“In many respects, it’s easier to open a home care agency than a pizza shop in the Commonwealth.”

That quote—from Harrison Collins, Director of Legislative Affairs for the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts—set the tone for today’s Boston Globe feature on the urgent push to regulate private, non-medical home care agencies. With one line, it captured the stark reality facing families, workers, and ethical providers across the state.

The Globe’s reporting brings long-needed public attention to what the Home Care Alliance has consistently raised with lawmakers: Massachusetts remains one of only a few states without a licensing framework for non-medical home care agencies, despite serving some of the state’s most vulnerable residents. The article centers on the lived experience of families struggling to secure safe, reliable care at home—putting faces, names, and emotion behind what can otherwise feel like an abstract policy debate.

Through this coverage, the Globe connects the human impact directly to the policy gap. Families navigating Alzheimer’s, mobility loss, and chronic illness are often forced to rely on a system with few uniform standards, limited oversight, and uneven accountability. Harrison’s quote brings that contradiction into sharp focus and underscores why meaningful regulation is no longer optional—it is necessary.

Earlier this month, the Massachusetts House passed legislation that would create a formal licensing structure for home care agencies, including background checks, workforce training in critical areas like dementia care and infection control, transparency in services and pricing, and enforcement through the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. These are reforms the Home Care Alliance and its members have long supported in order to protect families while strengthening the workforce and the provider community.

Today’s Globe coverage amplifies that message far beyond the policy sphere. It brings the issue into living rooms across the Commonwealth, reminding the public that home care is not a niche service—it is a cornerstone of how Massachusetts cares for older adults, people with disabilities, and families under stress.

The Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts welcomes this attention and remains fully engaged as the legislation moves to the Senate. With the Globe elevating both the human stakes and the need for accountability, the momentum for meaningful, balanced oversight has never been clearer.

The full article is available to Globe subscribers here: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/30/metro/home-care-massachusetts-senior-alzheimers-regulate/?p1=BGSearch_Overlay_Results#bgmp-comments