Groundbreaking Ceremony: Diane Stringer is in the center; Tom Ford is second from the left.

Reflecting on 20 Years of Exceptional Care at Kaplan Family Hospice House

Since its opening, the Kaplan Family Hospice House has been a cornerstone of compassionate end-of-life care, thanks to the unwavering commitment of the staff and a facility that provides an exceptional space to care for loved ones.

The vision for the Kaplan House came from Diane Stringer, President and CEO of Care Dimensions (formerly Hospice of the North Shore) from 1989 to 2017. Until that point, hospice patients were primarily cared for either at home or at the hospital. Diane saw the need for a dedicated facility to meet the unique needs of hospice patients and their families.

“The hospitals did their best, with special rooms and training focused on end-of-life care, but it was less than ideal,” said Diane. “We wanted to create a space that felt more like home, and a facility that would be staffed by clinicians who were experts in hospice and palliative care.”

Diane traveled the country, visiting with colleagues at their hospice houses to see first-hand how patients on the North Shore of Massachusetts could benefit from that level of care.

She worked closely with the Care Dimensions’ Board of Directors to help bring her vision to life. Her most steadfast supporter there was Tom Ford, who had met Diane when the two were trustees at Danversbank (later acquired by People’s United Bank). As a civil engineer, Tom provided invaluable expertise and guidance as plans for the Kaplan House began to take shape.

“Everybody who was affiliated with the planning and construction, from the Board of Directors to municipal partners, and even the contractors and subcontractors, knew that this hospice house was going to be special,” recalled Tom. “A lot of people who worked on the building had been personally touched by hospice care, so everybody wanted to do the job right.”

For Diane, the project was always more than just a building. It was about that expert care that the clinical teams would provide inside. Still, having a physical location was an important symbol for hospice care in the region.

“Twenty years ago, hospice was seen more as a concept or as a philosophy of care,” said Diane. “The Kaplan House made that concept more tangible for people. They could see a beautiful facility and better understand how we were helping people.”

Tom would end up spending nearly 20 years on the Board of Directors. He not only provided guidance and support during the original Kaplan House construction in 2005, but also the expansion in 2010, and then later the construction of the Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln in 2018. For him, it has been heartwarming to see the vision they had 20 years ago is still making such a difference today.

“I still get calls every few months, people telling me about a family member who was at the Kaplan House and talking about how beautiful the building was.”

Since 2005, the team at the Kaplan Family Hospice House has cared for more than 17,500 patients, as well as offered support to countless family members and friends. The Kaplan House has become a beacon of expert end-of-life care in the area.

 “It's tremendously gratifying knowing people have been helped,” added Diane. “But beyond the building, it’s still the people who work for Care Dimensions and the quality of care they provide that makes hospice so special.”

Diane Stringer and Tom Ford are being honored at the 20th Anniversary Gala to celebrate the Kaplan Family Hospice House. Purchase tickets to the event at CareDimensions.org/Gala and read more about the anniversary at CareDimensions.org/KFHH20th.