In-Home Personal Care Enables Older Adults to Age in Place, Reducing Strain on the Healthcare System

Many older adults share a common concern — health issues that challenge their ability to remain in their homes.

They are couples committed to staying together, even if one partner falls ill; people with Alzheimer’s disease who rely on the comfort of familiar surroundings; and thriving community members who are determined not to leave their homes due to minor health setbacks.

Fortunately, these individuals also share the potential to benefit from an evidence-based strategy that can support their ability to age in place: in-home personal care.

This option, which provides help with daily tasks and introduces household safety measures, is increasing in popularity — and not only among older people, most of whom report that they would prefer to remain in their homes as they age. Because it can lower the incidence of hospitalizations among people in this population, in-home personal care is also frequently recommended by medical teams because it reduces demand on the healthcare system, which is struggling to keep up with the needs of a rapidly aging population.

Unfortunately, older adults don’t always make the plans necessary to facilitate aging in place.

In an era of healthier lifestyles and healthcare advancements that has inspired many to make smart choices about diet, exercise and smoking cessation, 50 has been described as “the new 30,” and as a result, active, independent older adults may give little thought to their eventual need for care. Another challenge is that many families aren’t equipped to save for care for their senior loved ones due to the effects of inflation and other financial challenges.

Yet, without proper planning, an unexpected health crisis could lead to rash decisions about where an older adult should live.

That’s why it’s a good idea for older people to consider their care options and do some planning to ensure that their choices will be honored — long before they need that kind of assistance. Only by being proactive can older adults expect to remain in the settings where they’re happiest and most comfortable.

Exploring In-Home Personal Care

In-home care is a flexible and personalized approach that enhances safety, comfort and convenience for older adults, whether they need assistance for just a few hours a week or around the clock. Provided at home, in an assisted living community or even to some extent in a skilled-nursing facility, it can include a range of non-clinical services, such as transportation to appointments, help with cooking, bathing or dressing, companionship and, if needed, customized support for those with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

In-home personal care also focuses on safety measures that can minimize the need for hospital visits, such as rearranging furniture and décor to help prevent falls and reminding clients to adhere to their medication schedules.

To preserve connections with health teams and loved ones, in-home care providers often assist their clients with integrating technologies such as telemedicine; Zoom or other social communication platforms; smart home devices such as automated temperature controls; and health monitoring devices, including wearable fitness trackers and fall detection systems. Not surprisingly, this trend is expected to attain a new level of sophistication as lifelong technology users become older adults.

The work of in-home personal care experts benefits not only clients but their families. The presence of these professionals can give a client’s loved ones some respite from the emotional and physical demands of caregiving, allowing them to focus on simply being a family. At the same time, this strategy can provide reassurance for relatives who live farther away and can’t regularly visit.

This option has the advantage of being potentially accessible to older people who are underinsured, as in-home personal care — unlike institutional care — is a flexible service that can be used part-time.

Older adults who want to age in place should start planning long before they need care. Healthcare experts typically suggest that families initiate these discussions when parents are about 70 and their children are around 40. This allows time to explore long-term care insurance plans and make safety adjustments at home.

While senior care can certainly be a hot-button issue, family members can reduce tension by keeping discussions casual and supportive and addressing issues across multiple conversations, instead of all at once.

Families that want to hire in-home personal caregivers should look for certified, well-trained providers with experience meeting a wide array of needs and offering customized and flexible care plans. Qualified companies should prioritize compassion, empathy and dignity and be able to provide references.

An Evidence-Based Approach

Around 70% of adults over age 50 reported in a 2022 survey that they would prefer to grow older at home, rather than moving to a group setting.

That same year, a different study confirmed that older adults were acting on those plans, finding that the proportion of this population living in traditional housing was increasing while the proportion living in skilled-nursing facilities was decreasing.

That’s an encouraging trend, as research consistently shows that aging at home can lead to better physical, emotional and mental well-being for older adults. For instance, one study found that nursing home residents over age 65 reported more depression and anxiety, as well as lower self-esteem, compared with older adults living at home.

In-home personal care can help prevent such health issues by providing companionship that reduces feelings of isolation, which in older adults are associated not only with depression and anxiety, but also with cardiovascular disease, hypertension and Alzheimer’s.

By addressing clients’ well-being early and consistently, in-home care can minimize their time in the hospital. One study found that in-home personal care as part of a comprehensive plan for support after hospitalization lowers the chance of hospital readmission for adults by 20%.

The benefits of in-home personal care can be especially meaningful for older adults who have dementia, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Research conducted by Johns Hopkins Medicine found that incorporating a care coordinator who recommends supportive services for people with dementia — which could include in-home personal care — helps patients remain in their homes longer, and with a better quality of life, compared with their peers who don’t receive that assistance.

Sustainable Support

By helping older adults to stay safe and maintain their emotional health, in-home personal care supports a goal shared by many: to remain in their homes as they age.

At the same time, this care strategy is lightening the load for the U.S. healthcare system by reducing the incidence of hospitalization among older adults. This will be increasingly important as hospitals continue to grapple with rising demands from a population that is swiftly graying, with the number of people over age 65 expected to nearly double between 2016 and 2060. While this trend is creating the need for more trained caregivers across the continuum of care — including within the ranks of in-home care companies — these kinds of collaborations can result in all providers being better supported.

Such outcomes represent a win for stakeholders across the healthcare landscape, but for in-home personal care to be as effective as possible, more older adults will need to understand how the strategy can help them age in place and lay the groundwork to incorporate it when needed. With a commitment to understanding their care options and some thoughtful planning, older adults who want to remain in their homes can shape the futures they envision.

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Yuri Arcurs | Dreamstime.com