Why Are So Many People Choosing Home Care Over Care Homes?

With the numbers of elderly people in the UK on the rise; how they are going to be cared for is becoming an increasingly bigger issue for the government and other organisations. For a few years we have experienced a good proportion of pensioners ending up in care homes, however recently there seems to be a gradual shift starting with more elderly people opting to stay in their own houses and getting in external home care to help them with their day to day lives.

In this article I will be posing a few possible reasons for this shift and discussing whether this trend is likely to continue or whether it is just a passing fad.

The Bottom Line: There’s Just Not Enough Space!

As mentioned previously, as life expectancy and quality of health care increases, so do the ranks of elderly individuals searching for care solutions within their golden years. Sadly many of these people are struggling to secure suitable residential care as the supply has not risen in line with the demand for such a service.

For this reason, many elderly people are turning to home care to fulfil their needs and provide them with the attention they require. On the contrary, the amount of providers of such services have risen in recent years so it is far easier to come by.

One reason for the lack of growth of care homes is the simple reason that each home requires a huge investment of time and money for it to be opened. In an economy where cash flow is key and loans and mortgages are very hard to find, public and private organisations alike are struggling to make it a viable investment proposition. Home care has much lower barriers to entry however, so it is often seen as a less risky option.

Home Comforts

As more elderly people realise that staying in their own home is becoming an ever more real possibility, many are starting to choose this as their preferred method of care. As they may have lived their for many years and are likely to be comfortable where they are, the disruption of having to move elsewhere close to people they do not know is unlikely to seem too appealing.

Living at home can also provide a greater feeling of independence and a small amount of home care can sometimes be enough to keep them safe and well.

Cheaper

As mentioned previously, care homes are much more expensive, so elderly people could actually end up saving money by staying in their own houses. This will enable them to enjoy, and spend more money on, their retirement and could potentially allow them to leave more money for their family or loved ones. 

This would be particularly helpful if the individual had decided to purchase funeral insurance or a funeral plan, as choosing to abstain from moving into a care home and choosing home care instead will be likely to provide the senior individual with a higher amount of disposable income.