Among the many long-tenured staff members at Harvest Hill is Housekeeping Manager Deb Baker, who recently celebrated her 20th work anniversary at the community.
In her wide-ranging role at Harvest Hill, Deb is happy to take care of anything that needs doing. During the pandemic, when restrictions prevented residents from visiting the dining room, she helped deliver breakfast and lunch to their apartments. Typical days, though, tend to stick to a schedule, she said.
“I come in, get my housekeeping equipment and start cleaning the common areas. I always say good morning to the residents, who are usually getting up and heading to breakfast around that time,” said Deb, whose two longtime employees, Joanne Rogers and Stacey Jorgensen, have been with her for 16 years. “We clean anything that needs it, and we also clean 14 apartments a day, working around residents’ schedules.”
“The residents we clean for are just awesome people,” she added. “A lot of them can’t wait to see us — some stay in their apartments so they can ask what our week or weekend was like. They just want to chit chat. Sometimes they’ll have a little list of things for us to help them with, whether that means getting a container off the top shelf, opening a jar of jam or helping them put on a shoe.”
Deb has had experience with the elderly from a young age, she said. The oldest of six children, she was brought up around her grandparents and great grandmother, and, as a junior high student in the 70s, she volunteered after school reading and making crafts with residents at the nursing home that used to be run by Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital.
Deb has been married for 20 years and has a stepson, Adam; two daughters, Jennifer and Carrington, both born at Alice Peck Day; and two granddaughters. When she’s not working, she enjoys crafting, gardening, researching family genealogy, birdwatching, and doing photography, her favorite hobby.
Deb shoots weddings, high school senior pictures, and maternity photos, but most of all, loves photographing wildlife. Recently, Harvest Hill’s activities director asked her to bring in some of her work for display and give a talk to residents.
“I’m also the person who takes photos of the residents during some of the activities, and I always take a photo of new residents when they first move in,” said Deb. “That photo and a little write up go into an album that’s kept in the library, so if another resident wants to know who a certain resident is, they can just go into the library, open up the photo album and see.”
Looking back at her time at Harvest Hill, Deb said, building relationships with the residents and helping them with what they need has been extremely fulfilling.
“I’m proud of the things I do here,” she said. “It’s so rewarding. I love working with the residents. I love their stories. They’re all like grandparents to me.”
From the beautiful New England location and welcoming residents, to the breadth of activity choices, and helpful, caring staff, Rich and Carol Lammert say they are very satisfied with their decision to move to The Woodlands.
The Lammerts have been married for 56 years and lived on New Hampshire’s Mascoma Lake for the last 20. In June, their son and his family helped Rich and Carol downsize their home before moving into their new one-bedroom apartment at The Woodlands.
Moving to a beautiful place like The Woodlands was an easy transition from a gorgeous location like Mascoma Lake, said Carol, but while their new view is lovely, the best part is that it also comes with a built-in community.
“Our previous home was in the country surrounded by woods, so I found it to be isolating and didn’t really develop strong friendships,” she said. “I don’t mind being solitary, but when we came here, I realized, indeed, how isolated I had been. So, it’s been a nice change.”
“The people here are very, very welcoming,” she added. “They’ll often invite newcomers to join them in the dinner hour and people will just sit and talk, so dinner can sometimes extend over two hours.”
Rich agreed making friends at The Woodlands is quite easy, especially with so many amicable and interesting residents to talk to, adding, “There are a lot of doctors and professors and other professional people here. We’re amazed every time we meet someone how interesting their backgrounds are.”
After retiring from nursing, Carol picked up costuming for local plays and later worked as a manager for the Enfield Farmers’ Market. For fun at The Woodlands, she likes following politics, enjoying nature and taking their 11-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, Cookie, out for exercise.
“Having a patio apartment is wonderful because we can just walk out with our dog whenever she needs to go out and exercise,” said Carol. “I also really like that the residents are free to do what they wish with their gardens, so since we arrived, we’ve been able to see a whole season of flowers blooming!”
Rich started his career as a pastor with the United Church of Christ. He later got into social work, then became a service technician for office equipment and even worked briefly as a part-time school bus driver! For fun at The Woodlands, he loves to ride his e-bike and recently found a riding partner to take on the local roads and trails with him.
“I joined an exercise class which is two days a week. There’s also a weekly ping pong night I participate in, and I have more activities I plan to get involved in as winter comes on,” said Rich.
Thank you, Carol and Rich, for sharing your thoughts. We’re so happy you’re here — you’re both wonderful additions to The Woodlands family!
As of April this year, all Emergency Department providers at Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital are board-certified, geriatric emergency medicine residency-trained physicians who are also authorized to provide care at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center’s Emergency Department.
