Home Care in New Hampshire: Licensed In-Home Care Agencies by City

Aging at home in New Hampshire

New Hampshire has the oldest population of any of these nine states, with 21.5 percent of residents aged 65 or older. The state is small, with only about 18 miles of coastline, yet it holds very different settings: the mill-city neighborhoods of Manchester and Nashua, the capital in Concord, and the Great North Woods around Berlin. The North Country has less than 5 percent of residents, so an older adult there may be far from services, while a retiree in the Seacoast or Lakes Region towns is often closer to them. Which part of the state a parent lives in shapes everything about how care is arranged.

21.5% of New Hampshire residents are 65 or older. Source: America's Health Rankings, citing U.S. Census Bureau Single-Race Population Estimates via CDC WONDER, 2024.

Cities, towns and neighborhoods we cover

In Manchester, the Millyard, Piscataquog, Rimmon Heights and the North End are different enough that a caregiver may know one well and not the next. Nashua has French Hill, the Tree Streets and the Nashville Historic District, and Concord includes Penacook and East Concord. Toward the coast, Portsmouth's Strawbery Banke and Odiorne Point in Rye draw visitors, while Laconia and Weirs Beach serve the Lakes Region and Keene anchors the Monadnock area. Families in the Merrimack Valley can usually compare several providers. Those near Franconia Notch, Mount Washington or Berlin should ask about travel time before anything else.

• Manchester: Millyard, Piscataquog, Rimmon Heights, North End, West Side
• Nashua: French Hill, Tree Streets, Nashville Historic District, Downtown Nashua
• Concord: Penacook, East Concord, West Concord, Concord Heights

Regions

• Seacoast: the state's roughly 18-mile ocean coastline, the shortest of any coastal state
• Merrimack Valley: densely populated lower half of the state along the Merrimack River, from Concord to Nashua
• Lakes Region: home to Lake Winnipesaukee, the state's largest lake at 71 square miles
• Monadnock Region: southwest, known for Mount Monadnock; Keene is the main city
• North Country: northern third of the state with less than 5 percent of the population

Familiar places

Mount Monadnock, Monadnock Region; Franconia Notch, White Mountains; Weirs Beach, Laconia; Strawbery Banke Museum, Portsmouth; Odiorne Point State Park, Rye; New Hampshire State House, Concord; Currier Museum of Art, Manchester; Mine Falls Park, Nashua.

Planning care around New Hampshire's seasons and geography

Winter is the main variable. New Hampshire gets 60 to over 100 inches of snow a year, and nor'easters like the Blizzard of 1978 have brought several feet in a day or two. Families should set up a plan before the season: who clears the walkway, what a caregiver does when roads close, and how a parent keeps the house warm during a power cut. Cold also lasts, with a record low of minus 47 degrees F on Mount Washington. Summers are warm and humid, and remnants of tropical storms sometimes arrive in late summer and fall.

• Average annual snowfall ranges from 60 to over 100 inches, and nor'easters have dropped several feet of snow in 24 to 48 hours.
• The North Country holds less than 5 percent of the state's population, so caregivers there may cover long distances between clients.
• Winters are long, cold and snowy, with a record low of minus 47 degrees F on Mount Washington.
• Hurricanes and tropical storms often reach New Hampshire as extratropical storms, which can bring wind and heavy rain to the coast and inland.

New Hampshire resources for families

• Licensing. New Hampshire licenses agencies that provide personal care and homemaker services through their own employees as Home Care Service Provider Agencies under rule He-P 822, separate from home health care providers under He-P 809. Confirm current requirements with the state before you hire. NH DHHS, Health Facilities Administration
• Aging services. ServiceLink Aging and Disability Resource Centers are the local entry point; call ServiceLink at 1-866-634-9412 or visit the nearest ServiceLink center. NH Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (BEAS)
• Help paying. New Hampshire's Medicaid home and community-based program for older adults is Choices for Independence (CFI) Medicaid waiver. Eligibility is based on income and care needs.