Transitioning from a Hospital Stay to Hospice Care: Homeland’s Nurse Liaisons Help Build Bridges for Patients

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Arranging end-of-life care for a loved one following a hospital discharge is often confusing, filled with fear, and sometimes urgency. In difficult times like these, Buffie Finney, Nurse Liaison for Homeland Hospice, is there to help patients and families.

For nearly 30 years, Buffie has worked in the nursing profession helping to meet the diverse needs of patients in and out of the hospital setting. For the past decade, Buffie has been part of the Homeland team, which helps patients navigate their end-of-life journey by providing compassionate, high-quality care and support for family members. Buffie is a subject expert on hospital discharges and the pressure it places on patients and families.

“Sometimes patients enter the hospital with an unknown illness and receive a diagnosis of a terminal disease,” Buffie says. “No one anticipates hearing the end is near.”

Buffie and the Homeland team have built strong working relationships with local hospitals who often refer patients to Homeland. In other cases, friends or loved ones of the patient recommend Homeland based on their experiences.

“Homeland’s word-of-mouth reputation is strong,” Buffie adds. “We strive to provide excellent care and are honored to be top-of-mind in the community.”

The first step for the Homeland team begins by meeting patients, family members and physicians in the hospital to assess the patient’s needs. This initial meeting is informational to give options for patients and their families to consider.

Sometimes shift changes and early rounds make it challenging for families to connect with the patient’s physician. Clear and consistent conversations are so important for families to be able to make the best choices for their loved ones. With emotions and frustration levels running high, Buffie finds the most important thing she can do to help is simply listen.

“We want patients and families to share their emotions, ask questions and vent their fears and anger,” Buffie says. “In that moment, they need a friend.”

For patients who choose Homeland Hospice’s services, a care plan is quickly enacted for a seamless transition from hospital to home. All supplies needed are ordered to be delivered and set up at the patient’s home. Depending on the patient’s needs, the Homeland team can include a physician, nurse, aide, social worker, chaplain, therapist and volunteers. Homeland provides a holistic plan of care to allow families to spend quality time with their loved ones during this emotional time.

“We understand how difficult these conversations can be,” Buffie says. “We encourage everyone to talk about end-of-life care with their loved ones before they are in a difficult situation.”

Conversations had during non-stressful moments allow time for research, reflection and planning to bring everyone comfort. End-of-life will come for everyone so planning now can ensure a continuum of care for patients and peace of mind for family members.

Despite the emotional situations her job may bring, Buffie finds beauty and love in her work and great admiration for the Homeland staff who deliver outstanding service with heart. She became a nurse as a second career after her corporate job ended abruptly. She was a single mom with two small children balancing classes to earn her nursing degree.

“It was the hardest time of my life,” Buffie adds. “It was all worth it because I love this work and the families I meet.”

For more information, visit Homeland Hospice or call (717) 857-7400.

Board of Managers member Sue Zaccano: Giving from the heart

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Sue Zaccano toured three retirement facilities looking for the right place for her mom. She specifically wanted a nonprofit that would continue caring for her mom after she expended her resources.

At the second place she visited, the guide suggested she try Homeland Center.

“I could tell the people were special, and we decided this was where my mom would come,” she said.

Zaccano’s mother lived at Homeland, in Personal Care, and the Ellenberger Unit for Memory Care for her final two years. After her mother died, Homeland approached Zaccano about serving on its Board of Managers.

For Zaccano, who describes Homeland as an “oasis,” the answer was an immediate yes.

The Board of Managers is Homeland’s unique, all-women volunteer group. It continues in the tradition of the 18 women who founded the “Home for the Friendless” in 1867 to care for the widows and orphans left by the Civil War. Together, its members tend to the details and little touches that give Homeland its renowned homelike feel — throwing parties, decorating, and talking with residents.

“It’s more like a home,” she said. “It’s really nice to hear the residents say that Homeland is their home.”

Zaccano retired from The Hershey Company after a 39-year career in product development, though she still works there part-time. She initially worked in research and development, later serving as part of a team developing snack items and overseeing product recipes for accuracy and quality across multiple divisions.

In retirement, Zaccano devotes her time to helping others.

She gives away her homegrown, handmade catnip toys and knit caps for the homeless. With her love for cooking and baking, she makes chicken soup with bone broth and vegetables for Homeland Hospice families. Her daughter’s Coast Guard station recently got a fresh-from-the-factory shipment of Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs.

Zaccano’s daughter gifted her with a four-pack of Hershey Gardens tickets, so on her visits, she finds her companions by approaching people in the parking lot and offering them her extra passes.

“One group at Hershey Gardens didn’t speak much English,” she said. “Afterwards, the one person who did said, ‘Can I give you a hug?’”

Although she is selfless with her volunteer time, she calls it selfishness because of the enjoyment it gives her.

“I don’t expect anything in return except for the feeling it gives me,” she said. “It’s a feeling I get for doing something that makes somebody else feel good.”

Zaccano gets that feeling by helping at Homeland. She enjoys writing birthday cards to staff members and meeting the residents.

