Worcester Senior AdvisorWhat is PACE, and is it available in Worcester County?
PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) combines medical care, a day health center, home care, drugs and transportation in one plan for people 55 and older who need a nursing-home level of care; in Worcester County, Fallon Health's Summit ElderCare runs PACE centers in Worcester, Leominster and Webster.
| Summit ElderCare PACE center | Address |
|---|---|
| Worcester | 288 Grove Street, Worcester, MA 01605 |
| Leominster | 55 Cinema Boulevard, Leominster, MA 01453 |
| Webster | 108 Thompson Road, Webster, MA 01570 |
Source: Fallon Health locations page; phone Fallon Health 1-800-868-5200 (TRS 711).
PACE participants generally receive their care through the PACE team and its contracted providers. Most participants have MassHealth and Medicare, but some pay privately for the Medicaid portion.
Can someone in PACE live in assisted living?
Yes: AGE's 2025 census found that 7% of assisted living residents statewide were enrolled in PACE, and some residences had more than half of their traditional residents covered by PACE.
PACE pays for care, not rent, so the resident still pays the residence's housing charges. Ask a residence whether it works with Summit ElderCare and how coordination with the PACE team works day to day.
What is Senior Care Options?
Senior Care Options (SCO) is a MassHealth managed care program for people 65 and older who have MassHealth Standard, combining Medicare and MassHealth benefits in one plan with a care team; it is voluntary and has no extra cost for eligible members.
Frail Elder Waiver participants who are 65 or older can enroll in an SCO plan and keep their waiver services. About 1% of assisted living residents statewide were in SCO plans in AGE's census.
How do we choose between PACE, SCO and the Frail Elder Waiver?
Start with where the person lives and who their doctors are: PACE means switching to the PACE team and attending its center, SCO keeps more choice of providers within a plan network, and the Frail Elder Waiver adds home services but cannot be combined with PACE.
The local Aging Services Access Point and the SHINE health insurance counselors can explain the options without selling any of them. Enrollment choices can be changed, but timing matters around hospital stays.
At a glance
| PACE is | PACE is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Care | Medical, day center, home care and drugs in one team | Housing |
| Where | Centers in Worcester, Leominster and Webster | Available everywhere in the state |
| Who | People 55+ who need a nursing-home level of care | For people who want to keep every current doctor |
Sources include M.G.L. c. 19D and 651 CMR 12.00, the Executive Office of Aging & Independence's assisted living pages and 2025 Census Report, MassHealth's 2026 financial guidelines, DPH and CMS, and the CareScout and VA rate tables cited above; see our editorial standards.
