The Heart of the Commonwealth
Worcester Senior Report
Worcester · Massachusetts
Because getting older should come with better information, not less of it.
Services & Resources
Income, Social Security, classes, clubs and things to do.
Put in what comes in each month, then what you plan to spend and what you actually spent. The totals work themselves out as you type. Everything stays on this device - nothing is sent to us or to anyone else.
A month at a time, before anything is spent.
Planning retirement income in this economy is stressful, and Worcester seniors deserve clear information, not sales pitches. We report on local retirement planning workshops, changes to Social Security, and financial advisors who specialize in fixed-income budgeting for older adults. We also keep an eye on educational opportunities offered by the local colleges to the senior population.
Every number below was read on the organisation's own website on 28 and 30 September 2026. Where one could not be, the listing says so.
A city office for Worcester veterans and their widows and widowers: money when things are tight, medical costs reimbursed, and a way into housing and health care.
City Hall, Room 101, 455 Main St., Worcester, MA 01608
Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Free, for Worcester residents. Appointments can be requested on their page.
Where to apply for SNAP, the food benefit, and for cash assistance - or to sort out a case or a card that has gone wrong.
50 Southwest Cutoff, Worcester, MA 01604
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
You can also apply on 877-382-2363 (press 7) or online. Interpreters are there. Step-free, with parking, and the WRTA stops outside.
A Worcester-based non-profit that helps veterans and their families with housing, health and wellness, jobs and training, and substance use treatment. It is separate from the City's Veterans' Services office, which handles state veterans' benefits.
69 Grove Street, Worcester, MA 01605
You can also apply for help online through the 'Apply for Services' link on the site. Worcester Veterans' Services (already listed) is the place to ask about Chapter 115 benefits.
The State Treasurer holds property that people have lost track of, such as bank accounts, uncashed cheques, stocks or dividends, insurance policies and the contents of safe deposit boxes, until the owner or an heir claims it. You can search for your own name or a late relative's.
Monday to Friday, 8:45am to 3:30pm.
Search online at findmassmoney.gov or ring the number above. Be wary of anyone who offers to find your money for a fee; you can claim directly with the Treasury.
The state office for veterans and their families. Its constituent services line answers questions about state veterans' benefits, and it keeps a directory of the local Veterans Service Officers who help with claims.
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
For most questions, start with Worcester Veterans' Services (already listed), the city's own office. Use this state line if you need help beyond that.
Courses, lectures, a book club, a film club and a lunch club at Assumption University, mostly taught by the members themselves. You join, and then take what you like.
Assumption University, 500 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609
Office, Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
Membership is required; ask what it costs. Some courses are on Zoom and recorded.
Books, films to stream free with a card, cut-price passes to the museums, a makerspace, and something on most days. It has also been the city's warming centre in a hard freeze.
3 Salem Sq., Worcester, MA 01608
Opening hours change with the season - ring or look before you set out.
The city's art museum: galleries, exhibitions and events, ten minutes from downtown.
55 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609
Wednesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Admission is $17 for older visitors, $22 otherwise. Parking is free and every car park is beside an entrance you can walk in through. Reduced admission for EBT cardholders. Some galleries close during building work.
Pools, a gym and classes on Main Street, ten minutes from the Common.
766 Main St., Worcester, MA 01610
Monday–Friday, 5 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Closed Sunday.
You need membership or a guest pass. Ask about classes for older members and what they cost - their site does not say.
Massachusetts gives tuition waivers to senior citizens at its public colleges, and QCC lists this among its waivers. That means you can take college courses in Worcester without paying tuition, though fees are still charged.
670 West Boylston Street, Worcester, MA 01606
The number is QCC's Financial Aid office; ask what age and course rules apply and how to claim the waiver. The waiver only covers tuition, not course fees.
Worcester State offers a tuition waiver to people over 60, so older residents can take university courses without paying tuition.
The number is the university's main line; ask for Financial Aid or the Registrar. Fees may still apply. Listed in the 2026–2027 catalogue.
A programme for older people run by the Southeast Asian Coalition, with social gatherings, karaoke, cultural dance for older adults, lunch-and-learn talks and diabetes prevention classes.
50 Portland St, Suite 521, Worcester, MA 01608
Run by a Southeast Asian community organisation; ask which languages are spoken at the gatherings. Ring or email info@seacma.org to ask about the next one.
Part-time paid training for people over 55 on modest incomes: up to twenty hours a week at a charity or a public office, at least minimum wage, with help finding a proper job after.
10 Hammond St., Worcester, MA 01610
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
For people of 55 and over on a low income, anywhere in Worcester County.
They match people who have time with the places that need it, all over Worcester.
18 Chestnut St., Suite 530, Worcester, MA 01608
Ask for extension 261. Openings are also listed on their site.
The state's free public job centre for Worcester, for job seekers of any age. It also has walk-in help with unemployment insurance.
554 Main Street, Suite 300, 3rd Floor, Worcester, MA 01608
Monday to Thursday, 8:45am to 4:30pm. Friday, 9:45am to 4:30pm. Unemployment walk-in help stops at 4pm.
Free. Ask what workshops and training are running for older job seekers.
Worcester's science and nature museum, with a planetarium, indoor exhibits, outdoor trails and animals. People aged 65 and over get $6 off admission.
222 Harrington Way, Worcester, MA 01604
Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm; ticket sales close at 4pm. Closed Mondays except some Monday holidays.
The page also lists other discounts, including Card to Culture; ask which you qualify for.
A 400-acre wildlife sanctuary inside the city with marked trails through woods, fields and marsh, and a nature centre. The nature centre is listed as universally accessible. Admission for people 65 and over is $3.
414 Massasoit Road, Worcester, MA 01604
Nature centre: Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm; Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Trails: every day, dawn to dusk.
Foot traffic only on the trails, but day passes are available for powered mobility devices; ask when you ring.
The city's history museum, with exhibits on Worcester's past, a research library and a historic mansion on Highland Street. Its web address is still worcesterhistory.org.
30 Elm Street, Worcester, MA 01609
Museum: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, and until 8:30pm every fourth Thursday. Library: Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, appointment recommended.
The mansion at 40 Highland Street opens Thursday to Saturday, 1pm to 4pm; it has no lift to the upper floor and narrow doorways, so ring first if you use a wheelchair.
A large botanic garden in Boylston, just north of Worcester, with gardens to walk round. Admission for people 65 and over is $19 in advance or $20 at the gate (May to October 2026 prices).
11 French Drive, Boylston, MA 01505
Every day, 10am to 5pm; last admission 4:30pm.
Wheelchairs can be borrowed free on a first-come basis. It used to be called Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Busy days can sell out, so book ahead.