Home Health & Hospice Care

04/28/2026

As we wrap up Volunteer Month, we’re honored to recognize volunteers like Gail Basilere 💙

Gail joined Home Health & Hospice Care three years ago after caring for her father, where she saw how simple presence and her Reiki training could bring comfort and improve quality of life. Today, she is a Master Reiki practitioner and a valued part of our volunteer team.

In our dementia unit, Gail brings connection and joy to nonverbal patients by sitting, listening, and meeting them where they are. She also channels her love of sewing into creating personalized fidget mats, and at times leads mini ponies through the halls to lift spirits.

Gail also sits vigil with families, delivers medications to homebound patients and caregivers, and is always ready to help wherever needed.

Volunteers like Gail show that care is found in compassion, creativity, and simply being there. We are so grateful for all she gives.

04/27/2026

FINAL REMINDER! We need your vote for the Community Matters More campaign from Bangor Savings Bank. With your support, we could receive a $2,500 grant to benefit our patients and families.

✔️ Vote just once during the month of April through this link: bangor.com/cmm
✔️ Enter your name and email...you can vote once per email address
✔️ Write in: Home Health & Hospice Care – Merrimack, NH

Every vote helps us continue providing compassionate care right here in our community. Thank you for showing your support...we are so grateful!

04/24/2026

Voting is open now for the Union Leader Readers’ Choice Awards and we need your support 💙

Please take a moment to vote for Home Health & Hospice Care as Best NH Home Health Service (under Senior Living). Last year, we won Silver...help us bring home the Gold!

✔️ You can vote once per day, per category
✔️ Don’t forget to come back daily and cast your vote

Link to vote: https://unionleader.secondstreetapp.com/2026-Readers-Choice-/

And if you’re willing, please share with your friends and family to help spread the word! Thank you for standing with us and supporting compassionate care in our community.

04/23/2026

April is Occupational Therapy Month, and we’re proud to celebrate the incredible impact our team makes every day 💙

Today, we’re highlighting Kelly Stephens, whose words beautifully capture what makes this work so meaningful:

“It’s a privilege to work at Home Health & Hospice Care. As an OT, there’s no better setting than a patient’s home, where we can support independence and the activities that bring meaning to daily life. This setting offers insights you simply don’t get in institutional care, allowing us to meet patients where they are and support them through difficult moments with compassion.

Over the years, HHHC has become my home. The care our clinicians provide is truly outstanding, consistently going above and beyond. As community-based providers, we have a unique opportunity to help patients take an active role in their healthcare while seeing how they function day to day. It’s a privilege to break down barriers, build trust, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve.”

We’re grateful for Kelly and all of our occupational therapists who go above and beyond every day, helping patients live with dignity, independence, and purpose.

04/22/2026

Meet volunteer Cindy Wang. 💙

Cindy was inspired to volunteer after witnessing hospice care firsthand while supporting a friend with cancer at the end of life. That experience became a calling.

After completing HHHC’s volunteer training, she served as a respite sitter, giving caregivers time to rest, and formed a decade-long bond as a companion to a child with disabilities.

At the Community Hospice House, Cindy is often found sitting quietly with families, offering presence and compassion. “I know I can’t fix things, but I can be empathic.”

One family will never forget when Cindy offered to finish a princess dress a mother had started for her granddaughter. What she received were only cut-out pieces. She stayed up all night to sew the dress and delivered it the next day, just in time for the patient to wake and share a final, joyful moment with her family.

We’re so grateful for Cindy and the love she brings to every visit. 💙

04/21/2026

Please join us in congratulating HHHC President and CEO Barbara Lafrance on being named President of VNA Health System of Northern New England!

VNAHSNNE is a collaborative alliance of home health and hospice agencies across New England, united by a shared commitment to compassionate, community-based care. The strength of the alliance is in its member organizations and their compatible missions and programs, all working together to improve, promote, and provide high quality care for individuals of all ages, regardless of ability to pay.

Barbara’s leadership, vision, and dedication to those we serve make her an outstanding choice for this role. We are proud to see her expertise recognized across the region and know she will help further the important work of expanding access to care for all.

Congratulations, Barbara! 💙

04/20/2026

It's officially National Volunteer Week! 💙

Every day, our volunteers show up with compassion, kindness, and a willingness to make a difference. Whether they’re sitting bedside with a patient, tending to our gardens, sharing the joy of pet therapy visits, or helping in our offices, their impact is felt in countless meaningful ways.

