10 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Holyoke, MA

Holyoke, Massachusetts

Assisted Living

Assisted living communities arrange organized living communities and aid to people who require a helping hand with cooking food or dressing. The services provided often include assistance with ADLs. Inhabitants may be kept under observation and evaluation. Under certain circumstances, communities may offer Alzheimer’s care, respite, or nursing. In Massachusetts, the annual median cost for an assisted living community is around $67,680 . The state of Massachusetts has specific statutes associated with this kind of community. The Executive Office of Elder Affairs supervises this type of community. This community type has a number of provisions pertaining to medication assistance. These provisions include reading the medication label to residents, observing residents while they take the medication, and management of self-administered medications. Public assistance is available through Medicaid 1915(c) Waiver program. There must be one bath or shower for every 1 residents and one toilet for every 1 residents. This type of community is required to have a staff member on duty 24 hours a day. Before a resident is accepted, they must go through a service plan screening to assure their needs are going to be met. This screening includes a number of areas of interest such as assessment of the individual’s needs and preferences, assessment of residents need for assistance in emergency situations, assessment of residents current diagnoses and medical history, and assessment of residents ability to manage medications. This community has a number of provisions concerning food and diet which include communities must use daily recommended dietary allowances as established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, residence must provide or arrange for the availability of food selections that would permit a resident to adhere to a diet consistent with the most recent edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans, communities must provide up to three regularly scheduled meals daily, and qualified dietitian must counsel residents regarding therapeutic diets and other dietary issues. Staff are required to obtain training in a variety of subjects. These areas include Dementia/cognitive impairment, 7-hour general orientation , resident bill of rights, and philosophy of independent living. This type of community is required to offer a number of services. These include timely assistance with urgent or emergency needs, assistance with activities of daily living , management of self-administered prescription or over-the-counter medications, and assistance with instrumental activities of daily living.

Demographics and Values

In Holyoke, 5.5% of the people are veterans of the United States military. Holyoke has a population density of 735 people per square mile. The total population of Holyoke consists of 40,341 people. Based on gender, 51.1% are female and 48.9% are male. The median age of Holyoke is 35 years old. Racially, the population of Holyoke is 6.6% other or not specified, 0.1% Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 3.8% black, 84.9% white, 51.2% Hispanic, 2.6% mixed race, 0.4% Native American, and 1.6% Asian. Out of the total population of Holyoke, 5.6% consider themselves widows, 57.3% participate in the labor force, 17.0% have some form of disability, and 28.6% live in poverty. Of the population of Holyoke 9.4% have a graduate degree, 24.2% have a college degree, and 29.2% have a high-school diploma.

Cost of Living

The overall cost of living is a motivating factor in choosing which community is the best fit for you or your loved one’s needs. The rent burden for Holyoke is about 19.2% of the average person’s monthly income. Monthly, the median price for rent in Holyoke is about $1,185 and the median home value for Holyoke is approximately $182,644.

State Information

An overview of Massachusetts

The state of Massachusetts has 78 hospitals and 129 health centers, providing care to a population of 6,941,273. The three highest ranked hospitals in Massachusetts are Cape Cod Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and New England Baptist Hospital. The natural beauty of Massachusetts is ranked 26th in the nation. The state of Massachusetts has a cost of living index of 133.8 where a score of 100 is the national average, and anything above 100 is considered more expensive than the average. The state has a grocery index rating of 113.9 and a housing index rating of 170.3. Overall, Massachusetts ranks 8th in quality of life and 2nd in healthcare compared to other US states.

Social demographics of the state

In Massachusetts, 30% of the population is over the age of 55. The median age in the state is 39. In the most recent presidential election, 33% of Massachusetts residents voted Republican and 60% voted Democrat. The state of Massachusetts ranks 16th in the country for diversity and the state is considered very LGBTQ friendly. In terms of religious values, 23% of Massachusetts’s population regularly attend some form of service and there are in total 4,200 different congregations. The top three non-Christian denominations in the state are Jewish-3%, Muslim-<1%, and Buddhist-<1%, with the most common Christian denominations consisting of Evangelical Protestant-9%, Mainline Protestant-10%, and Historically Black Protestant-2%. In Massachusetts there are 27 masonic lodges.

State-wide weather information

The average temperature in the winter falls to around 28F. The average high winter temperature is around 45F in the month of January. The average low temperature during the winter drops to around 7F in the month of December. The average temperature in the summer rises to around 68F. Over the summer months the average high temperature peaks at around 85F during the month of July. In the summer, the average low temperature drops to around 50F during the month of June. The average air quality index rating in Massachusetts is 38.9 AQI. The highest seasonal air quality index rating occurs in the month of May with a rating of 47.5 AQI. The average humidity across the state is 71%. Humidity levels tend to reach their peak in the month of December at around 71%. The average amount of precipitation peaks during the month of May at around 6.10 inches. On average, the state receives 4.04 inches of precipitation a month. While residents of Massachusetts mostly enjoy pleasant conditions, it’s important to be aware of inclement weather as well, which in Massachusetts can include hurricanes, earthquakes (moderate), and and tornadoes.

Wildlife to be found in Massachusetts

The state of Massachusetts has a diverse array of plant and animal life. Local plant life can consist of Flowering Dogwood, Butterfly Weed, Flowering Dogwood, and American Linden. While venturing throughout the state, you might see animals such as the New England Aster, the Black Bears, the Lanceleaf Coreopsis, or the Spike Gayfeather. The state animal of Massachusetts is the Woodchucks.