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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.

Called to Serve Others: Meet Volunteer Coordinator Tamara Jaroszewski

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Homeland Volunteer Coordinator Tamara JaroszewskiAs a young woman, Tamara Jaroszewski of Harrisburg experienced the profound impact of hospice services when her sister died of breast cancer at age 40. For Tamara, hospice work became a beacon of hope and inspiration. She felt called to help patients during their end-of-life journey. Her call was recently answered when she joined Homeland’s Hospice team as the volunteer coordinator. Homeland Hospice, a nonprofit hospice program, serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania.

“I proudly do this work in honor of my sister,” Tamara says. “I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

Tamara joined Homeland after working as a volunteer coordinator for a large hospice organization that served a sizable region. Her work with Homeland gives Tamara the opportunity to build relationships with patients and their families and the dedicated cadre of hospice volunteers. 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.

“I am getting to know our volunteers personally,” Tamara adds. “I am overwhelmed by their kindness and dedication to our work.”

Many volunteers find personal satisfaction from the relationships formed through patient visits. Often, patients think of volunteers as an extension of their family. Tamara helps support these relationships and assists volunteers to ensure they feel supported in their roles. When a volunteer returned to her scheduled patient visits after a reprieve to grieve the death of her father, Tamara was by her side.

“I knew her first visit back could be difficult,” Tamara says. “We approached it as a team.”

While Tamara has been with Homeland for only a few months, she is impressed by the longevity of service and creativity volunteers bring to their work. Many individuals have dedicated years to the organization and continue to raise their hands to take on new and different projects to bring comfort to patients and their families.

Tamara is excited to see more people participate in My Life, My Legacy, which gives hospice patients an opportunity to tell their life story to a volunteer who records the responses and allows the family to add their thoughts and recollections, as well as photographs. The end result is a printed book for the patient to help him/her find peace, and pride in his/her life story. The book also helps families preserve memories after their loved one dies.

“The books are beautifully written,” Tamara adds. “Our volunteers put their heart and souls into these projects and it shows.”

As Tamara grows in her tenure with Homeland, she looks forward to shepherding new projects as they evolve to benefit patients. For her, each day is a new and wonderful opportunity to build on Homeland’s rich history of service.

“You know when you are in the right place,” Tamara says. “I feel I was destined to do this work.”

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

The Power of Music In the Lives of Hospice Patients

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logo for music and memory“You, my brown eyed girl.” The lyrics of “Brown Eyed Girl,” Van Morrison’s nostalgic and catchy song from 1967, is familiar to many and a portal to another time for others. For anyone growing up in the 1960s, this song and others from this era evoke memories of times with friends and the feeling of freedom that comes with youth.

Music has the power to connect us to memories hidden in the recesses of our brain and ignite energy in our mind and body. Homeland Hospice, a nonprofit hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania, uses a music and memory program to bring patients comfort and peace during their end-of-life journey. Through this program, volunteers work with a patient’s family to create a playlist specific to the patient’s interests.

For Stephanie Douglas of Carlisle, the song “Brown Eyed Girl” has a new meaning after she played the song for a hospice patient. Stephanie has volunteered with Homeland Hospice for several years. A self-described hugger, Stephanie believes human touch relieves stress and restores calm in the body. When “Brown Eyed Girl” was played, the patient’s demeanor changed.

“The tension disappeared from her face,” Stephanie says. “I could feel her lightly squeeze my hand.”

Stephanie’s patient was nonverbal. She conveyed her emotions through facial expressions and the occasional tightening of her hands. Music was a lifeline to connect her to her past. Stephanie’s patient loved musicals and would often sing and dance throughout her home during her younger years.

“We filled the playlist with musicals and her favorite songs,” Stephanie adds. “We even added holiday songs since my visits were close to Christmas.”

The music helped transport the patient’s memory to a time when illness did not exist. The stress in her face and occasional tears were replaced with lifted eyebrows and wide eyes of excitement. In addition to “Brown Eyed Girl,” holiday songs like “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Up on the Housetop” changed the patient’s demeanor.