This development has been in the works since September 2019, when Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health partnered with California-based nonprofit West Health on a $4.5 million collaboration to establish DHMC as a center for geriatric emergency care. The agreement also included a provision to provide telehealth services and geriatric emergency department training to four local rural hospitals, including APD.
Now, having transitioned its ED staffing and hospitalist services to this new regional model, APD is able to “manage more acute cases in our small and intimate setting that affords short wait times for care and brings an added level of confidence and familiarity to the community we serve,” APD Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Lynch said. Read more about the work to bring these specialized services to seniors in rural communities HERE.
The DHH-West Health collaboration also helped facilitate APD’s recent accomplishment: the hospital’s Emergency Services team has earned national accreditation as a Level 2 GED (Geriatric Emergency Department) from the American College of Emergency Physicians, in a process designed to improve and standardize emergency care for older patients. Read the full press release on accreditation HERE.
Since moving to The Woodlands in December 2020, Joanne Wise has brought the magic of visual arts to her fellow residents in more ways than one.
“When I moved in, I saw there were opportunities to do more art-related things, so I decided to organize a four-week drawing class with charcoal and pencil, taught by artist Michael Kraatz, who teaches at AVA, one of our biggest visual arts centers around here. Once the COVID situation improves, we’re going to try and get as many local professional artists as we can to come in and teach workshops here.”
Until then, she has asked several Woodlands residents, including a talented calligrapher and a quilter, to teach their own classes. She has also gained another art job, after the resident who assembled the art on display around the community stepped down. “The walls recently had a new paint job, so now we’re rehanging all the artwork in different spots,” she said. “I’m also trying to get some outside artists to allow me to show their work here. Very soon we’re going to host a reception where the artists who lent us their pieces will come in and talk about their process. That will turn a lot of people on, I think.”
Many of those new works have a more contemporary flavor, said Joanne, so while residents are really enjoying them, some aren’t as sure what they are all about. But that should soon change, she said.
“For a lot of people, art is like a blackhole,” she said. “There is a generation here that has grown up with less abstract art in their life, so they tend to prefer photographs and traditional landscapes. What I want to do is have these artists who donated their work come in and talk about how to look at contemporary art, to see what they’re trying to say in their painting or sculpture or whatever they’re doing.”
Earlier in life, Joanne worked at Woman’s Day magazine in New York, then moved to her hometown of Philadelphia for a job in advertising. In 1976, she moved to Atlanta to serve as national promotion director for President Carter’s campaign. There, she met her future husband, Doug, and later moved with him to Tokyo.
It was this relocation that stoked Joanne’s passion for collecting art. After several years, she brought home a dozen Japanese artists’ works and used them to start The Wise Collection, which she ran for about 25 years.
Since she couldn’t keep the collection going after moving to New Hampshire, where her late husband had attended Dartmouth, Joanne decided to start several art nonprofits in the area. Today, both the North Country Studio Workshops and the Upper Valley Arts Alliance are still running.
“Because I’ve been in art administration myself, I really enjoy talking to people about art,” said Joanne. “There is a lot of fabulous visual and performing arts in the Upper Valley — I’ve been involved in the Hood Museum and Northern Stage. I like trying to help organizations get out information about how good their work is. It’s a job and a love for me.”
In the meantime, Joanne is happy to continue pursuing her lifelong passion while living at The Woodlands: engaging with professional artists and sharing their art with others.
“I’m so lucky to be at The Woodlands,” said Joanne. “It’s a wonderful community, and I’m glad it’s small. Even in the few months I’ve been here I think I probably know everybody. I find this place to be just extremely giving and loving. I’m very fortunate.”
Since her mother moved to Harvest Hill’s independent living apartments in May, the improvements in her health and happiness have been a breath of fresh air, said Pam Franklin. Meanwhile, Harvest Hill’s thoughtful and caring staff have helped ease the transition process on her end as well.
“Harvest Hill has been wonderful for my mother so far, and I’ve really enjoyed working with the staff,” said Pam. “They’ve been very, very nice and supportive — [Sales and Marketing Manager Peggy Cooper] is wonderful and there are helpers who pop in all the time. They are always upbeat, trying to involve her in new activities and getting people together.”
While her mother, Joan Goodridge, is 92 years old, she is still very independent, said Pam, so she has really enjoyed having her own private apartment with a kitchen to cook in and small garden to tend.
“The sun comes into her apartment every morning, which looks out onto the center green,” she said. “She has her own little garden space outside of her patio that she gets to take care of, so she enjoys doing the planting and weeding and watering.”