During a recent resident trip to the area’s new L.L. Bean store and Hershey’s Chocolate World, she happily used her retired-employee card to get discounts on hot chocolate for everyone. For the upcoming Board of Managers’ spring party and its “Sound of Music” theme, she volunteered to help bake batches of applesauce muffins.

Zaccano grew up in Cooperstown, NY, and worked at a Lancaster veterinary hospital after earning an associate’s degree in veterinary science. She then attended Elizabethtown College, where she met her husband. She returned to the Harrisburg area after moving to upstate New York to work as a medical technician.

Her daughter, Tahnee, a U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduate, serves as a search and rescue coordinator in the Seattle area. Her son, Mike, known as “Mushroom Mike,” has a Pittsburgh-area mushroom farm that supplies local restaurants.

Volunteering at Homeland helps give back to the place that cared for her mother – a place where the care is genuine.

“The people here wanted to know more about my mother,” she said. “It wasn’t like she was just a patient. She was a person. I feel like they cared enough about her, that she was a person and not a number.”

Ory Bower Finds Calling in New Role as Volunteer Coordinator

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Ory Bower’s experience with Homeland Hospice has come full circle. He began as a volunteer in 2018, and was quickly inspired by Homeland’s mission to make a difference in the lives of others. Ory joined Homeland’s staff in an administrative position in 2021 and has worked in a variety of positions over the years. He recently took on the role of volunteer coordinator, which gives him the opportunity to work alongside Homeland’s inspiring volunteers.

“When I started as a volunteer, I really connected with patients,” Ory says. “I made regular phone calls to lift their spirits.”

During his time talking to patients, Ory learned to understand what makes each person tick. He fondly remembers a woman who loved to quilt, and would update him on her latest projects and what she planned for future creations.

“She found comfort in completing tasks,” Ory remembers. “This gave her a sense of control in her life.”

Ory believes his perspective as a volunteer will help him in his new role. He understands no detail is too small. Every conversation, note, and encounter can make a difference in someone’s life. He looks forward to new and different ways he can engage with volunteers as well as patients and their families.

Since taking on this role in January, Ory has connected personally with each volunteer to gather their insights and feedback on current and future programs. Homeland’s life-changing work is made possible by volunteers who share their time and compassion with others. From working directly with patients to helping with administrative tasks, volunteers are the lifeblood of the organization.

One of the most popular volunteer opportunities is home visits with patients and their families. Volunteers read aloud, chat, play games and look at family photos to help provide patients comfort and friendship. These moments can be moving, and often lead to strong bonds between volunteers and patients.

In addition to personal visits, volunteers have opportunities to connect with patients through programs such as Homeland’s Soup & Casserole program that provides meals for patients and their families. Another program called My Life, My Legacy gives hospice patients an opportunity to tell their life story. The end result is a book with photos and memories for families cherish after their loved one’s passing. This program is very popular among volunteers.

“Our volunteers have so much dedication and compassion,” Ory says. “We truly couldn’t do our work without them.”

Ory grew up and lives in Newport. He attended Messiah University where he earned his degree in ministry. While he didn’t know about Homeland after graduation, he felt a calling to refocus his life to help others. This internal call to action along with his understanding of Homeland’s work will help him thrive in his new role.

“There is so much joy in this work,” Ory says. “I am proud to be part of the Homeland team.”

For more information on volunteer opportunities with Homeland Hospice, call Ory at (717) 221-7890.

From founders to Board of Managers: Homeland’s unbroken legacy of caring

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collage of homeland board of managers membersWhat makes a house into a home? A friendly smile. A helpful hand. A family feel. A warm environment.

Homeland is blessed with a Board of Managers dedicated to creating and sustaining the welcoming feel that has made Homeland a home for generations of residents, their families, and staff.

The Board of Managers is Homeland’s unique, all-women volunteer group. Its legacy dates to the 18 women who founded the “Home for the Friendless” in 1867 to care for Harrisburg’s widows and orphans left by the Civil War. Together, its members tend to the details and little touches that give Homeland its renowned homelike feel — throwing parties, decorating, and engaging with residents.

Today’s Board of Managers members honor their predecessors by infusing their work with a devotion to the mission and a professionalism that gets the job done.

The beginning

The Civil War remains the bloodiest conflict in American history, and after the guns fell silent, Harrisburg, like communities across the country, was left stunned by the staggering losses its families had suffered.

But 18 women representing nine Harrisburg churches vowed to make a difference and establish a “Home for the Friendless’’ to save the widows and orphaned children from life on the streets.

It was an act made more remarkable by the times: in the 19th century, married women could not legally conduct the business functions required. Undeterred, the members of what became Homeland’s first Board of Lady Managers convinced seven prominent men to lend their support and serve as the Board of Trustees.

“This was a very brave group of women,” said Board of Managers Chair Nancy Hull. “They themselves took upon this task to help the orphans, the renegades, and the widows throughout Harrisburg who needed help and support. I’m sure they had to have some fear involved with the people they called ‘homeless,’ but they knew what had to be done.”

The founders smartly circumvented the era’s restrictions on women by leveraging their skills, names, and husbands’ connections to make things happen. Their “Society for the Home for the Friendless” earned its charter in 1866, and those 18 undaunted women formed themselves into the “Board of Lady Managers” to oversee routine operations.

