Homeland Hospice is One of Life’s Miracles for Ginny Jones
Ginny Jones has been guided by miracles throughout her life. During times of darkness, support has found her and helped her take the next step. For her part, Ginny’s faith in God and humanity ensures her heart is always open to the unexpected grace that blesses us when we need it most. When Ginny’s beloved husband, Art, was in his final days of life, Homeland Hospice was the miracle she needed. Homeland Hospice is a hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania.
Art battled lung cancer for many years and often utilized Homeland’s HomeHealth services to recover at home. When pneumonia set in and a medical cure was no longer possible, his doctor recommended hospice services. For Art and Ginny, choosing Homeland was an easy decision.
“I didn’t know Homeland had a hospice program,” Ginny says. “We were impressed with the support from HomeHealth and immediately said yes to hospice.”
Ginny connected with the Homeland Hospice team on a Friday afternoon and within a few hours a white package was delivered with instructions to refrigerate immediately. A hospital bed arrived a few days later.
Less than 24 hours later, Ginny placed a dire call to Homeland. Art’s health had dramatically declined and he was growing more and more agitated. Her Homeland nurse instructed Ginny to look inside her refrigerator for medication which immediately brought Art comfort and Ginny peace. This solitary act of foresight was an answer to Ginny’s prayers and the start of Art’s peaceful end-of-life journey.
“The medicine is in your refrigerator,” Ginny says, “I will never forget these words. Homeland knew what I needed before I did.”
Over the next few weeks, the Homeland team surrounded Ginny and Art with support to ensure Art’s final days were as comfortable as possible. Art also had a special furry friend named Charlie, a Buchon Frise, who doubles as a therapy dog when visiting hospitals. Charlie sat on a love seat with his head between the bed rails to be as close to Art as possible.
“The morning Art died, Charlie left a dog toy on his bed,” Ginny says. “He knew it was time to say goodbye.”
Art died peacefully four days after his 85th birthday. He and Ginny were married for more than 51 years. In his final year of life, Art found his faith, which gave both of them peace.
During their decades together, Art and Ginny overcame obstacles which helped Ginny find her voice as an advocate for those in need and put her faith into action through ministry work. The couple had two daughters. Sarah was born with a mental health disorder which required her to be placed in a care facility when she was eight years old. Advocating for Sarah and children with similar challenges gave Ginny a voice she didn’t know she had. Ginny spent much of her career working to connect families with resources.
When Sarah entered her adult years and was able to live in her own apartment, she struggled to furnish her space with limited resources. Ginny was inspired and formed New Digs Ministry, Inc., in 2007 to provide gently used furniture and household goods to adults with mental health issues. New Digs has grown over the years to expand its scope of services to assist anyone in need of help when making a fresh start.
As Ginny, a self-described planner, looks toward her next phase in life, she plans to become a hospice volunteer. Charlie will be by her side to provide comfort in a way only a dog can. Ginny wants her peers to know about Homeland Hospice and shares information with her church congregation so others are prepared when facing an end-of-life journey.
“I have been blessed by Homeland,” Ginny says. “I want everyone to know this service is available.”
For more information about services for patients and families, call Homeland Hospice at (717) 221-7890.
Over the years, Homeland has learned that bringing together a talented group of professionals working toward a shared mission results in a successful workplace. Providing opportunities for employees to get to know each other outside of their job duties builds a team and creates a culture of compassion and friendship. The staff at Homeland strives to create an engaging culture where employees have fun through volunteering and spending time together.
This summer, staff held a corn hole tournament with food trucks. Staff members who didn’t know one another were paired together to play in the tournament. Since then, Homeland staff members have volunteered at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and collected coats for children in need living in Cumberland and Perry counties through the Warm the Children program.
“Our staff members have big hearts,” Kris Crockett, RN, BSN, CHPN, and Director of of Homeland Hospice said. “Working together to give back to the community has helped us create stronger bonds as coworkers.”
Since 1867, Homeland Center has been committed to meeting the ever-changing needs of the community. In keeping with this tradition, Homeland HomeHealth and Homeland HomeCare were established five years ago to provide a continuum of services for patients and their families using a team-approach, which places patients at the center of care. Since the launch of these services, thousands of patients have received exemplary care by a team who treats them like family.
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