Having lived in the Upper Valley for years, Pam was already aware of Harvest Hill’s stellar reputation, but the transition really began after Joan had a fall while living in her condo in Northampton, Massachusetts. Pam’s brother, who lived nearby, moved Joan to a local independent living community; then, once Pam retired as a high school science teacher, she brought her to Harvest Hill, 10 minutes from her home in Etna.
Joan had also recently been having a difficult time eating and was losing weight rapidly, so for Pam, another selling point was the dining hall’s reputation for healthy, delicious food.
“Since coming here, she has already gained a couple of pounds!” said Pam. “The dining team has been working with her to get more foods she likes and is able to eat.”
These days, Pam said her mother has been enjoying Harvest Hill’s exercise and yoga classes, and most recently, book club meetings. “She is especially loving those because she is a retired librarian, so reading is her thing,” she said.
Most of all, though, Joan enjoys socializing with the other residents.
“She really enjoys the social activities and chatting with people in the dining room,” said Pam. “The atmosphere here almost reminds me of going to school. She loves to get up in the morning and see her friends. That’s the feeling you get here — there are so many great people.”
While Pam still visits her mother every other day and keeps in touch by phone, she does feel relief knowing her mother has support nearby.
“I’m glad she can be in a community that meets her needs, where there are people around and lots of social activities and things she enjoys,” said Pam.
Having Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, Harvest Hill’s affiliate hospital, right around the corner has also been very comforting to them both.
“One of my mother’s challenges is anxiety,” said Pam, “so to have a hospital within walking or wheelchair distance makes it more comfortable for her, so she knows that if there’s a problem, help is right next door.”
For Stephanie Berman, moving her independently minded parents Bob and Jeanne Trout to Harvest Hill was not an easy decision, but in the end, one that was entirely worth it. The difference in their health and happiness has been “night and day” since moving in in March, Steph said.
Bob, 92, is a former lumber worker, special education teacher, semi-truck driver and Korean War Navy vet, while Jeanne, 90, was a registered nurse who worked with OB-GYN patients. The fiercely independent couple, both native Michiganders, were initially reluctant to leave their home of 54 years but agreed to try Harvest Hill on a trial basis. In May, they decided they would stay on permanently.
Steph, who lives nearby and visits three or four times a week, has since noticed a marked positive change in her parents as they become increasingly engaged with other residents, the staff, and daily activities.
“The stimulation they are getting here is so worth it,” said Steph, a registered nurse at Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital who works as certified diabetes care and education specialist. “They were sitting in their home thinking they were socializing, but they weren’t really. Now they see people a minimum of three to five times a day with meals and the nurses coming in.”
Steph first knew her parents were struggling to handle all their needs after her beloved big brother Dyrk’s sudden death 10 months ago from complications of spina bifida. It started with a red flag: Bob had a stroke two days before Christmas and Jeanne forgot to mention it. That led Steph to suspect her mom, who had spent many years taking care of Dyrk, might be developing the symptoms of cognitive impairment.
Upon visiting her parents in January, Steph was shocked to discover both had stopped eating due to grief and had lost an alarming amount of weight. She drove them back to New Hampshire where she and her husband could care for them, and eventually, they decided to consider Harvest Hill.
“In a very long, hard process, we knew they needed to feel independent again, but closer to me, their only family left to help them,” Steph said. “When she first got here, my mom was not understanding that she could not live alone safely anymore. She called almost nightly demanding her keys to her car so they could drive back to Michigan in the morning!”
But it turns out that Steph was right about her mother’s condition. Her mother’s new doctor at Dartmouth Hitchcock, a gerontologist, has since diagnosed Jeanne with cognitive impairment, and she now has the support of both hospital care and the attentive nursing team at Harvest Hill.
For her parents, now in assisted living, meeting other residents has proven to be just what the doctor ordered, as has being able to continue doing the activities they both love, like golfing. In fact, Jeanne has already gotten several holes-in-one on the Harvest Hill putting green!
“My parents are also people lovers, so they love to laugh and converse,” said Steph. “After finally meeting people and enjoying getting to know the staff, my mother started feeling more comfortable. They are also in a ground floor apartment with a patio now — that was another gamechanger.”
For his part, Bob continues to enjoy the food at Harvest Hill — for hers, Steph is just happy he is eating again.
“My parents are doing so much better than they were 10 months ago,” she said. “I can only thank the staff at Harvest Hill. They are so sweet, caring and accommodating, and you can tell they love the residents. They made our transition so easy, and they were super helpful to me as an adult child who had no idea what I was doing.”
Residents of The Woodlands since February 2017, Rob and Doris Humphries agree that their community of four years offers them everything they need to live independently and comfortably. Originally from the New York metro area, the couple has lived in the Upper Valley since they were married 25 years ago. When it came time to downsize and simplify, they knew that they wanted to stay in the area. The Woodlands was appealing because of its reputation for fine dining and surrounding nature views.
