Cheshire Village at Home

Cheshire Village at Home helps seniors stay in their homes independently, with a little help.

Cheshire Village at Home is a membership organization for people over 50, providing you with a single point of access to a network of trained volunteers. Once you join us, one call sets you up with a ride, help at home, social visits, or wellness calls as often as you want. We also hold free social events such as coffees, ice cream socials, and presentations by local experts.

Cheshire Village at Home is an entirely local program, serving western Cheshire County (see a list of the towns we serve,) and we are not a real estate development nor a retirement community.

For an annual fee of $400 per household*, one phone call provides access to those services which often cause seniors to leave their homes for a more restrictive setting. As a program of the Keene Senior Center, the annual fee for Cheshire Village at Home includes a membership to the Keene Senior Center.

Enrollment is ongoing for anyone who expects to need services shortly, or for those who simply want to support this program to ensure it will be available when needed. Download our application form here.

Call Cheshire Village at Home for more information: 603-903-9680

What we do

Our volunteers:

give rides within western Cheshire County for medical appointments, grocery shopping, social visits, or any other reason
help you with occasional minor chores in your home such as changing hard to reach batteries and light bulbs, repairing a loose door handle, or even flipping your mattress!
make check-in or social calls to you on a daily, weekly, or other basis.

The following are some examples of tasks that we do for our members:

Accompany you to a medical appointment and take notes
Hang pictures or mirrors
Fix/replace a hinge/door knob
Lubricate door hinges
Take down/put up a curtain rod/curtains
Replace light bulbs (12 ft. max height)
Replace furnace/ refrigerator/ AC filters
Flip bed mattresses
Set up TV/cable/garage remotes
Change smoke alarm or remote-control batteries
Help with computer issues
Install PC software or new hardware (only when member is present to enter passwords)
Program a thermostat
Reset breakers or GFI…once
Winterize a foundation (hay, plastic, etc.)
Attach/remove window film for winter
Pull down storm windows
Lift heavy boxes
Bring things down from attic using pulldown ladder (with second volunteer)
Put up/bring down seasonal clothing
Install shower head
Replace toilet seat, toilet tank flapper, adjust tank water level
Paint mailbox
Replace a door screen
Replace/repair doorbells
Repair, tighten, bring in, or bring out a garden hose
Bring in or take out patio furniture
Repot houseplants
Weed garden
Install solar yard lights

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Learn More

For more information or to learn if your town is included, call Cheshire Village at Home: 603-903-9680.

Our office hours are:

Monday-Friday

9:00 AM to 12:00 noon

Outside of those hours, please leave a message and someone will get back to you within 1 business day.

INFORMATION SESSIONS

If you would like to attend one of our Information Sessions, the next one will be held on Saturday, August 24, at 11:00 AM.

APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP

OR TO BE A VOLUNTEER

Please scroll down this page to find links to a membership application, and a volunteer application.

Download an Application

If you are applying for annual membership, there is a $200 deposit required,
(for 6-month memberships, the deposit is $100)

which should be sent in along with the application. We will refund your deposit if,

for some reason, you do not complete the membership process.

There is no deposit required for Trial Memberships.

Our membership process is:

1) submit your application(s) and deposit (if required);

(one application per member, two if it's for a household)

2) we will contact you and arrange a Home Visit;

3) you will receive a Welcome Letter and can begin using our services.

CVAH Membership form (pdf)

Download

CVAH Volunteer Form (pdf)

Download

* Where do my fees go?

Your fee goes to pay expenses such as staff costs, and the cost of your Keene Senior Center membership (for existing Center members, we always prorate our first year's fee because they have already paid the Center membership fee.) We have 3 part-time employees who work a combined total of 50-60 hours a week performing office duties: answering phones, coordinating all of the service requests, calling members etc.

Other expenses include; technology costs; the software for the system and phone line costs for the system, office supplies like toner, paper, ink, and stamps, expenses for the socials we provide for our members, paying the bookkeeper who monitors our account, insurance, advertising events, printing brochures, and more.

We have a lot of volunteers who provide services that are priceless to our organization and we could not provide the services without them. If we had to pay for all of the rides, calls, and other services, the cost would be huge to our village members.

If you feel that our fee is more than you can afford, we have a limited number of partial scholarships, as well as both a Trial Membership (3-months) and a 6-month membership option. Please call us for details (603) 903-9680

Participants chatting while waiting for a Fire Safety presentation to begin.