enjoy the remarkable transformation that has taken place!

We are throwing a House Warming Party!

In celebration of 25 years of planting dreams and growing community, on July 27, 2011 from 2:00 - 4:00 PM, the residents and staff of Radcliffe House and Fickes House invite you to come visit their completed new homes.   Come celebrate the completion of the eight month project which began September 2010 and completely transformed the existing Apostles Center for Care.  It will signal the completion of phase one of the project.  This incredible transformation involved the demolition of the main entrance, therapy room, dining room, activities room, bathing room, nurses station, medication room, nourishment room, exam room, staff bathroom and oxygen storage room as well as the demolition of all 32 resident bathrooms! 

The new front porch for Radcliffe House
and Fickes House takes shape.

The recreated households each offer their own living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room as well as full showers in each resident bathroom, and full function spas with whirlpool bath, hairwashing sink, hair dryer and flatscreen TV.  Unique features include the new main entrance for Fickes House and Radcliffe House welcoming you to a front porch both outside and inside the building, vaulted ceilings, quartz countertops, window seats in each living room, patios off each dining room, and bright, cheery sunrooms.  The households also feature a shared parlor, shared therapy space and full function kitchen that provides meals made to order.

The Housewarming will feature tours and refreshments.

Perhaps you would like to sponsor a gift for the housewarming party.  Both houses need plenty of items to make them more like home.  We have assembled the following House Warming Gift Registry.  If you would like to register for a gift, please contact Christine at the receptionist desk or Mary Shaeffer at extension 133.

The Housewarming Gift Registry:

18 Dining Room Chairs - $350 a piece

2 40" Flat Screen TVs above the fireplace in each living room - $400 a piece

2 Audio/Video Receivers for each living room - $300 a piece

2 DVD players for each living room - $50 a piece

8 Living room chairs - $400 a piece

4 Living room end tables - $200 a piece

2 Dining Room Buffets - $400 a piece

4 Sun room chairs $300 a piece

2 Sun room tables $200 a piece

2 22" Flat Screen TVs for each Spa - $200 a piece

2 Stand Hair Dryers for each Spa - $150 a piece

50 Bedspreads coordinated to the room decor - $99 a piece

2 Roll top Desks for Activities - $400 a piece

2 Laptops for resident use to Skype with family - $400 a piece

40 pieces of Artwork for rooms and corridors - $100 a piece

10 lamps for living rooms and sun rooms - $50 a piece

1 Table for the Parlor - $500

6 chairs for he Parlor - $200 a piece

1 Armoire or buffet for the Parlor - $400

We look forward to seeing you July 27th!

Welcome Back!

In the course of working toward fulfilling our mission, some staff members devote many years and even decades of their lives to making Homestead Village a better place to live and work.  Along that journey they are joined by many competent and caring individuals who, for a variety of reasons, choose to pursue a different challenge after a few years.  Sometimes great staff members leave due to an incredible job offer and sometimes it is the need to do something different. Homestead Village is blessed to welcome back three returning leaders who bring outstanding knowledge and capability to our leadership team.



Carol Huff



Carol Huff is returning to the position of Director of Nursing after a six year hiatus.  Carol served as Director of Nursing at Homestead Village from 2001 to 2005.  Our team is excited to welcome Carol back.  Her passion for quality resident care and her knowledge make her invaluable.  Carol has her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Millersville University and a Masters in Nursing with a concentration in geriatrics from the University of Deleware.  She has studied extensively both in the United States and the United Kingdom.



Yojaira Alamonte



Yojaira Almonte, Jay, is returning as our Registered Nurse Assessment Coordinator, a position she previously held in 2007-08.  While working at Homestead Village, Jay became a Registered Nurse .  She left to become an RNAC consultant and has helped numerous other nursing homes with their compliance.  Jay is very excited to return to Homestead Village to work with Carol Huff, whom she met while Carol was working as a Department of Health surveyor.



Laura Tallarico



Earlier this year, Laura Tallarico returned to Homestead Village as our Director of Human Resources.  Laura previously worked at Homestead Village over ten years ago as a receptionist while in Law School and returned to Homestead Village as an Assistant Administrator in 2008.  Laura has her law degree from Widener University and has clerked in the Lancaster Court system, worked as a public defender for three years and worked in private practice specializing in veterans affairs.  Laura's legal prowess brings a new component to our leadership team.

Homestead Village is very fortunate to be able to welcome these outstanding staff members back to its team.  It is also a reflection on the quality of our organization that these individuals desired to bring their talents back to Homestead Village.

Enhanced Senior Living means Enhanced Exercise Opportunties!

What does Enhanced Exercise look like?  Check out the following for just a sample of our outstanding fitness options.

Genesis Rehab Services ~ Our Physical Therapist Jim Dumser is a qualified geriatric professional who will work with you to design an exercise program tailored specifically for you.  If you are experiencing balance and/or strength problems, ask your medical doctor for a referral.

A Therapeutic Walking Club will begin on Friday, May 20 at 2 PM.  Meet at the track around the swimming pool and be prepared to walk. 