It remains appealing for those reasons and for many others as well. Currently, they enjoy either the Fitness Center or the pool almost every day. They also enjoy the on-campus performances, the monthly speakers, and the daily opportunities for informal socialization.
During their careers Rob was a psychiatrist in New Canaan, Connecticut, and Doris worked as a cardiac recovery room nurse, and later as a homemaker. The two have five children and eight grandchildren between them. They met later in life while attending the same church in Darien, Connecticut. “We were very blessed that the Lord brought us together after our late partners passed away,” Doris said.
Rob’s primary hobby is bird watching. He also likes to bike in the summer and snowshoe in winter. He especially enjoys being able to walk out the back door for a hike in the woods or a bike ride on the nearby rail trail. Doris enjoys gardening on the deck and studying family history. According to Rob, she is an illustrious genealogist with Mayflower roots. They share an interest in reading—mostly history with a lot of Dickens thrown in.
While Doris enjoys informal socialization, Rob prefers meeting up with residents for weekly games such as ping-pong, dominoes, and Wii bowling.
“There are a lot of activities you can join, but there’s no enforced socialization,” said Rob. “I do think the community aspect is nice. You’re surrounded by supportive friends all the time.”
Today, the Humphries remain happy with their decision to move to The Woodlands, and while they felt well cared for during the pandemic, they are thrilled the world is starting to open up again. “Our church is very important to us, but we couldn’t get out to church or to our Bible study group during COVID,” said Doris. “Now we are able to meet with our friends and groups off campus again. It is nice to see people we know in the community.”
Harvest Hill’s Resident Care Manager Kristen Moskalenko-Locke knew she wanted to be a nurse since childhood, from her first job as a candy striper at 12, to her current job leading a team of 45 staff who care for Harvest Hill’s assisted living, independent living, supported living and memory care residents.
Kristen said she strives to both “give exceptional care to our residents and to ensure that staff have satisfaction in their roles. I make sure our residents are getting what they need, that they’re safe in their environment; I meet with them and their families as they request it or as I need to, whether it’s about care or just checking in.”
Her daily tasks vary widely and include everything from conducting resident health assessments to helping staff with medication issues, to handling resident admissions, talking to doctors about resident health, and with families about their loved ones.
“Care here is resident centered, so that’s the bulk of my job,” she said. “The other part of it is making sure staffing is where it needs to be and helping our nurses and Licensed Nursing Assistants. It’s all about solving issues as they come up and preventing problems before they start.”
Originally from Claremont, New Hampshire, Kristen has been a Registered Nurse for 27 years and before that, an LNA for 10. She has earned many nursing certifications over the years and is currently working on her dementia care certification.
Prior to joining Harvest Hill in early 2020, Kristen worked at Dartmouth-Hitchcock for 20 years, starting as a float nurse, then moving to gastroenterology, occupational health, and later oncology as a breast cancer nurse. She has also served as the director of nursing at senior care communities in Vermont, including Cedar Hill Health Care Center in Windsor, Vermont and Valley Terrace in White River Junction.
Today, Kristen lives in Sharon, Vermont with her fiancé, where they run a small mountaintop farm. She has a 23-year-old son and when not at work, enjoys the ocean, reading and being outside.
Being a caretaker has always been an innate part of Kristen’s personality, and just one reason why she loves what she does. For this, Kristen also credits her “amazing nursing staff, the supportive Harvest Hill leadership, and our wonderful residents.”
“These residents amaze me every day — they share stories, they’re always happy to see you, and they are so thankful for even the littlest things,” said Kristen. For example, Kristen recently found the perfect way to help a resident with a poor appetite. “I asked her, ‘If you could have anything in the world right now to eat, what would it be?’” said Kristen, “and she said she wanted watermelon, so we got her one. It was like I’d given her the world! I love to see the smiles on residents’ faces, and especially now that we’re opening up again after COVID, we’re seeing a lot more of them.”
“The science is there, and we trust it,” says Cindy Jerome, executive director of Alice Peck Day Lifecare and administrator of the Woodlands, a 63-apartment independent living community located adjacent to Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (APD). On March 15, Jerome gave the green light to launch the Verified Vaccinated Visitor Program at the Woodlands, a slow first step toward a new normal for residents.
Our residents are doing well, and we continue to take steps to ensure they remain healthy and safe while enjoying their daily activities. Our community spaces are open and activities are continuing as scheduled.
Because there is still some uncertainty with COVID-19 we are keeping certain safety protocols in place. For now, we are requiring all Harvest Hill residents to wear a mask outside their private residences. We also require staff, visitors, contractors, private caregivers, and everyone else who enters the Harvest Hill community to wear a mask.
