The questions families ask first.
Direct answers for adult children, spouses, and referrers comparing private-pay home care with home health, MassHealth programs, and an ASAP.
What is the difference between home care and home health in Massachusetts?
Home care is non-medical help with daily life — bathing, dressing, meals, companionship, and a watchful presence — arranged by the family. Home health is skilled, short-term medical care (nursing or therapy) ordered by a physician and usually delivered by a Medicare-certified agency. Blessed Home Care Services and Staffing Agency is home care, not home health.
How much does home care cost in Massachusetts?
Private-pay home care is billed for the hours you schedule; we quote a clear rate before a caregiver starts. Public 2026 guides often place Massachusetts non-medical care in the thirties to fifties per hour depending on personal care versus companionship, nights, and 24-hour coverage — call 339-999-2713 for our current private-pay rate.
Does Medicare pay for non-medical home care?
No. Medicare does not pay for companion care, personal care, or homemaker help. It may cover short-term home health when a doctor orders skilled nursing or therapy for a homebound patient. Families usually pay privately, use long-term-care insurance, or ask about other benefits separately.
What is companion care versus personal care?
Companion care is presence and household help: conversation, meals, errands, light housekeeping, and supervision. Personal care is hands-on help with bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and transfers. Many Woburn-area families need both in the same visit; we build the plan around the person.
What is the difference between an HHA, a companion, and a MassHealth PCA?
A companion provides non-medical socialization and light household help. A home health aide (HHA) works under a home-health agency and a nurse’s plan and may do personal care plus limited health-related tasks. A MassHealth PCA is hired and directed by the member through the state’s self-directed PCA program. Blessed Home Care Services and Staffing Agency is a private-pay agency for companion and personal care — not a MassHealth PCA program and not a skilled home-health agency.
Do you provide MassHealth PCA or skilled nursing?
No. We do not operate the MassHealth Personal Care Attendant program, and we do not provide skilled nursing, therapy, or clinical medication administration. If a loved one needs those services, we can still help with the non-medical hours at home while you work with a home-health agency, a PCM agency, or your clinician.
What is an ASAP, and do I need one to hire you?
No — you do not need an ASAP referral to call Blessed Home Care Services and Staffing Agency. An Aging Services Access Point (ASAP) is a regional nonprofit contracted by the Commonwealth to assess and coordinate the state Home Care Program. Woburn-area families often start with Minuteman Senior Services or MassOptions (800-243-4636) for publicly funded options; private-pay care can begin with us the same week.
Do you only serve Woburn?
No. The office is at 7 Elm Avenue in Woburn, and we arrange care statewide across Massachusetts when a caregiver match is available. Nearby families often call from Burlington, Winchester, Lexington, Wilmington, Reading, Stoneham, Medford, and Arlington along the Route 128 corridor.
Can I get 24-hour or overnight home care?
Yes, when a match is available. We cover days, evenings, weekends, overnights, and around-the-clock schedules — not only a few daytime hours. Call 339-999-2713 with the start date and hometown.
How quickly can a caregiver start?
Care can start as soon as we have a safe match for the town, hours, and type of help. Some families begin within days; weekend and overnight coverage depends on who is available near you. Tell us the city or town on the contact form.
Are caregivers screened and trained?
Yes. We place screened, well-trained caregivers and stay involved after the first visit: reliability, privacy, and how they treat your family in their own home. Some caregivers also bring CNA or HHA experience; that does not turn this agency into skilled nursing.
Can I hire you for a few hours a week?
Yes. Some families need two visits a week for bathing and meals. Others need live-in or overnight safety. We scale private-pay hours to the household, then adjust as needs change.
Do you hire caregivers in Massachusetts?
Yes. Apply on the Careers page or call the Woburn office. Tell us your experience, transportation, and the towns you can reach.