Massachusetts is one of 15 states that don't require all home care agencies and workers to be licensed.

• A proposal on Gov. Maura Healey's desk would change that.

Why it matters: Lawmakers and senior care advocates say the legislation will ensure residents can age in place with access to quality services, like dressing, meal preparation, bathing and companionship.

Context: Massachusetts has a program that sets standards for agencies it contracts, but there is no statewide license or oversight in place for all non-medical home care agencies.

How it works: The bill, which passed both the House and Senate on Friday, would create a licensure process for home care workers that includes background checks and, for workers expected to drive clients, driving record checks.

• Licensed workers would have to undergo annual training that covers infection control, privacy rights, emergency response, Alzheimer's and dementia care, and other skills.
• The proposal would also let the state review, investigate and penalize any home care agency or worker that violates the new regulations or operates without a license.

What they're saying: "It provides important safeguards. Right now, it's buyer beware because you didn't know the quality — not only of the services, but the quality of the worker," says Paul Lanzikos, a coordinator for the advocacy group Dignity Alliance Massachusetts.

Reality check: Lawmakers praised the bill as a game-changer for aging adults, but some of the biggest changes might not materialize for years.

• The bill would create several commissions to make recommendations on licensing updates, family caregiving policies (including paying spouses as caregivers) and the prospect of a public insurance program to help cover long-term services.

What's next: Healey has until Aug. 10 to act on the bill.

• If it becomes law, state agencies would have to finalize home care regulations within a year.

Spread the word

As rents climb and older homeowners stay put, senior housemates are having a moment.

• Older adults are turning spare bedrooms into lifelines, for themselves and for renters priced out of the market, The New York Times reports.

The big picture: It's not charity. It's a trade: space for affordability, companionship and a hand around the house.

Zoom out: Around 55 home-share groups now play roommate matchmaker nationwide, vetting applicants and brokering the delicate stuff: pets, parking, chores and thermostat preferences.

• Several states are weighing "Golden Girls" bills to loosen rules on unrelated adults living together.
• Nonprofits like Sunshine Home Share Colorado make matches directly after interviews and background checks. Last year, Sunshine connected a record 31 shares.

The bottom line: Home-sharing won't fix a housing shortage, but it's a hopeful start — right down the hall.

⚾️ The Red Sox acquired All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles yesterday, in exchange for Carlos Narváez and three top prospects. (Globe)

• The Sox also traded infielder Marcelo Mayer to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Erik Miller and a minor-league outfielder.

A Somerville firefighter faces criminal charges after authorities say he falsely claimed he had priority access to the World Cup as a Patriots season ticket holder, collecting a combined $14,000 from wannabe attendees. (CBS Boston)

• Robert Whelan's defense attorney says he was hoodwinked by a ticket broker.

Boston officials announced new appointments and an advisory group to examine the Streets Cabinet, weeks after city transportation planner Louisa Gag was killed while riding her bicycle. (WBUR)

Searches for gray hair salons and services have surged on Yelp, per data shared with Axios.

Why it matters: America is getting older, and more people are embracing their grays rather than hiding them.

• Even some younger women are seeking out the look.

By the numbers: Yelp searches for salons offering gray blending — a coloring technique that uses highlights to incorporate gray strands — jumped 905% in 2025 from a year earlier.

• Inquiries for gray hair specialists rose 276%.

Zoom in: Blending is typically lower maintenance than fully covering gray hair, which can require salon appointments every three to four weeks.

• Blending can stretch that time between visits by a month or two, according to Cynthia Valdez, owner and hairstylist at an Austin, Texas, salon.
• The technique has grown so popular that Valdez had to start limiting appointments to make room for haircuts and other services.

Go deeper

👋 Axios chief copy editor Sheryl Miller here.

• I'm turning 60 this year, and this milestone has me thinking about the value of aging beyond economic power or trendy hair. It's perspective.

The big picture: Like a lot of older Gen Xers, I have stories of buying an annual road atlas, talking for hours on a corded phone in the kitchen and witnessing the first Macintosh appear in my college computer lab.

• I remember looking at that "mouse thing" and feeling quite sure it would never catch on.

Between the lines: I've been wrong about so many things. And if 60 has taught me anything, it's that being wrong isn't the worst thing. Refusing to learn is.

Here's some advice — a few things I wish I'd known when I was younger.

✏️ Write it down. You think you'll remember everything, but you won't. You'll remember the big things, mostly.

• The small things — the funny thing your kid said, the long days at the pool — those have a way of slipping away.

💞 Your friends — your support system — are everything. In a family emergency, they were the ones who organized meals, picked up my daughter from college and showed up when I couldn't ask.

👥 Make the connection. In my 30s, a retired couple lived across the street from us. They were the neighbors who went out of their way to do kind things, like installing a tree swing in their yard for the neighborhood kids to use.

• Then life got busy. We rushed through school years, work deadlines, practices, dinners, all of it.
• Somewhere along the way, I lost that connection, and I will always regret that.

The bottom line: Maybe graying means you've lived long enough to be wrong about a few things — and lucky enough to keep learning.