In some ways, Kendal at Home (KAH), a Continuing Care at Home (CCaH) program in Ohio, Kentucky, and Massachusetts, began with one early member: Mary Ann. A solo ager, she’d spent every day for six years at her mother’s nursing home and was determined to never live there herself if the time came. When Mary Ann’s health began to decline, her doctor told Lynne Giacobbe, the founder and CEO of the Kendal at Home program, which launched in 2003, that Mary Ann needed to live in a nursing home.

“Mary Ann was our first test. I remember her doctor shaking his finger at me saying, ‘She’s never going home.’ After I talked to her, I thought, ‘We’ve got to at least try to get her home,’ ” said Giacobbe, who requested two weeks to create an at-home care plan. 

About that experience, which remains ingrained in the KAH ethos as the “Mary Ann philosophy,” Giacobbe said, “She taught us a lot about what it means to support someone who wants to live in their home.” 

The solo ager needed support from caregivers with her activities of daily living (ADLs), and, as Giacobbe discovered, someone to mow her grass and pay her bills. Mary Ann’s attorney established Kendal at Home’s bill-paying service, which still exists, two decades later. 

Today, KAH offers a range of services to all kinds of members. “It’s not always a caregiver coming in to do everything—maybe it’s engaging a member in therapy to help strengthen them so they can ambulate more safely,” said Giacobbe. “If they are having difficulty getting healthy meals, we can support them with nutrition support services—they might not need other kinds of care. Other members might not only need help preparing meals, but help with personal care. Our members want to be as independent as possible. How can we facilitate that?” 

‘Aging in Place’ 

According to a Kendal story about Giacobbe’s retirement, when she first came on board, the idea of  aging in place “without walls” with the support of a Community Care Retirement Community (CCRC) was a new idea.

Now, Giacobbe says, “I think things have changed where there is much more awareness of the ability to be able to successfully age at home. There are more resources for us to be able to put into place to support a member on their journey.”

The Impact of COVID

The COVID pandemic played a significant part in Giacobbe’s tenure.

“It was a very scary time for all of us, a lot of uncertainty,” Giacobbe said.  “When you are in a leadership role, you want to have some certainty about how to do this work. We’d been doing this a long time and we felt confident in our abilities, but none of us was prepared for what was ahead of us.” 

Her team was on every member’s doorstep–they delivered groceries, they delivered medication, they were there to support in ways they could have never imagined. Throughout the pandemic, her team pivoted to a virtual model offering online programming to keep isolated older adults mentally and socially engaged.

She added, “The biggest learning for me, and one of the areas of gratitude I will leave this organization with, is the appreciation for our team and our staff. I reflect back with immense pride on our team and their willingness to go above and beyond.” Some of the programs now in place, such as its health and wellness model, evolved from COVID-era innovations. It includes virtual fitness classes, falls prevention programs, and brain health initiatives. 

Long-Standing Leadership 

Doug Helman, the chief operations officer for the Kendal Corporation, who worked with Giacobbe for more than 20 years, called her “an innovator in the [CCaH] field” and praised her for the work she did to educate people on how the KAH model was compatible with Kendal CCRCs. 

Uniquely among CCaH programs, KAH is able to work closely with local Kendal CCRCs when a KAH member makes a move to the CCRC. “It’s next-level synergy, what’s happening there,” observes Dee Pekruhn, LeadingAge’s senior director of life plan communities and CCaH. “At Kendal, the CCAH program benefits are woven into the support the individual receives after they move into the CCRC, promoting their ongoing independence in their new independent living apartment. It’s remarkable and progressive holistic support.”

As the older adult demographic increases, Helman said the Kendal at Home model can serve people and augment services because “it’s challenging to keep up with the bricks and mortar” needs. 

Some KAH members do eventually move to Kendal communities if their circumstances change. “Lynne started Kendal at Home in the Cleveland market—the largest percentage of members are still in that market and there is also a large percentage there who have transitioned to a community,” he said. 

What’s Next?

Giacobbe, who retired at the end of March, will continue to be part of the Kendal Leadership Fellows program, along with educator Judy Sorum Brown, who also works in leadership with LeadingAge.  Beyond that, Giacobbe said, “I hope to stay connected to our field and support the work that’s become so critical to us over the years.”

“I’m also going to do some fun things you never have time for–sign up for some cooking classes, travel a little bit, just enjoy life. I’m looking forward to the next chapter.” 

LeadingAge is hosting a CCaH Virtual Conference during the afternoons of June 9 and 10, 2026, to offer actionable strategies, practical insights, and opportunities for peer learning to help organizations build, refine, and sustain successful CCaH programs. Join us! 

Photos courtesy of Kendal at Home