Worcester Senior AdvisorGardner, the Chair City, sits on the high ground of north-central Massachusetts along Route 2 and Route 140, between Westminster and Templeton. Its downtown on Parker and Main streets grew around furniture mills, and Mount Wachusett Community College lies on the city's southern edge.
Heywood Hospital on Green Street serves Gardner and the surrounding hill towns, and the city has nursing homes and an assisted living residence in a renovated mill complex. Families from Templeton, Hubbardston, Ashburnham and Winchendon often look to Gardner first.
How many older residents and certified care options are in Gardner, MA?
Gardner had about 21,483 residents on July 1, 2025 (up 215 since 2020) and about 4,135 residents 65 and older (19.6%), and the state and CMS records show 1 certified assisted living residence and 2 nursing homes there.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Population, July 1, 2025 (Census estimate) | 21,483 |
| Population, April 2020 base | 21,268 |
| Residents 65+ (ACS 2020-2024) | 4,135 |
| Residents 85+ (ACS 2020-2024) | 584 |
| With an address in Gardner | Without an address in Gardner | |
|---|---|---|
| State and CMS records | Certified assisted living: 1, Nursing homes: 2, Home health agencies: 1, Hospices: 1 | Every category is represented |
Which assisted living residences are certified in Gardner?
Gardner has 1 certified Assisted Living Residence with 78 units; the longest-certified, Heywood Wakefield Commons, has held certification since September 9, 2011.
| Residence / provider | Certified units | Special Care (memory) units | Certified since | Latest AGE compliance review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heywood Wakefield Commons 50 Pine Street, 01440 | 78 | 0 | 09/09/2011 | Not posted |
Where is the closest memory care to Gardner?
The closest residence with Special Care Residence units is Broadview Assisted Living in Winchendon, about 6.6 miles away, with 7 memory care units.
- Broadview Assisted Living, Winchendon: 7 SCR units, 6.6 miles
- Benchmark Senior Living at Leominster Crossings, Leominster: 17 SCR units, 12.3 miles
- Manor on the Hill, Leominster: 17 SCR units, 12.3 miles
What nursing homes are in Gardner, and how does CMS rate them?
2 certified nursing homes are in Gardner with 220 certified beds; 1 of the 2 rated by CMS hold four or five stars overall.
| Residence / provider | CMS overall rating | Certified beds | Avg. beds filled | Nurse hours / resident / day | Deficiencies cited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner Rehabilitation and Nursing Center 59 Eastwood Circle, 01440 | 2 of 5 | 124 | 87% | 4.13 | 9 |
| Wachusett Manor 32 Hospital Hill Road, 01440 | 4 of 5 | 96 | 96% | 3.34 | 5 |
Which home health agencies and hospices have offices in Gardner?
1 Medicare-certified home health agency and 1 hospice list an office in Gardner; agencies typically serve clients well beyond their office town.
- Care Central VNA & Hospice Inc — home health agency, Medicare-certified since 1966
- Care Central VNA & Hospice — hospice, Medicare-certified since 1991
Which hospitals are closest to Gardner?
Measured from the center of Gardner, the closest hospitals with emergency departments in CMS's data are Heywood Hospital (about 0.0 miles) and UMass Memorial HealthAlliance Hospitals (about 12.3 miles).
Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester is about 24.4 miles away. These are straight-line distances, useful for comparison but not drive times.
Where do Gardner families get free senior help?
Home care, nutrition programs and caregiver support for Gardner run through Aging Services of North Central Massachusetts, the Aging Services Access Point at (978) 537-7411, which also does free in-home assessments.
Every Massachusetts city and town also has a council on aging, usually based at the senior center, which can help with local transportation, meals and SHINE health insurance counseling.