Remarkably, that facility stands today as the centerpiece of what has grown into Homeland Center and the extension of its highly respected services into the community through Homeland at Home; these include Homeland Hospice, Homeland Palliative Care, Homeland HomeHealth, and Homeland HomeCare.

Continuing the mission

The legacy of those 18 women has stood as soundly as its building. The Board of Managers remains the hands-on organizer of renovations, decorating, and events that the residents highly anticipate, from casino days to sock hops, complete with an Elvis Presley tribute artist.

Nothing escapes the keen eyes of the Board members. They dust Homeland’s enormous collection of Hummel figurines, which brighten the public spaces. When residents said they missed French fries—a difficult dish to serve hot and fresh at an institutional scale—the Board of Managers brought in a French fry truck.

“We realize that for the people who live here, the residents, this is their home for the rest of their lives, so we have to make it a home,” Hull said.

Of course, people make guests feel welcomed at their homes, and Immediate Past Chair Alicelyn Sleber recalls the day an ice cream truck came to Homeland. One resident wanted to stay in her room, awaiting a visit from her granddaughter and her boyfriend, but Sleber said, “Well, bring them!”

“Her face lit up,” Sleber said. “She felt good because she could offer something to them.”

With their intense involvement in Homeland’s daily life, Board members work closely with staff to coordinate events, such as holding a spring tea or taking over the Main Dining Room for the spring party (this year’s theme is “Sound of Music”).

Today’s Board of Managers focuses on big goals while never forgetting Homeland’s rich and productive past.

“We owe it to the founders to honor their legacy and to carry on their hopes of what they wanted to accomplish in the community,’’ Sleber said. “They left us the essence of giving back, the gift of our time and effort to meet the community’s needs. We still offer food, shelter, and the necessities, but we’ve enhanced it. I really think that we are carrying on what they started.”

Mother and Daughter Team Share Their Love of Homeland Hospice

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Mary Williard and Mandy Webster of Homeland Hospice“We love hearing stories from our patients about their lives,” Mary Williard and Mandy Webster say in unison. Their shared passion for their work with Homeland Hospice is obvious as is their similar smile. Mary and Mandy are a dynamic mother and daughter team who provide exceptional care to patients and families in upper Dauphin County and the surrounding area. Homeland Hospice is a hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania.

Mandy, of Halifax, grew up in nursing homes as her mother, Mary, worked in an administrative role for a local nursing home when she was a child. Mandy frequently joined her mother at work and loved to visit residents, often coloring and playing games with them to pass the time. After high school, Mandy became a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and began working in the nursing home setting. While she loved her residents, she knew they would benefit from more personalized time.

“Homeland Hospice aides often visited the nursing home,” Mandy says. “I saw how much time they spent with patients and knew that’s what I was meant to do.”

Homeland Hospice helps patients live as fully and comfortably as possible by providing symptom management and pain relief; social and aide care services and complementary therapies; spiritual support and on-call support.

Mandy joined the Homeland team in 2016 and has loved every minute of her work. Her schedule gives her a healthy work-life balance. She is the proud mother of two vivacious daughters who love spending time with their mom. Mandy’s youngest daughter’s name, Evelyn, was inspired by one of Mandy’s first patients.

“Evelyn was very scared when we first met,” Mandy adds. “We worked together to form a strong and beautiful bond. She meant so much to me.”

For Mandy, it’s the team approach to providing the highest quality care that makes her role rewarding. In addition to a CNA, the Homeland Hospice team can include a nurse, social worker, and chaplain, as well as additional therapists as needed. This holistic approach to care ensures all aspects of a patient’s needs are met.

One year after Mandy joined Homeland Hospice, she convinced her mother to join her. Mary, of Dalmatia, had been working for a nursing home and was eager to focus on patient care by spending more time attending to their needs. Mary, a licensed registered nurse, is now a RN Case Manager for Homeland Hospice.

Mary is often the first point of contact for patients and their families. When a patient begins care, she meets with them to develop a comprehensive care plan. This includes assembling a team based on the type of care needed. Providing the highest quality care is her top priority. Like Mandy, she has fond memories of patients. One specific patient shared stories of his fascinating life which she holds close to her heart today.

This patient grew up in a farming family who lived on an island on the Susquehanna River. He would row his boat, along with his sister, to school every day. His sister’s best friend faithfully waited on the bank of the river to greet them.

“After high school, he married his sister’s friend who waited for them every morning,” Mary says. “I like to think of that sweet image when I remember him.”

In her role, Mary interacts with many members of the community as well as family and friends who ask her about hospice. She is quick to alleviate their fears and concerns.

“Many people don’t understand the comfort and peace hospice brings,” Mary adds. “They are surprised by the scope and breadth of our services.”

While Mandy and Mary love caring for their patients, they are touched by the emotion and gratitude they receive in return. Patients thank them profusely for their visits and express concern about them driving in snowy weather.

“Our patients think of us as often as we think of them,” Mandy and Mary agree. “This is what we were meant to do.”

For more information about services for patients and families, call Homeland Hospice at (717) 221-7890.