“Her face looked peaceful and her eyes grew wide with excitement,” Stephanie says. “I could see her shoulders shimmy ever so slightly.”

Hearing is widely thought to be the last sense to decline during the process of dying, making music the ideal way to connect and ease worries. Music also provides comfort to caregivers.

For Kelly Willenborg of Florida, educating people about the power of music and memory has been her professional life’s work. Kelly is a brain health gerontologist, a researcher who studies the impact of aging. Among her many accomplishments in this field, Kelly launched the Healing Jukebox to bring musical engagement to senior living homes. She also is part of the documentary “Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory” and has developed a series of questions to help guide family members when creating a unique playlist. She uses a free Spotify App for ease of use.

Kelly connected with Homeland Hospice several months ago to bring this organized and purposeful approach of music and memory to Homeland.

“Homeland is one of the first hospice organizations to use this program,” Kelly says. “I hope this is the spark to encourage people across the country to try this approach.”

While more music therapists are in need to keep up with the aging Baby Boomer Generation, the music and memory program is an easy and free approach anyone can use to care for their loved one.

For Stephanie, her experience with music and her hospice patient was a powerful lesson she used when caring for her father during his final days earlier this year. Stephanie developed a playlist of her dad’s favorite music including music from the Four Freshman.

“Music took my dad to a place of comfort,” Stephanie says. “The songs helped all of us find peace during a difficult time.”

The power of human connection brought Stephanie to Homeland as a volunteer. The opportunity to make meaningful connections and utilize new services, like music, has given her a volunteer experience like no other.

“I love my time with Homeland,” Stephanie adds. “I am thrilled to add music as another way to connect with patients.”

For more information about Homeland Hospice, call (717) 221-7890.

Barbara and Phil Talarico’s Carpool Love Story

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Barbara and Phil Talarico smiling togetherA love connection often begins at the most unexpected time. An ordinary day can be the start of an extraordinary relationship. Call it destiny or luck, 40 years ago on a cold and wintry day, Phil Talarico saw his now wife Barbara waiting for the bus to go to work. He offered her a ride and the two have been together ever since. The couple has created a beautiful life filled with faith, family and love of serving others, including volunteering with Homeland Hospice.

Before that momentous winter day, Barbara and Phil knew each other from their coworkers. On Thursday nights, Barbara and Phil would join their friends who worked at various departments at the State of Pennsylvania for a night out. Conversation was easy on their first ride to work and soon the couple was carpooling regularly.

“Most people looked forward to the weekends,” Barbara says. “I looked forward to the weekdays so I could see Phil.”

Barbara and Phil were married a year and half later. They recently celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary and have two grown children. For the past three decades, the couple has lived in Mechanicsburg. They began volunteering for Homeland after retiring more than 10 years ago. Barbara’s mother had received excellent care through a hospice organization in Altoona and the couple had a friend living at Homeland Center.

“Several signs pointed us to Homeland,” Barbara adds. “We were ready to jump right in to helping out.”

Barbara and Phil completed a comprehensive volunteer training program provided by Homeland before visiting patients receiving hospice care. Barbara’s first patient was Charlie who quickly became a grandfather figure to her. Charlie was under care for more than two years which gave Barbara time to get to know him and hear his life story.

“Charlie was family to me,” Barbara says. “I was heartbroken when he died.”

Phil understands the heartache and wonderment of life that comes when you walk with a patient on their end-of-life journey. Phil’s most memorable patient was a young man who passed away at 30-years-old.

“I cried my eyes out when he died,” Phil says. “It was one of the saddest moments in my life.”

During his time with a different patient, Phil was by the man’s side as he was actively dying. The man told Phil he saw an angel standing close to Phil. The utter awe of this moment stays with Phil to this day.

“I have read books about people describing their experiences as they are close to death,” Phil adds. “I was blessed to hear this firsthand.”

In addition to patient visits, Barbara and Phil participate in the Wreaths Across America event held each December across the country. Locally, Homeland Hospice holds a wreath-laying ceremony at Dauphin County Cemetery. Volunteers place wreaths and flags on the fence outlining the cemetery. The flags represent each branch of the military, soldiers missing in action and prisoners of war.

