Home Care in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Home Care Regulations

Each state regulates senior living care differently. Because home care providers offer similar services to assisted living, states may regulate home care within their guidelines for assisted living. You can use APFM’s guide to assisted living regulations to learn more about access to facility records in Massachusetts.

In Massachusetts, home care — or in-home care — is a service which offers compassion and help to seniors who need assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) and wish to remain in their homes. Levels of care vary according to need, and can include companionship, meal prep, cleaning, transportation, and help with ADLs like bathing and dressing. Home care aides are trained to understand the nuances of senior care but generally aren’t licensed to provide medical services.

Cost of Living

Overall, the cost of living in Massachusetts is considered to be less affordable than the national average. All index scores are based on a scale with the national average set at 100.

Price Indexes

• Cost of Living: 134
• Groceries: 114
• Housing: 170
• Utilities: 110
• Transportation: 116

Demographics

About 17% of Massachusetts’s population are seniors. In the 2016 presidential election, Massachusetts leaned liberal.

2016 Presidential Election

• 60% voted Democratic
• 33% voted Republican
• 7% voted third party or abstained

Population

• Median age: 39
• Over the age of 55: 30%
• 2018 population: 6,902,149
• 2020 population: 6,980,618
• Estimated 2025 population: 7,180,715

Miscellaneous

• 23% regularly attend a religious service
• 60% consider themselves atheist, agnostic, or a non-believer
• The state has a total of 4,200 congregations
• There are 27 Masonic lodges in the state

Climate and Weather

Massachusetts’s climate is divided into three sections, with almost all of the state’s western counties classified as warm-summer humid continental. This means the region has four distinct seasons with significant differences between summer and winter, although temperatures overall tend to be less extreme compared to most of the country. To the east, the Boston area has a humid subtropical climate, and the Cape Cod coastal region has an oceanic climate, meaning winters aren’t quite as cold as the rest of the state and there’s slightly more precipitation. Massachusetts experiences severe winter storms, nor’easters, and hurricanes.

Humidity and Precipitation

• Average humidity level: 71%
• Average monthly precipitation: 4”
• Average maximum monthly precipitation: 6” (May)

Air Quality

• Average air quality index rating: 39 (Good)
• Average maximum air quality rating: 48 in May (Good)

Seasonal Temperatures

• Average temperature: 48°F
• Average summer temperature: 68°F
• Typical summer high: 85°F (July)
• Typical summer low: 50°F (June)
• Average winter temperature: 28°F
• Typical winter high: 45°F (December)
• Typical winter low: 7°F (January)