ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

What Types Of Long-Term Care Services Are Available in Massachusetts and How Can You Access Them?

Updated on: August 17th, 2022

There are a variety of long-term care services in the Commonwealth that are regulated or monitored by a state agency. Listed below are brief descriptions of each of the services and what organizations to contact for more information. It is important to remember that each service has different financial, medical and functional eligibility requirements.

Services in the Home

Chore Services

  • Non-medical services provided in an individual’s home to help continue independent living, including: vacuuming, washing floors and walls, defrosting freezers, cleaning ovens, cleaning attics and basements to remove fire and health hazards, changing storm windows, performing heavy yard work, shoveling snow and making minor home repairs.
  • Contact your local Aging Services Access Points (ASAP) through the Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Home Care

  • Non-medical services designed to maintain an individual’s ability to live independently including shopping, planning menus, preparing meals, home delivered meals, laundry, and light house cleaning and maintenance, including vacuuming, dusting, dry mopping, dishwashing, cleaning the kitchen/bathroom and changing beds.
  • Contact your local ASAP through the Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Personal Care

  • Non-medical services to help with activities of daily living, including assistance with bathing, bedpan routines, foot care, dressing, and care of dentures; shaving and grooming; assistance with eating; and assistance with moving around the home and getting in and out of bed and/or a wheelchair.
  • Contact your local ASAP through the Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Home Health Care

  • Skilled medical and other services, including nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy and home health aide services, are supplied by certified home health agencies and other professionals to help individuals remain at home.
  • Contact your local ASAP through the Executive Office of Elder Affairs or contact the Home Health Care Association of Massachusetts

 

Specialized Home or Facility Services

Respite Care

  • Medical and non-medical services to temporarily relieve caregivers of the daily stresses and demands of care for a family member. Respite could be for a few hours or a few days, depending on the needs of the caregiver and the resources available. In addition to home care, personal care and home health care, respite care services may include short-term placements in adult foster care, assisted living facilities and nursing facilities or rest homes.
  • Contact your local ASAP through the Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Hospice Care

  • Medical services with an emphasis on providing comfort and pain relief for those who are terminally ill.
  • Contact Medicare or the Hospice Federation of Massachusetts.

 

Services in a Community Setting

Social Day Care

  • Non-medical services designed to encourage physical and mental exercise and stimulate social interaction. Services are suited to the needs of participants with training, counseling and social services in a community setting, including assistance with walking, grooming eating and planned educational, recreational and social activities.
  • Contact your local ASAP through the Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Adult Foster Care

  • Mostly non-medical services providing room, board, and personal care in a family-like setting to individuals who cannot live alone safely. Services include companionship, assistance with activities of daily living, host family training and monthly nurse and social worker visits to monitor placements.
  • Contact your local ASAP through the Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Adult Day Health

  • Medical and other services allowing frail elders to remain in the community while coping with medical conditions, chronic debilitating illnesses or diseases that require careful monitoring and intervention. Services include therapeutic, nutritional, social and rehabilitative services, as well as support and education for participants, families and caregivers.
  • Contact your local ASAP through the Executive Office of Elder Affairs or contact the Division of Medical Assistance.

Dementia Day Care

  • Non-medical services in a structured, secure adult day program for individuals with dementia (Alzheimer’s Disease or a related disorder) to maximize their functional capacity, reduce agitation, disruptive behavior and the need for psychoactive medication, and enhance cognitive functioning. This allows a person with dementia to stay in the community, provides the caregiver with respite from caregiving responsibilities and includes support and education for participants, families and caregivers.
  • Contact your local ASAP through the Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Services in a Facility Assisted Living

  •  Independent housing that provides room, board and personal care, as well as a range of services, including social and educational programming and case management. Individuals can transition from completely independent housing units to extensive personal care within the same facility. Some assisted living facilities have designated units for persons with Alzheimer’s Disease.
  • Contact the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, the Massachusetts Assisted Living Facilities Association or the Massachusetts Extended Care Federation.

Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs)

  • Housing, personal care and health care in one location. Although arrangements vary widely, individuals usually pay privately through an initial investment and then monthly service fees for a variety of services ranging from assisted living to nursing home care.
  • Contact the Executive Office of Elder Affairs or the Massachusetts Extended Care Federation.

Nursing Homes

  • A facility licensed by the Department of Public Health that is primarily engaged in providing nursing care and related services on an inpatient basis for short and long-term care stays at skilled, intermediate or custodial levels of care.
  • Contact the Department of Public Health, the Executive Office of Elder Affairs or the Massachusetts Extended Care Federation.
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