The couple has also helped support countless Homeland events like the Homeland Hospice 5K and Memory Walk and remembrance dinners. This shared volunteer experience helps the couple further connect and bond.

“I learn so much from the patients I visit,” Phil adds. “I enjoy telling Barbara about my experiences.”

Barbara has also taken on administrative duties at Homeland’s office. She volunteers to make bereavement calls and helps with mailings and general office duties. This has given her added insight into the scope of Homeland’s work.

Barbara and Phil exemplify the power of compassionate volunteerism in action. Their positive spirit and love for others fill the hearts of those around them, especially those of the hospice patients they serve.

“We love Homeland,” Barbara says. “We can’t imagine our lives without this organization.”

For more information on how to volunteer with Homeland, call (717) 222-7890.

A guiding light: Volunteer Susan Stillman’s tech expertise helps Homeland focus on care

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Volunteer Susan Stillman smiling under a treeVolunteers come in many forms, and Homeland loves them all. They bring a helping hand to activities. They lend a listening ear.

Then there are those like Susan Stillman, behind the scenes but playing a vital role in ensuring that Homeland runs smoothly, and staff do their best for the comfort and care of residents and patients.

Susan retired in 2021 from a career in business analysis, but soon began to use her skills for Homeland, working closely with the development and marketing staff to help transform the customer relationship management (CRM) experience. With sleeker, more efficient systems, staff gets more time to create innovative programs, develop resources, and communicate directly with partners, families, and donors.

“It’s all of the things I loved about my previous job that I’m getting to do again for Homeland,” Susan said.

Susan, a native of Arlington, VA, majored in anthropology and English literature. She said with a laugh that she “was able to parlay those into a career in business analysis.” It started early in her career when she worked at a library that needed to automate its card catalog.

“They didn’t have anybody with the computer skills to do it,” she said. “I said, ‘I don’t have them, either, but I’m willing to learn.’”

From there, she went into tech support, training, and business analysis. Susan explains that business analysts help organizations find and incorporate the software needed to solve problems. It’s a beginning-to-end process involving research, collaboration, testing, and training.

Susan was a business analyst for about 22 years with the American Cancer Society’s Pennsylvania division, based in Hershey. She had come to southcentral Pennsylvania to escape the over-congested Washington area. During the pandemic, her job was downsized.

“I realized I didn’t have to go back to work, so I didn’t,” she said.

Susan fills her time with volunteering that’s meaningful and substantial. With Loving Care Cat Rescue (LCCR), she adopted a pair of cats and began performing volunteer technical work. Today, she manages the adoption application process, serves on the board, and provides resources that cat foster care providers need to succeed.

“With everything, I get to do to help the fosters, assist with the adoption process, and get our kitties into good homes … it’s very rewarding,” Susan said.

Searching for an additional volunteer opportunity, Susan learned about the Homeland Hospice position on volunteermatch.org. She knew she didn’t have the “emotional fortitude” to work directly with patients, but she knew data entry was in her wheelhouse.

Soon, Homeland Hospice staff learned about her professional background, and they happily accepted her offer to help adopt the new CRM system. It was a challenge. They had to unify the separate systems used by Homeland Hospice and the development and marketing departments. With Susan’s help, they found a system that meets the needs of all three operations.

“Susan has been awesome in steering us in the right direction with which system to choose, and she continues to provide support and training as we learn to use this new platform,” said Homeland director of marketing Wendy Shumaker. “It has been a very big project, and we are immensely grateful for her involvement.”

Susan helped merge three databases, run data reports that reveal fresh insights into Homeland operations, and train staff in using the new system.

“I love being able to solve problems, make people’s lives easier, and give them the tools they need to be effective,” said Susan.

The Homeland team is a pleasure to work with, she adds. She credits Homeland Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Laurie Murry with keeping volunteers engaged and training them in “the knowledge they need to support the organization.”