Kelly Ross; Certified in NETA Natural Exercise ~ Kelly will work with you one on one to make exercise safe, fun and motivating.  She will help you design an exercise program in your own living room, and /or show you how to use the Nova Care therapy equipment to enhance your exercise.  She charges $20 a session and they last one half hour to 45 minutes.  You may reach Kelly by calling 598-2243.

Aging Gracefully Exercise Class with Kelly Ross ~ Kelly has extensive training and experience with leading exercise with seniors. This group class is held on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in our Activities Room at 8 AM and again at 9 AM.  Kelly works with you so every body part is active using weights and bands.  Some exercises are done while sitting, and some leg and balance exercises are done while standing.  Laughter is considered very healthy, so a joke session is included at every class.  This exercise class is open to residents who are looking for a weekly exercise program.  There is no cost for this class. 

Taijiquan (Tai chi) is a Chinese Martial Art with roots tracing to ancient China.  It consists of choreographed movements.

·        Advanced Tai Chi Class- The Wednesday morning 9:30 AM class is in our Activities Room.  Instructor Dave Lundgren leads this session which runs for 12 weeks for a cost of $100. 

*Prerequisite:  two twelve week sessions of the Beginner Tai Chi Class and a referral from Suzanne Martin.  Please contact Karen Longenecker at 397-4831 Ext. 132 if you have interest in the class.

·        Beginner Tai Chi Class- The Friday morning 9:30 AM class is in our Activities Room.  Instructor Suzanne Martin is a certified Group Fitness Instructor through NETA with Active Older Adult Certification.  She received training and teaching in Tai Chi in central PA and regularly attends seminars to further her education.   This seated class runs for 12 weeks for a cost of $100.  Please contact Karen Longenecker at 397-4831 Ext. 132 if you have interest in this. 

Aquatic Exercise Class ~ with Kim Mannon is another great opportunity for fitness, this is open to all residents at no charge.  This class is held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1 PM in our Homestead Village pool.   Aquatic exercise is much gentler on joints than land exercise and increases muscle strength when using the resistance of the water.  Some new ideas are being introduced into the class from the Aquatics Exercise Association certification class Kim attended in September 2010.  You will need to have a release form signed by your family doctor in order to participate.  These forms may be obtained from Charlene Paul in the Accounting Office.  We have locker rooms for your convenience with changing.  Come and join us and be reassured there is no need to get your hair wet!

Leading the Way in Comfort & Care

"Leading the Way in Comfort and Care" is the name of our Capital Campaign to renovate the Apostles Center for Care and Westvue Personal Care into four small person-centered households for nursing and memory support care.  The key word is household.  Traditional nursing homes are institutional in appearance and more importantly, in the activities of daily living.  Homestead Village has been implementing its person centered approach for the past four years.  In fact, May 2 is the four year anniversary of our made-to-order breakfasts.  Lunch and dinner followed in August, 2007.



Radcliffe House Dining Room should open May 1!

 The renovation offers three distinct improvements in the Apostles Center for Care and our memory support personal care.  

First, the dining improvements that were initiated in 2007 will now be supported with outstanding kitchen and dining room facilities that are just like home. 

Second, the "institution" is being divided into houses of 12 to 20 residents with their own living room, dining room, kitchen and bedroom hallways.  Each bedroom will have its own full bath.  The four houses have been named for four generous benefactors who helped to make the campaign a success.  Fickes House and Radcliffe House are under renovation currently and will each serve 18-20 residents.  Young House and Gelhard House are both memory-support households for 12-14 residents.  Young House is part of the nursing home.  Gelhard house is a personal care residence.

Finally, the improved environment and facilities will allow our person-centered training and approach to flourish.  What does that mean?  As we learn to live and work in households, each resident's individual choices with respect to daily activities such as waking, dining, bathing and bedtime will be honored to the best of our ability.  Our ability will constantly improve as we take advantage of the benefits of the renovation and achieve greater levels of teamwork. 

So far approximately 120 Homestead Village stakeholders have contributed $3.1 million toward our ultimate goal of $4 million.  All of the money contributed will be used to greatly improve the quality of life of our residents by funding the improvements described above.  The plan is to complete the campaign in 2011, Homestead Village's 25th anniversary year.  With just eight months remaining, our work is cut out for us; but we have wonderful stakeholders.  We greatly appreciated your support of the campaign. 

If all of the Homestead Village stakeholders who have not yet given make a five year pledge to give, the average gift would only need to $900 per year to successfully complete the campaign!  Please consider giving to the campaign today!

New Apartments ready for sales in April.

This is what we have been waiting for!  62 apartments, underground parking, a 4500 square foot multi-purpose room and new, expanded dining rooms.  Combined with the renovated nursing households, Homestead Village will be truly state of the art in its accomodations and quality of life!

Initial sales will begin with current villa, cottage and apartment residents and then we will begin offering apartments to our priority list.  More information will follow soon.

The Homestead Village Blog has arrived!

Earlier today, I reposted the March Happenings and Herald article introducting the position of TLC - Team Lead Caregiver.  With that post, the new Homestead Village blog has begun. 

It is here that all From the President posts appearing in Homestead Village publications will originate and simultaneously appear on the Homestead Village Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/homesteadvillage.org.  Eventually the blog may include other thoughts from the leadership of Homestead Village.