While all public spaces remain open and masks are not required for The Woodlands residents, we are encouraging them to continue washing their hands frequently and wearing a mask when receiving guests or in community spaces.
We are continuing to rigorously clean and sterilize all surfaces and have emergency preparedness and response systems in place.
Grafton County’s COVID-19 information for the city of Lebanon provides regular updates regarding infection rates and mask mandates.
Thank you to our residents, families, and staff at both Harvest Hill and The Woodlands for your continued support to protect the health and well-being of our residents.
April 4, 2022
Our residents are doing well with no positive COVID-19 cases. We will continue to take steps to ensure residents remain healthy and safe while enjoying their daily activities. Here are the latest updates for our community:
All activities at Harvest Hill remain with masking required for staff and visitors but not for residents.
At both The Woodlands and Harvest Hill masks are recommended for residents outside of their own apartment, but not required.
All visitors and employees continue to be screened every day and are required to wear a mask.
It is recommended that residents wear masks in public spaces and with any visitors to their apartment, but masks are no longer required.
The Harvest Hill dining room is fully open.
The dining room for The Woodlands is fully open and guests are welcome.
All vendors, contractors, private caregivers, and others who enter our buildings must be fully vaccinated and wear a mask.
While there is still uncertainty regarding new COVID-19 variants, caution remains necessary. All APD Lifecare employees are in compliance with our mandatory vaccination policy and The Woodlands and Harvest Hill residents have received their first booster shots. Harvest Hill is currently working with our pharmacy to schedule a clinic to provide a second booster shot for residents. More information to follow once the date for the clinic has been set.
Grafton County’s COVID-19 information for the city of Lebanon provides regular updates regarding infection rates, mask mandates and other COVID-19 related policies.
Thank you to our residents, families, and staff at both Harvest Hill and The Woodlands. We appreciate your understanding and support and will continue to share updates or changes to our current COVID-19 policies and protocols.
January 18, 2022
We are pleased to announce that we have had no further cases of Covid-19 and our residents are all doing very well. We continue to take steps to reinforce and enhance our COVID-19 policies to ensure residents remain healthy and safe while enjoying their daily activities:
Harvest Hill’s dining room has fully re-opened.
All activities at Harvest Hill have resumed with masking required for all residents and staff.
At both The Woodlands and Harvest Hill, masks are required for residents outside of their own apartment.
All visitors and employees continue to be screened every day.
Residents are required to wear masks in public spaces and with a visitor in their apartment, the visitor must also wear a mask.
Staff and residents at The Woodlands and Harvest Hill are required to wear a mask and follow COVID-19 protocols in all public spaces.
A reminder that, since Grafton County is currently classified as COVID-19 Risk Level Red (Very High) and there is still uncertainty regarding the Omicron variant, caution remains necessary. Woodlands residents have received their COVID-19 vaccine booster shot. Most Harvest Hill residents had their booster shots as well. In addition, all APD Lifecare employees are in compliance with our mandatory vaccination policy.
Aside from the changes listed above, COVID-19 precautions for The Woodlands remain the same as those presented in our August update. At The Woodlands, we also continue to require all vendors, contractors, private caregivers and others who enter the building to be fully vaccinated.
Thank you again to the residents, families, and staff of both Harvest Hill and The Woodlands. We appreciate your understanding and support during this time and will be sure to report any updates.
Cindy Jerome Executive Director, APD Lifecare
Amy Rauert Administrator, Harvest Hill
December 14, 2021
We are pleased to announce that, as of today, all residents who had tested positive for COVID-19 are out of isolation following the requisite 10-day isolation period. In the meantime, we continue to test and to take steps to reinforce and enhance our COVID-19 policies to ensure residents remain healthy and safe:
Harvest Hill’s dining room will reopen on Wednesday, December 15.
All activities at Harvest Hill have resumed as of December 13, with social distancing and masking required for all residents.
At both The Woodlands and Harvest Hill, masks are required for everyone outside of their own apartment.
All public visitors are being informed of the presence of COVID-19.
We continue to provide appropriate medical care for the residents who test positive.
All employees who work at Harvest Hill were tested and are required to follow COVID-19 guidelines for returning to work.
Staff and residents at both The Woodlands and Harvest Hill are required to wear a mask and follow COVID-19 protocols in public spaces.
A reminder that, since Grafton County is currently classified as COVID-19 Risk Level Red (Very High) and there is still uncertainty regarding the Omicron variant, caution remains necessary. Thankfully, no residents at The Woodlands have tested positive for COVID-19, and all Woodlands residents have received their COVID-19 vaccine booster shot. Most Harvest Hill residents have their booster shots as well. In addition, all APD Lifecare employees are in compliance with our mandatory vaccination policy.