“She stays in touch with everybody, so regardless of your role, you always feel connected,” Susan said.

Susan also enjoys cooking global cuisine and is a regular blood platelet donor. She lives in a circa-1935 home in Susquehanna Township, which her husband is “single-handedly rebuilding,” she said.

Even amid her volunteer duties, the avid reader dives into a murder mystery daily. Susan counts Louise Penny and Margaret Maron as her favorite authors.

“I spend about an hour or two a day reading, taking advantage of the fact that I am actually retired.”

Homeland Center offers levels of care including personal care, memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation. The outreach services of Homeland at Home provide hospice, palliative care, home health, and home care to serve the diverse and changing needs of families throughout central Pennsylvania. For more information or to arrange a tour, please call 717-221-7900.

Kandy Melillo Helps Hospice Patients Tell Their Life Story

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Volunteer, Kandy Melillo
The smell of warm chocolate chip cookies coming out of the oven or lilacs blooming in mid-spring signifying summer is on its way. Scents can trigger a flood of memories from our past. Often the memories come back to us so clearly, we can see ourselves eating the cookies with our loved ones or the exact location of the lilac tree. For Kandy Melillo, a volunteer with Homeland Hospice, these nuggets of information help tell the story of a person’s life through the My Life, My Legacy program. Homeland Hospice is a nonprofit hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania.

My Life, My Legacy is an opportunity for hospice patients to tell their life story to a volunteer who records the responses and allows the family to add their thoughts and recollections, as well as photographs. The end result is a printed book for the patient to help find peace and pride in their life story. The book also helps families preserve memories after their loved one dies.

Since 2021, Kandy has completed books for three patients. Through the process, Kandy has heard what is most important in a person’s life and how we all want to be remembered for showing kindness and love to others.

“Everyone talks about the importance of family,” Kandy says. “It is special to hear this because of the love I have for my family.”

Along the way, Kandy formed a special friendship with Rita Van Meter of Lewistown, who no longer needs hospice services. Kandy completed Rita’s book in February of 2022 after many lively phone calls and visits together. Rita is often called the “Miracle Lady” for overcoming medical milestones.

“Rita’s life is one of perseverance and resilience,” Kandy adds. “I learned so much about inner strength from our time together.”

Making personal connections with others, like Rita, is what called Kandy to volunteering with Homeland Hospice. Kandy’s mother passed away in a hospital without hospice services. The setting felt cold and detached and left Kandy with a spark to help change someone’s end-of-life journey. She became a Homeland volunteer soon after retiring from her career as an administrative law judge in Harrisburg.

volunteer Kandy Melillo with a patientThrough her experiences with the My Life, My Legacy program, Kandy has created a six-step outline to serve as a roadmap for volunteers to use as they interview patients and their families. The steps include questions about one’s early life, school years, higher education or vocation, work history, family history and further reflections. Kandy has found these questions frequently evoke treasured memories and stories.

“Patients have shared with me beautiful stories about milestone events in their lives,” Kandy says. “Often the memories are so vivid they can remember distinct sounds and scents.”

Kandy interviews patients three to four times before drafting the final book. This process gives her and the patient time to reflect on their conversations and make edits or additions to the piece. The final product is a treasured gift for the patient and a rewarding experience for Kandy.

The concept for My Life, My Legacy was based on feedback from volunteers who heard remarkable stories during their visits with patients. Laurie Murry, Volunteer Coordinator for Homeland Hospice, used the “life review” process as a framework for the program. During a life review, volunteers learn about a patient’s life to help the Homeland team best serve their needs. Volunteers and staff believed this process could be enhanced to better tell a patient’s story.

“Our volunteers guided the creation of the program,” Laurie says. “Their insight has been invaluable.”

My Life, My Legacy continues to grow and improve thanks to the insight of its volunteers, like Kandy, and the families who participate.

“Homeland provides wonderful support for its volunteers,” Kandy says. “I am grateful for my experiences and the stories I have heard.”

For more on becoming a hospice volunteer or more about the My Life, My Legacy program, call Laurie Murry at (717) 221-7890.