Compare your care options
Most families arrive at this decision quickly and under pressure. These pages lay out what each option really costs in Massachusetts and when it makes sense — including when the answer is not us.
In Massachusetts, home care costs less than assisted living up to roughly 55 hours of care a week; beyond that, a community usually costs less. Assisted living runs about $9,058 a month statewide, while 40 hours a week of personal care at home is about $6,582. Which is right depends less on price than on whether someone is safe at home during the hours nobody is there.
Cost comparisons
Home care vs assisted living in Massachusetts — real monthly cost at 20, 40 and 84 hours a week, against the state median for assisted living and nursing homes, and the hour count where the answer flips.
Home care vs a nursing home — what each costs in Massachusetts, what a non-medical agency cannot do, and the medical line that decides it before price does.
Companion care vs personal care: $34 vs $38 — exactly what the extra $4 an hour buys, and how to tell which one your parent needs.
Hiring through Care.com vs an agency — what being the household employer costs in Massachusetts once workers' compensation, payroll taxes and sick-day cover are counted.
The RIDE vs Uber vs medical transport vs a caregiver who drives — real fares for getting to an appointment, and the five MetroWest towns The RIDE does not serve.
If you are looking for alternatives
Alternatives to a nursing home in MetroWest — six real options including adult day health, PACE and paid family caregiving through MassHealth, and when a nursing home is genuinely the answer.
Alternatives to assisted living for a parent who wants to stay home — how to replace the bundle piece by piece: care, meals, company, night-time safety, transport and the house itself.
When the family can't cover the care any more — six options from a few respite hours to residential care, including how to get paid to keep caring through MassHealth.
Alternatives to Care.com for elder care — the four ways to find a caregiver in Massachusetts, and what each means for who is responsible when something goes wrong.
How the options differ
Home care vs home health care — who pays, who qualifies, and why a nurse visit and a caregiver visit are not interchangeable.
Hiring a private caregiver vs an agency — what changes on tax, insurance, cover when someone calls out sick, and who carries the risk.
Live-in care vs 24-hour care — two different services at two very different prices, often confused in the same phone call.
Medication reminders vs medication management — the line between what a non-medical caregiver may do and what needs a nurse.
Not sure which question you are really asking?
Most families call us somewhere in the middle of this. A free assessment is a conversation, not a sales visit — we will say plainly if what you need is a community, a nurse, or nothing at all yet.