Worcester Senior AdvisorWorcester is New England's second-largest city and the seat of Worcester County, built on seven hills between Lake Quinsigamond on the east and the Tatnuck and Indian Lake neighborhoods on the west. Interstate 290 cuts through downtown past Union Station and the Canal District, and Route 9 runs from Shrewsbury Street out Pleasant Street toward Leicester. The UMass Memorial Medical Center campuses on Belmont Street and Lake Avenue and Saint Vincent Hospital on Summer Street anchor the city's hospital care.
For senior care, Worcester is the county's center of gravity: about a third of the county's nursing homes sit inside city limits, and most of its assisted living residences are on the west side around Salisbury Street, May Street and Briarwood Circle, with another on Plantation Street next to a nursing home. Families from the surrounding towns usually end up comparing at least one Worcester option, if only because the hospitals and specialists are here.
How many older residents and certified care options are in Worcester, MA?
Worcester had about 213,862 residents on July 1, 2025 (up 7,354 since 2020) and about 27,619 residents 65 and older (13.3%), and the state and CMS records show 6 certified assisted living residences and 16 nursing homes there.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Population, July 1, 2025 (Census estimate) | 213,862 |
| Population, April 2020 base | 206,508 |
| Residents 65+ (ACS 2020-2024) | 27,619 |
| Residents 85+ (ACS 2020-2024) | 4,006 |
| With an address in Worcester | Without an address in Worcester | |
|---|---|---|
| State and CMS records | Certified assisted living: 6, Nursing homes: 16, Home health agencies: 25, Hospices: 4 | Every category is represented |
Which assisted living residences are certified in Worcester?
Worcester has 6 certified Assisted Living Residences with 398 units, 74 of them memory care (Special Care Residence) units; the longest-certified, The Elms at Briarwood, has held certification since October 17, 1996.
| Residence / provider | Certified units | Special Care (memory) units | Certified since | Latest AGE compliance review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark at Tatnuck Park 340 May Street, 01602 | 76 | 19 | 06/21/1999 | 07/08/2025 |
| Christopher Heights of Worcester 20 Mary Scano Drive, 01605 | 80 | 0 | 05/06/1997 | 05/08/2025 |
| Eisenberg Assisted Living Residences 631 Salisbury Street, 01609 | 80 | 19 | 11/15/1999 | Not posted |
| Notre Dame du Lac Assisted Living 555 Plantation Street, 01605 | 110 | 24 | 08/17/2000 | 07/23/2024 |
| The Elms at Briarwood 70 Briarwood Circle, 01606 | 40 | 0 | 10/17/1996 | 09/06/2024 |
| The Evergreens 68 Briarwood Circle, 01606 | 12 | 12 | 07/01/2020 | 07/08/2026 |
What nursing homes are in Worcester, and how does CMS rate them?
16 certified nursing homes are in Worcester with 2096 certified beds; 7 of the 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaire House of Worcester 116 Houghton Street, 01604 | 3 of 5 | 75 | 92% | 3.78 | 7 |
| Christopher House of Worcester 10 Mary Scano Drive, 01605 | 3 of 5 | 156 | 91% | 4.19 | 7 |
| Hermitage Healthcare (the) 383 Mill Street, 01602 | 2 of 5 | 101 | 87% | 3.71 | 12 |
| Holy Trinity Eastern Orthodox N & R Center 300 Barber Avenue, 01606 | 5 of 5 | 113 | 89% | 4.17 | 1 |
| Jewish Healthcare Center 629 Salisbury Street, 01609 | 4 of 5 | 141 | 94% | 4.76 | 7 |
| Knollwood Nursing Center 87 Briarwood Circle, 01606 | 5 of 5 | 82 | 93% | 4.26 | 5 |
| Lutheran Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center 26 Harvard Street, 01609 | 5 of 5 | 150 | 66% | 4.66 | 0 |
| Notre Dame Long Term Care Center 559 Plantation Street, 01605 | 4 of 5 | 123 | 97% | 3.63 | 3 |
| Odd Fellows Home of Massachusetts 104 Randolph Road, 01606 | 2 of 5 | 100 | 91% | 3.67 | 7 |
| Parsons Hill Rehabilitation & Health Care Center 1350 Main Street, 01603 | 2 of 5 | 162 | 90% | 3.19 | 9 |
| Regalcare at Worcester 25 Oriol Drive, 01605 | 2 of 5 | 160 | 73% | 3.64 | 8 |
| St Francis Rehabilitation & Nursing Center 101 Plantation Street, 01604 | 4 of 5 | 137 | 88% | 3.87 | 2 |
| St Mary Health Care Center 39 Queen Street, 01610 | 2 of 5 | 172 | 66% | 3.58 | 9 |
| Vantage at Worcester LLC 59 Acton Street, 01604 | 1 of 5 | 173 | 57% | 4.66 | 8 |
| West Side House Ltc Facility 35 Fruit Street, 01609 | 5 of 5 | 91 | 59% | 4.50 | 0 |
| Worcester Rehabilitation & Health Care Center 119 Providence Street, 01604 | 2 of 5 | 160 | 82% | 3.20 | 10 |
Which home health agencies and hospices have offices in Worcester?
25 Medicare-certified home health agencies and 4 hospices list an office in Worcester; agencies typically serve clients well beyond their office town.
- Acclaim Home Health Care, Inc — home health agency, Medicare-certified since 2006
- Among Friends Home Health Inc — home health agency, Medicare-certified since 2017
- Arca Health VNA LLC — home health agency, Medicare-certified since 2025
- Aveanna Healthcare — home health agency, Medicare-certified since 1994
- Aveanna Home Health — home health agency, Medicare-certified since 2024
- Century Homecare LLC — home health agency, Medicare-certified since 2013
- Complete VNA — home health agency, Medicare-certified since 2015
- Cornerstone Healthcare Systems LLC — home health agency, Medicare-certified since 2014
- Everest Home Health Inc — home health agency, Medicare-certified since 2016
- Grace Excel Healthcare Services LLC — home health agency, Medicare-certified since 2016
- Kepa Home Care, LLC — home health agency, Medicare-certified since 2024
- Lilac Homecare LLC — home health agency, Medicare-certified since 2017
Which hospitals are closest to Worcester?
Measured from the center of Worcester, the closest hospitals with emergency departments in CMS's data are Saint Vincent Hospital (about 0.0 miles) and Milford Regional Medical Center (about 16.0 miles).
UMass Memorial HealthAlliance Hospitals in Leominster is about 17.9 miles away. These are straight-line distances, useful for comparison but not drive times.
Where do Worcester families get free senior help?
Home care, nutrition programs and caregiver support for Worcester run through Elder Services of Worcester Area, the Aging Services Access Point at (508) 756-1545, 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.