Aside from the changes mentioned in the list above, COVID-19 precautions for The Woodlands remain the same as those mentioned in our August update. At The Woodlands, we also continue to require all vendors, contractors, private caregivers and others who enter the building to be fully vaccinated.
Thank you again to the residents, families, and staff of both Harvest Hill and The Woodlands. We appreciate your understanding and support during this time and will be sure to report any updates.
Cindy Jerome Executive Director, APD Lifecare
Amy Rauert Administrator, Harvest Hill
December 2, 2021
Last week, 31 residents of Harvest Hill and five employees tested positive for COVID-19. In response, APD Lifecare took swift action to strengthen our current COVID-19 precautions and impose additional health and safety restrictions at our communities. Numerous steps were taken to reinforce and enhance our COVID-19 policies:
Harvest Hill’s dining room has been closed. All meals are being delivered to resident apartments.
All activities at Harvest Hill have been cancelled.
At both The Woodlands and Harvest Hill, masks are required for everyone outside of their own apartment.
All public visitors are being informed of the presence of COVID-19.
We are providing appropriate medical care for the residents who tested positive.
All employees who work at Harvest Hill were tested and required to follow COVID-19 guidelines for returning to work.
Staff and residents at both The Woodlands and Harvest Hill are required to wear a mask and follow COVID-19 protocols in public spaces.
We will continue to re-test Harvest Hill residents until there are no additional positive cases.
We are thankful that, because our Harvest Hill community is located on the Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital campus, we had access to experienced medical staff who were able to test residents right in their residences. Residents who tested positive also benefitted from access to the Short Stay Infusion Unit at Alice Peck Day for monoclonal antibody therapy treatments. Having access to emergency and in-patient care through the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health system was greatly beneficial.
As of today, Dec. 2, we are happy to announce the first three Harvest Hill residents who were diagnosed with COVID-19 were released from isolation after the requisite 10-day period. On Dec. 3, 21 more residents who tested positive will be released from isolation.
Going forward, the situation remains dynamic. Grafton County is currently classified as COVID-19 Risk Level Red (Very High) and uncertainty remains about the emerging Omicron variant, so the utmost caution remains necessary. Thankfully, no residents at The Woodland have tested positive for COVID-19, and all Woodlands residents have received their COVID-19 vaccine booster shot. Most Harvest Hill residents have received their booster shots as well. In addition, all APD Lifecare employees are in compliance with our mandatory vaccination policy.
Please note that, aside from the changes mentioned in the list above, COVID-19 precautions for The Woodlands will remain the same as those in our August update. At The Woodlands, we will also continue to require all vendors, contractors, private caregivers and others who enter the building to be fully vaccinated.
Thank you again to the residents, families, and staff of both Harvest Hill and The Woodlands. We appreciate your understanding and support during this time. As we continue to monitor the situation, we remain dedicated to keeping our residents healthy and safe, and we will be sure to report any updates.
Cindy Jerome Executive Director, APD Lifecare
Amy Rauert Administrator, Harvest Hill
August 25, 2021
With COVID-19 case numbers rising in Grafton County due to the Delta variant, APD Lifecare has elected to re-introduce some of our health and safety restrictions for both The Woodlands and Harvest Hill communities. In enacting these changes for our community’s protection, we also remain committed to minimizing the impact on our residents by keeping our dining rooms open and making masking optional for residents.
The good news is that these new regulations continue to prevent the virus from affecting our community! We still have not had a single case of COVID-19 among our residents, all of whom are vaccinated. We now also require all new residents to receive vaccinations before moving in.
In addition, since APD Lifecare is part of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health system, vaccinations are required for all staff by September 30th. We are proud to announce that 90% of Lifecare employees were already fully vaccinated before this new mandate was announced.
APD Lifecare has also extended our vaccination mandate to all vendors, contractors, private caregivers and others who come into our building to provide services in resident areas. As of September 30th, only fully vaccinated service providers will be allowed to enter resident areas of the building.
Lifecare also recently introduced our new “3V” program for vendors, contractors and private caregivers which serves as a companion program to our current “3V” program for visitors to The Woodlands (see below).
As with the existing Woodlands policy, vendors who show proof of vaccination receive a “3V” card indicating they are welcome anywhere in the building. Participating vendors must also sign a contract agreeing to safety measures that protect residents, including never coming in if they are feeling ill and keeping their masks on all times.
Going forward, many of our policies at The Woodlands and Harvest Hill will remain the same. Any revisions made to our COVID-19 policy since our May update are included below:
Visiting The Woodlands
Masks and social distancing are not required for residents.
