Home Helpers & Direct Link Brings Non-Medical In-Home Care to Merrimack, New Hampshire

MERRIMACK, N.H. - June 17, 2014 - PRLog -- Merrimack, NH – Danielle Chandonnet knows that providing home care services for someone can be all-consuming. That’s why she’s looking forward to bringing much needed non-medical care services to her community with her new business, Home Helpers & Direct Link in Merrimack.

Home Helpers is the nation’s leading franchise specializing in comprehensive home care for seniors, new mothers and individuals needing recuperative and continuing assistance. Direct Link is its proprietary line of 24/7 medical alert systems, including a fall sensor, automated medication dispenser and vital signs monitoring units. Home Helpers & Direct Link in Merrimack serves individuals living in Amherst, Auburn, Bow, Brookline, Candia, Dunbarton, Goffstown, Hollis, Hooksett, Hudson, Litchfield, Lyndeborough, Merrimack, Mont Vernon, Nashua, New Boston, and Pelham.

Before opening the business, Chandonnet spent more than 20 years working as a CFO mostly at not-for-profits, including a school and a business serving disabled adults. When she was young, Chandonnet’s parents took care of her grandparents – caring for them as they moved into senior apartments, then to the home next door and finally in their own home as the years progressed. Chandonnet’s 7-year-old sister also succumbed to a rare childhood cancer (rhabdomyosarcoma) and spent her final days in the family’s home.

More recently, she provided care for her ex-husband, who lived with her for a year-and-a-half before passing away from complications of the advanced stages of diabetes which included kidney failure, chronic heart failure and arterial disease.

“The company I had worked for had recently shut its doors when I took him in my home.  I had the time and means to provide care personally and escort him to the many doctors’ appointments he had.  However, when I started a new job, all those pieces started falling apart.  Transportation to and from appointments was particularly difficult, and I had limited time to provide needed personal care.  In addition, I broke my ankle around the same time.  The ensuing chaos took an emotional and physical toll on me personally as well as on my work life.  Not long after he had passed away, I resigned from my job and began soul-searching,”Chandonnet said.

When her ex-husband passed away a year ago, Chandonnet found herself as an unexpected beneficiary and decided to put some of the inheritance to open Home Helpers and Direct Link in Merrimack to bring home care services to more people in the community. She and her son Chris Feltes collaborated on the purchase and start of the business.

“I want to honor his memory by paying it forward.  So many people need the services we can provide to allow them to either recuperate from injury, remain as independent as possible while managing on-going illness, or live out the remainder of their lives in an environment they love most – their home.  I’m looking forward to making life easier for people in our communities.” she said.

Home Helpers & Direct Link offers free in-home consultations and works with each client to create a flexible, affordable care plan based on a person’s individual needs. Services offered can include companionship, laundry, light housekeeping, respite care, meal preparation and transportation as well as services such as medication management and personal care management.

Chandonnet sets the bar high for caregivers.  All caregiver candidates must take a national caregiver quality assessment developed by the Institute for Professional Caregiving.  Chandonnet personally interviews candidates who score a B or better on the assessment and who have had a successful initial phone interview.  If candidates are selected to move forward, they must then successfully complete 22 hours of pertinent training prior to being hired as well as pass all criminal and driving record checks.   Currently, Home Helpers & Direct Link in Merrimack is the only provider certifying caregivers as Caregiver Quality Assured.  This seal is displayed on each employee’s ID badge.

Each individual client receives services tailored to meet their specific needs, by qualified caregivers who become an extension of their family. Home Helpers’ full-range of home care services empower clients to live healthier and more rewarding lives in the privacy, safety, and comfort of their own homes.

For more information about how Home Helpers & Direct Link in Merrimack can help you and your family, call (603)294-4421, email dchandonnet@homehelpers.cc or visit www.MerrimackHomeCare.com.

About Home Helpers

Founded in 1997, Cincinnati-based Home Helpers is one of the nation’s leading home care franchises. With an ongoing commitment to helping people live healthier, more independent lives in the comfort of their own homes, Home Helpers works with seniors, new and expectant mothers, those recovering from illness or injury, and individuals facing lifelong challenges. Home Helpers is affiliated with Direct Link, a national provider of 24/7 emergency response systems and vital signs monitoring units. For more information about the company or about how you can open your own Home Helpers franchise, visit www.HomeHelpers.cc.