Honoring Those Who Serve

By Larry Zook, President

June 30, 2009

Panpha, an association of nonprofit aging services in Pennsylvania, awarded two Distinguised Service Awards to members of the Landis Homes community on June 25 at its annual conference in Hershey, PA. Dr J. Kenneth Brubaker received the Paul P. Haas Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for his 18 years of service on the Landis Homes Board of Directors as well as his role as Medical Director at Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, PA. Nancy Pawling also received the Caregiver of the Year Award in recognition of her thirty-five years of service at Landis Homes, which continue in her current work with Landis at Home. Also receiving a Caregiver of the Year Award was Sheila Hill-Crosson of The 58th Street Presbyterian Home in Philadelphia.

According to the award booklet distributed at a brunch honoring the award recipients, the PANPHA Distinguished Service Awards were created to honor those special individual and group efforts that exceed the already high standard of commitment and service that is common among PANPHA members. These exceptional individuals give their time, talents, and abundant energy to their facilities, and the field of aging in a way that visibly shows the commitment and dedication alive in their hearts.

The award booklet include the following descriptions:

Paul P. Haas Lifetime Achievement Award - J. Kenneth Brubaker, MD

As a person who gives his heart and soul to his passion for caring for the older patient, Dr. Kenneth Brubaker epitomized the best in geriatric care. Throughout the course of his 35-year career he has been a tireless, compassionate and humble leader in many settings - serving as medical director for Masonic Village and numerous other Lancaster area facilities; as a board member at Landis Homes; and as a highly effective mentor and educator inspiring up and coming physicians with a love and understanding for the senior patient. As an active and creative leader in advancing programs and services for the aging, Ken's gift for inspiring others to do their best performance has blazed a trail for dedication and excellence that many have followed. In addition to co-founding Norlanco Family Health Center in the early 70s, Ken has also served as a visionary in the founding of the Anabaptist Providers Group; as President of the Board for the Pennsylvania Medical Directors Association, and on the Pennsylvania Attorney General Advisory Board for Elder Abuse. Most recently, he received national recognition as the American Medical Directors Association's Medical Director of the Year and was also recipient of the Attorney General's Award for Excellence for outstanding service to the citizens of Pennsylvania. In honor of his unparalleled dedication, service and leadership, PANPHA is pleased to name Dr. Kenneth Brubaker as recipient of this year's Paul P. Haas Lifetime Achievement Award. His lifelong commitment to seniors will be felt for many years to come.

Caregiver of the Year Award - Nancy Pawling

Nancy Pawling's story consists not only of a few specific instances of exemplary care, but of a lifetime filled with honoring and serving others. Throughout the course of her thirty-five year tenure at Landis Homes, she has shone as an example of the community's core values of integrity and compassion, and as a role model in raising the bar for the provision of superior quality care to seniors. Starting initially in the early 70's as a Certified Nursing Assistant in the small healthcare center at Landis Homes, Nancy "officially" retired a few years ago, and now works in the community's new health services program, Landis at Home, providing the supportive assistance to residents on campus as well as older persons in the surrounding community. Her calm and gentle manner instantly puts people at ease and her uncanny gift for anticipating others needs before they recognize them themselves makes everyone she comes into contact with feel special. Ever-present with a smile and helpful hand, Nancy never hesitates to take time out of her busy schedule in order to assist a fellow employee or resident in need. Always open for an adventure and refusing to slow down, one recent endeavor took her high into the sky on a plane ride over Lancaster County to make a patient's dream come true! In recognition of her exemplary work and continued service to others, PANPHA is honored to name Nancy Pawling as Nursing Caregiver of the Year.

Find out more about Panpha at:

back  |  printer-friendly version