Volunteers bring connection, dignity, and warmth to those we serve, often during life’s most vulnerable moments. They remind us that care goes beyond medicine… it’s about human connection.

To each and every one of our volunteers: thank you for your time, your empathy, and your unwavering commitment to our community. We simply couldn’t do this work without you.

04/17/2026

We are so very proud to be nominated in the Non-Profit of the Year category!! We just love our partnership with The Greater Merrimack-Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce. Stay tuned for the results!

✨ Drumroll, please… Introducing Our Top 3 Nominees! ✨

We were absolutely blown away by the number of nominations submitted by our members this year. So many of you took the time to recognize fellow Chamber members who are doing incredible work across our community — thank you!

With so many deserving businesses, organizations, and individuals, narrowing it down to just three nominees in each category was no easy task. 💫

This year’s theme says it perfectly:
✨ illuminate! Celebrating the Spark of Success ✨

And these nominees truly embody that spark.

🌟 Here are your Top 3 Nominees for the 2026 Annual Awards:

🏆 Business of the Year
• Lobster Boat Restaurant - Merrimack
• St. Mary's Bank
• Goldfish Swim School - Bedford

👤 Business Leader of the Year
• Mike Apfelberg, United Way of Greater Nashua
• Mike Cardoza, Cardoza Flooring
• Mike LaChance, YMCA of Greater Nashua

💙 Non-Profit of the Year
• Beaver Brook Association
• Bridges: Domestic & Sexual Violence Support of Greater Nashua & Milford, NH • Home Health & Hospice Care

🌱 Small Business of the Year
• Lajoie Home Team
• Mystic Market
• Revolution Wellness Collective

🙌 Volunteer of the Year
• Todd Leo, Todd H. Leo & Associates
• Kristin Morrissey Jordan, Second Chance Ranch Rescue NH
• Paula Moran, United Way of Greater Nashua

✨ Young Professional of the Year
• Jeff Marquis, Bangor Savings Bank
• Lauren Desmarais, Hampshire Hills Athletic Club
• James Toupin, Toupin Hauling & Junk Removal

👏 Congratulations to all of our nominees — your impact, dedication, and leadership truly help bring this year’s theme to life.

We can’t wait to celebrate with you at our Annual Dinner & Awards Celebration! 🎉

04/17/2026

We were grateful to welcome our friends from United Way of Greater Nashua who stopped by today to present a generous donation made possible by their community of supporters. Peter Chaloner, United Way GN Board Member (and longtime HHHC friend and supporter) presented the check to HHHC President Barbara Lafrance.

Thanks to the generosity of those who give through United Way, this support helps us continue providing compassionate care to patients and families in need.

We are truly grateful to Mike Apfelberg and United Way of Greater Nashua for this ongoing partnership and shared commitment to our community 💙

04/16/2026

🩺 It’s National Healthcare Decisions Day

Let’s be honest: talking about future medical care isn't exactly the highlight of most dinner conversations. However, advance care planning is one of the most empowering things you can do for yourself and the greatest gifts you can give your family.

It’s not just about "the end," it’s about making sure your voice is heard, no matter what happens.

Take some time today to think about your wishes, and start the conversation with the people who matter most. Read more on our blog where you can find a link to NH's Advance Care Planning Guide: https://hhhc.org/advanced-care-planning-a-vital-part-of-your-healthcare/

04/15/2026

Big news from our four-legged team member 🐾

Juniper is officially a certified therapy dog through Pet Partners and today marked her very first official visit at the Community Hospice House.

With her handler, Lynda Kelly, and co-partner, Marcia Donaldson, by her side, Juniper spent the day bringing comfort, smiles, and a little extra warmth to patients, families, and staff. From gentle tail wags to quiet companionship, she made quite the impression on everyone she met.

We’re so grateful to welcome Juniper to our team and look forward to all the joy she’ll bring in the days ahead 💙

(Pictured: Juniper with Lynda, Marcia, and members of the Community Hospice House staff)

04/14/2026

Our complementary therapies and services are what set us apart from traditional VNA and hospice providers.

With the help of our incredible volunteers, we’re able to offer more than clinical care by bringing comfort and connection through music and pet therapy, Reiki, legacy projects veteran-to-veteran support and sensory-based comfort.

Because caring for someone isn’t just about medicine, it’s about the whole person: mind, body, and spirit.

We’re especially grateful for those who help make these meaningful moments possible every day. 💙