Adult foster care is one of the most effective, most personal ways to support older adults and individuals with disabilities in Massachusetts. And yet, it’s one of the least understood programs available to families who need it.

At Vitra Health, we want to change that.

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How the Program Works

Adult foster care, sometimes called AFC, allows eligible individuals to receive daily care and support in a home setting rather than a nursing home or assisted living facility. In most cases, the caregiver is a family member, a close friend, or someone the individual already trusts.

What makes the program work is the structure around it. Caregivers receive ongoing training, clinical support, and regular check-ins from a care management team. They’re not doing this alone. And because caregiving is recognized as essential labor, family caregivers can receive compensation for the care they provide.

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Why It’s Good for Families and for Massachusetts

Keeping someone at home, surrounded by people they love and in a place they’re comfortable, leads to better outcomes. It supports dignity, cultural connection, and emotional well-being in ways that institutional care often can’t match.

It also costs the state significantly less than nursing home or facility-based care. Adult foster care is a program that works, and Massachusetts has invested in it because of that track record.

Vitra Health CEO Lorena Silva, a registered nurse who has worked in home-based care for years, put it this way:

Adult foster care is not only more person-centered and culturally responsive than facility-based care but is also significantly less expensive. Reducing investment in adult foster care will not solve cost pressures; rather, it will shift them elsewhere, often at greater expense, while deepening inequities for vulnerable populations.

— Lorena Silva, CEO, Vitra Health

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Why We’re Speaking Up

Recently, there’s been public conversation about the costs of adult foster care in Massachusetts. We welcome that conversation, and we believe accountability and program integrity matter. But we also want to make sure the full picture is part of that discussion.

Most families in this program are doing exactly what it was designed for: caring for a loved one at home, with the right support behind them. Cutting or limiting access to adult foster care doesn’t eliminate the need for care. It just makes it harder for families to find, and more expensive for everyone in the long run.

We’re committed to working with state regulators and legislators to make sure adult foster care remains strong, accessible, and supported for the families who depend on it.