All staff and visitors must wear masks.
Group sizes are not restricted, provided that all who are present are fully vaccinated.
Each resident may name as many fully vaccinated people as they would like to visit. Visitors must present their CDC Vaccination Record Card to receive a “3V” card indicating they are welcome anywhere in the building and do not need to socially distance. They must mask.
Our dining room is fully open to residents. Visitors may enjoy dinner with residents outside or in the resident’s apartment.
Fully vaccinated speakers and activity leaders are welcome.
Visiting Harvest Hill
Residents can have family and friends (including pets!) visit, go off campus with their families, or visit family at home. Residents no longer need to quarantine when staying overnight with family.
Residents no longer need to wear masks or social distance with each other in their apartments.
Group sizes for public gatherings are limited.
Visiting hours are between 9:00-11:00 am and 1:00-5:00 pm and must be screened. Visiting outside is the safest way to visit.
Visitors must continue to wear masks and social distance in the hallways and common areas.
Staff must continue to wear masks and face shields when working closely with residents.
New move-ins no longer need to quarantine, but must be vaccinated.
Our dining room is open for residents only.
Please note that APD Lifecare has also updated our guidance for residents who venture off campus. While overall infection rates remain lower in Grafton County than in much of the country, new cases of COVID-19 continue to increase. Grafton County is now at COVID-19 Risk Level Orange (High), so we are requiring residents from The Woodlands and Harvest Hill who go off campus to wear masks when visiting local stores and restaurants, even if they are fully vaccinated.
As we continue to navigate this changing situation, we will continue to keep The Woodlands and Harvest Hill community apprised of any community updates or policy changes. In the meantime, thank you again to all our residents, families, and staff for your steadfast cooperation, patience and understanding. We couldn’t do this without you!
Cindy Jerome Executive Director, APD Lifecare
Amy Rauert Administrator, Harvest Hill
May 24, 2021
Now that all of our residents are fully vaccinated, we are lifting most restrictions for residents of The Woodlands and Harvest Hill!
What a beautiful sight it’s been so far: families and friends can visit each other, plus residents can hug and eat together without social distancing. We’ve also resumed group activities and normal use of our on-campus facilities. Some restrictions remain, so I’ll elaborate on our new COVID-19 policy here:
Visiting The Woodlands
Masks and social distancing are no longer required for residents.
Group sizes are not restricted, provided that all who are present are fully vaccinated.
Each resident may name as many fully vaccinated people as they would like to visit. Visitors must present their CDC Vaccination Record Card to receive a “3V” card indicating they are welcome anywhere in the building and do not need to wear a mask or social distance.
Each resident or couple may also name one unvaccinated person as a designated visitor who can meet with residents in their apartment only, while masked and socially distant.
Our dining room is fully open.
Fully vaccinated speakers and activity leaders are welcome.
Visiting Harvest Hill
Residents can have family and friends (including pets!) visit, go off campus with their families, or visit family at home. Residents no longer need to quarantine when staying overnight with family.
Residents no longer need to wear masks or social distance with each other in their apartments.
Group sizes for public gatherings are limited.
Staff and visitors continue to wear masks and social distance in the hallways and common areas.
Staff continue to wear masks and face shields when working closely with residents.
New move-ins no longer need to quarantine.
Our dining room is open for residents only.
Please note: With cases dropping quickly, Grafton County is now at COVID-19 Risk Level Yellow. This means that residents from The Woodlands and Harvest Hill who venture off campus can now visit local stores and restaurants, as well as households where everyone is fully vaccinated.
The countywide vaccination rate (1+ shots) is just short of 74% and you can find the county’s recommendations on mask wearing HERE.
This much welcomed new normal is thanks to months of cooperation by residents, families, and staff at both The Woodlands and Harvest Hill. We can’t thank you enough for keeping our communities safe and healthy! And now…Enjoy!
Cindy Jerome Executive Director, APD Lifecare
February 12, 2021
Yesterday afternoon (February 11, 2021), we administered 240 doses of COVID-19 vaccine here on our campus.
100% of all Lifecare residents have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. A whopping 97% have received their 2nd dose!
80% of all eligible Lifecare staff had received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. 48% of all eligible employees have gotten their second dose. (Eligible means they are at least 16 years old.)
This is wonderful news! While safety behaviors of masking and distancing will continue, we have achieved a significant measure of safety. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this possible.
I must personally recognize Amy Rauert, Administrator at Harvest Hill. Amy set up the clinics and led all the preparation, putting in long hours gathering and providing Walgreens with the information they needed to vaccinate hundreds of people. Thank you, Amy.
