Top Home Care Agencies in Worcester, MA Page 2

Learn More About Home Care in Worcester, MA

Home care, or in-home care, provides compassion and help for seniors who need assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) and wish to remain in their homes. Levels of care vary by 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 Home Care Services in Worcester, MA

The median monthly cost of in-home care is about $5,100 in Worcester and about $5,200 for the state of Massachusetts, according to Genworth.

For home care, Worcester, MA offers many great options, and A Place for Mom can help you find the right one.

Learn More About Worcester, MA

Cost of Living

The costs associated with living in Worcester are rated nine points above the national average, although the cost of living is 10% lower than the state average, and housing costs are significantly lower than average, as well. Grocery and other essential costs, however, are rated slightly higher. All index scores are based on a sliding scale with the national average set at 100.

Cost-of-living index	Grocery index	Median rent	Rent burden	Median home value	Median family income	Estate tax
109	106	$1,401	21.4% of residents spend over 30% of their income on rent	$210,195	$45,869	The top estate tax rate is 16% (exemption threshold: $1 million)

Local Hospitals

The top hospitals in Worcester include:

• UMass Memorial Medical Center — With 749 beds and a staff of more than 1,200, UMass Memorial offers a full range of services and has been highly rated in several heart surgery procedures as well as colon and lung cancer surgeries.
• Saint Vincent Hospital — A teaching hospital with 272 staffed beds, Saint Vincent provides general medical care to patients of all ages, and has been acclaimed for its cardiology services and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) procedures. The hospital was founded in 1893 and is now owned by Vanguard Health Systems.

Weather and Climate

Worcester’s climate is classified as humid continental, typically consisting of warm summers and cold winters. The average humidity level is about 66%, and humidity levels are often highest during September at roughly 71%.

Seasonal Temperatures

Average summer temp	Typical summer high	Typical summer low	Average winter temp	Typical winter high	Typical winter low
69°F	82°F (July)	55°F (July)	29°F	40°F (December)	18°F (January)

Air Quality

Average air quality index rating	Average maximum air quality index rating
41 (Good)	54 in December (Moderate)

Moderate air quality rating means that those who are sensitive to particulates in the air should limit the amount of time they spend on outdoor exertion.

Precipitation

Average monthly precipitation	Average maximum monthly precipitation	Average yearly snowfall
4”	6” (October)	51”

Demographics and Values

2016 Presidential Election for Worcester County

Voted Democratic	Voted Republican	Voted Third Party
69.9%	27.5%	5.6%

Population Statistics

Population metro area	Population city proper	Population density	Population trend
498,997	185,677	1,918 people per square mile	Growing at a rate of 0.25%

Age

Median	55+	60+	70+	80+
34	24%	9%	5%	4%

Highest Level of Education

High-school diploma	College degree	Graduate degree
30%	30%	12%

Race & Ethnicity

Asian	Black	Hispanic	Native American	Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian	White	Two or more
7.6%	13.1%	21.3%	0.5%	<0.1%	56.2%	4.3%

Crime

Total crimes	Property crimes per 1,000 citizens	Violent crimes per 1,000 citizens
5,620	23	7

Miscellaneous

Unemployed	Participate in the labor force	Have some form of disability	Live in poverty	Widows	Veterans
8%	61%	15%	22%	6%	5%

Worcester is considered very friendly to members of the LGBTQ+ community. The city is protective of its LGBTQ+ community, according to a 2014 study by Vocati.com, which named Worcester the 26th most LGBTQ+ friendly city in the United States. The city hosts an annual pride day with a parade and festival.

Arts, Culture, Entertainment, and Recreation

Pronounced “Wuh-ster” — or often “Wuh-stah” by locals — Worcester is the second-largest city in all of New England. Though it may seem like a small town compared to Boston, Worcester is known as “The Heart of the Commonwealth” and rivals many major cities when it comes to art, culture, and history.

Fine-art fanatics can spend hours at the Worcester Art Museum, which opened in 1898 and contains more than 38,000 works of art from all over the world. For theater and classical music aficionados, there’s the grand, historic Mechanics Hall as well as the Hanover Theater for the Performing Arts, both internationally recognized for their world-class productions and ornate designs. Then there’s Worcester’s annual stART on the Street festival, which allows residents and visitors free admission to view works by more than 300 artists, crafters, and street performers.

Worcester offers plenty of options for history buffs, too:

• The Worcester Historical museum is devoted to local history and runs Salisbury Mansion, a house museum built in 1772 and restored to its 1830s appearance.
• The American Antiquarian Society — the oldest historical society in the U.S. — collects and preserves printed materials from the country’s first European settlements through the late 1800s.
• Bancroft Tower was built in 1900 in honor of George Bancroft, a Worcester statesman who served as a U.S. diplomat and secretary of the Navy. Made of stone and granite, the tower stands 56 feet high, giving it the appearance of a miniature medieval castle.
• The Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans Memorial is an impressive four-acre area consisting of a pond, walking paths, and multiple granite structures.

Thanks to Worcester Lunch Car Company, which built many diners in the early- to mid-1900s, you can still find many old-fashioned lunch car diners around town, including the Boulevard Diner, Chadwick Square Diner, and Miss Worcester Diner.

Transportation

The Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) provides public bus services throughout Worcester and several surrounding cities. Residents over 60 or people with disabilities can ride the bus at half the regular fare, but they must provide proper identification. The WRTA local bus services, as well as train services connecting riders to Boston, run from Worcester’s historic Union Station.