Meet The Woodlands and Harvest Hill Director of Food Services, Sam Fazio
Hear Director of Food Service for Harvest Hill and The Woodlands, Sam Fazio, talk about why he loves what he does and what makes the dining staff so good at what they do.
Hear Director of Food Service for Harvest Hill and The Woodlands, Sam Fazio, talk about why he loves what he does and what makes the dining staff so good at what they do.
Charlie was born and raised in Bar Harbor, Michigan where he and his sister lived with extended family. Charlie became interested in food at a young age. He fondly remembers cooking with his grandmother when he was six years old and stealing the cookies they made together. He also enjoyed picking apples and cherries in the local orchards.
Charlie started college planning to major in civil engineering but realized that he loved to cook while waiting tables at a local restaurant, Captain Nicks, and being pulled in one evening to be a line cook. He went on to earn a business management degree from the University of Maine and attended culinary school in Maine as well.
Charlie moved to New Hampshire and worked at the Lake Sunapee Country Club in New London. He was then hired to be the Executive Chef at Café Nouveau in Eastman, New Hampshire and later at the Quechee Club in Vermont. He took a sabbatical but missed cooking and came to work for our assisted living community, Harvest Hill, as a chef. When the Executive Chef position became available at APD’s independent living community, The Woodlands Senior Living, he jumped at the opportunity.
Charlie loves to cook and try new menu items at The Woodlands, but most of all he loves our residents.
“They are a group of great people with great stories,” Charlie says.
Chef Barnes recently expanded the dinner menu to offer more variety for residents. They now have added options to mix and match and pick and choose from. Buying local ingredients is paramount to Charlie, and he uses seasonal products to support local farms.
When he is not busy in the Harvest Hill kitchen whipping up fresh, healthy, and delicious fare for the residents, Charlie enjoys working on hot-rods, boating, fishing, and cross-country skiing. Every night he looks forward to tucking his eight-year-old son into bed.
Since moving to The Woodlands in September 2020, longtime Lebanon resident Molly Bonhag said she has met a wonderful group of friends, broadened her social circle and discovered a meaningful, new form of community.
“Living at The Woodlands has been wonderful,” said Molly. “It’s everything I was hoping it would be. What’s interesting about this place is you can be as social or as private as you choose to be, and people are very accepting. I think it’s a very good thing because it accommodates everybody’s differences and choices.”
So far, Molly has also enjoyed getting involved in the various on-campus, resident-organized activities available for anyone to try.
“We have a lot of exercise classes, we have a gym, we have Tai Chi,” said Molly. “I also play the piano for The Woodlands chorus, and another resident and I take turns playing the piano for our monthly socials. We used to have singalongs but since COVID, we’ve had hum-a-longs!”
Molly’s life has always been full of music. She started playing the piano at age five, switching to the organ in high school. In 1990, she, her husband and three children moved to Lebanon, where she worked as a music teacher. There, she also ran a preschool program called Kindermusik, gave piano lessons, and was a church organist and choir director.
While it’s been somewhat of an adjustment moving from a large house to a smaller apartment, Molly said she has everything she needs and loves having the built-in benefits of a social community.
“After my husband died, I was living in Lebanon all by myself in this big house, and as the fall turned into winter and the only people whom I’d see were the two coming to work on my house, I realized I needed to be somewhere with more of a community,” said Molly. “Now, at The Woodlands, my apartment is a two-bedroom with a den and two bathrooms, and I park in a heated garage. I don’t need anything more than that.”
“Another thing I love about being here is that the staff makes suggestions — they don’t make rules,” Molly added. “They treat us like adults. And the maintenance staff is so eager to help in any way, whether hanging a picture or helping to figure out how to use your TV! Today, Residents have to wear a mask if they go outside their apartment, but we’re all willing to do it for the sake of everybody. We really feel like a community here and that what we do impacts other people.”
From the moment they moved in, Jim and Brooke Adler were impressed by The Woodlands, from the food, to our helpful maintenance staff, and welcoming residents – many who have since become friends. While communal living “is an adjustment after over 50 years living together on our own,” said Jim, “it was an easier one than I would have imagined.” The Woodlands is “first class,” adds Brooke. Watch the video to hear more about why the Adlers love living at The Woodlands!
As we age, we want to do so actively and independently. Luckily, all sorts of technology is designed to help older adults do just that. Whether keeping in touch with people, tracking your health goals or being entertained, here are some technology tools you can use to your advantage.
Oversized Tablets: Some tech companies make oversized digital tablets specifically designed for seniors. Some, like the GrandPad Senior Tablet, run a customized version of Android that is easier to use than typical iPads, iPhones or Androids. It also has larger icons and text if you have vision issues and is designed more intuitively so you can easily click through to your destination.
Wearable Fitness Trackers: Companies such as FitBit make wearable technology to track health and physical fitness, and users can sync up trackers and watches with their phones to monitor fitness, sleep patterns, and more. Wearable fitness trackers are especially good for people who need extra reminders to take a daily walk or to keep up other habits that promote healthy aging.
AI Assistants: Seniors who enjoy Amazon AI technology may find this device of interest: the Echo Dot is a voice-activated and controlled speaker that uses Alexa technology to play music, control smart home devices, make calls, answer questions, set timers and alarms. Set up the device in your bedroom, living room or kitchen — wherever you spend most of your time.
Wireless Photo Frames: Wireless photo frames are a great way for seniors to keep in touch with friends and family by allowing you to send current pictures of what you’re up to in real time. Some brands such as the Nixlay Seed 10 Inch Wifi Digital Picture Frame allow you to share photos instantly via e-mail, or by connecting to Google Photos, Dropbox, Facebook and Instagram.
Video Conferencing: While nothing replaces face-to-face connections, video conferencing platforms like Skype, FaceTime or Zoom calls can be a very useful alternative for seniors to keep in touch. The Woodlands offers Wi-Fi in each apartment, so it’s easy to use aids like these to stay engaged with friends, enroll in interactive groups and classes, attend telehealth appointments and more.
For seniors, technology is about more than just the latest gadgets and apps and websites. Being tech-savvy helps you use those things to find new ways to learn, work and thrive in today’s digital age. To that end, we hope this list was helpful!
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!
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.”
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.”
“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.
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:
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.
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:
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
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:
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
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:
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
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
Visiting Harvest Hill
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
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
Visiting Harvest Hill
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
Yesterday afternoon (February 11, 2021), we administered 240 doses of COVID-19 vaccine here on our campus.
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
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.
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.
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:
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:
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
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.
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.
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:
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
Cindy Jerome
Executive Director, APD Lifecare