I feel so joyful today! We have kept our residents safe for 11 months! The battle is not over, but having 80% of our staff vaccinated is a huge step forward. Thank you.
Cindy Jerome Executive Director, APD Lifecare Administrator, The Woodlands
January 26, 2021
We held our first round of vaccination clinics at both Harvest Hill and the Woodlands last week. Everything went smoothly and the next two clinics will take place Feb. 11th and March 4th.
January 21, 2021
APD Lifecare is pleased to be able to offer the COVID-19 vaccine starting January 21 to all residents and staff at Harvest Hill and The Woodlands! We’d like to thank our residents, families and staff for continuing to follow our safety measures in place and getting us to this point.
Our first vaccine clinic will take place Thursday, Jan. 21st and is being offered to all consenting APD Lifecare residents and staff.
Subsequent vaccine clinics — for second shots and for those who didn’t get one on the 21st — will take place on Feb. 11th and on March 4th.
In the meantime, our communities are continuing to follow the health and safety protections initiated in March, including all state and federal guidelines. Our March 21, 2020 COVID-19 update contains a list of additional COVID precautions in place, but please note:
Harvest Hill’s dining room is now open.
Small group activities continue at Harvest Hill and will resume soon at The Woodlands.
We do biweekly pickups at the food co-op and liquor store for residents requesting this service.
Going forward, we will continue to provide updates as the vaccine process progresses. As we prepare to begin this new phase, here’s a look back at previous months:
Since we first locked down, no residents at Harvest Hill or The Woodlands have tested positive for COVID-19.
Four staff members — two at Harvest Hill and two at The Woodlands — did test positive or were presumed positive after exposure to a positive family member or friend. They were immediately quarantined. All Woodlands residents and staff were tested after the last staff person tested positive, and as of today, all tests have been negative.
Every week since November 30, we have been testing about 10% of staff, chosen randomly, with no positive results. Going forward, if a staff member does test positive, they will be quarantined. as prescribed by the local health department.
As our communities enter 2021 with the vaccine in hand, we’re excited to see some light at the end of the tunnel! In the coming months, our residents and staff look forward to reconnecting with each other, reestablishing our routines and returning to the activities we previously enjoyed.
Thank you for your support making sure our communities stay safe and healthy!
Cindy Jerome Executive Director, APD Lifecare
August 18, 2020
Thank you to all residents, families and staff for following the safety measures to help protect our communities from COVID-19. While Harvest Hill and The Woodlands continue with many of the protections initiated in March, we have instituted two changes.
Visitation Changes:
Harvest Hill and The Woodlands are now allowing family members to visit, as long as the meeting takes place outside and participants stay six feet apart.
At Harvest Hill, family may visit for up to 30 minutes. Visits must be scheduled and are monitored by staff.
The Woodlands is allowing family, friends and vendors to visit, as long as the visit is outside. There are no restrictions on the number of people who conduct an outside visit. No screening is necessary, and visitors may stay for as long as they would like.
Both communities are also launching a Designated Visitor program for indoor visits.
At both The Woodlands and Harvest Hill, each individual resident or resident couple may name one, single person as their Designated Visitor.
The Designated Visitor may visit anytime, going directly to the resident’s apartment and staying for as long as they want.
Designated Visitors must first sign an agreement that they will avoid risky behavior that could expose them to the virus, only visit if feeling well, and stay masked and practice social distancing while visiting.
Residents may change their Designated Visitor as often as every three weeks.
Dining Changes:
Our dining rooms have now reopened with limited seating to encourage social distancing.
At Harvest Hill, we have opened the dining room up for lunch and dinner for a limited number of residents, but we are also still delivering meals to residents.
All Woodlands residents are welcome to eat in the dining room or come pick up take-out to eat at home. The Woodlands is only delivering meals to residents who are ill.
Please see our March 31 COVID-19 update for additional precautions that are still in place. And again, we thank everyone for your support in keeping our communities safe and healthy.
March 21, 2020
APD Lifecare’s top priority is the health and well-being of our residents and staff. Given the additional challenges that COVID-19 presents to people aged 65 and older, we implemented significant precautions and preparations including:
Closing Harvest Hill and The Woodlands to visitors
Closing our Dining Rooms, and delivering 500 meals/day to our residents’ apartments
Making groceries, including toilet paper, available through Food Services
Fortifying an already rigorous sanitation program, especially in high-touch public areas
Cancelling all large-group activities and gatherings, but providing for many other ways to avoid social isolation
Screening all staff every time they come to work
Preparing for the care of any residents who may develop COVID-19
Sending regular email updates to residents, staff and families
While none of this is easy for anyone, we know we are on the right path when we hear in the words of one resident: “I feel we are in what is probably the safest place with the most help in New Hampshire
