Why Are More People Choosing Home Care Than Ever?

There is no single best way to provide social care, but instead, there are multiple best ways that cater to people’s individual needs and ensure that they are at the centre of their own care.

Whilst this has been the case for decades, it is notable that over the past few years, more people are opting for personalised home care now than ever before, for a wider range of reasons than one might expect.

These reasons are important, as they form the basis of any person-centred care system and enable the best outcomes possible.

Amongst all age groups, the biggest reason why people prefer care in their own homes is down to individual expression. People want to be able to live however they want, organise their care needs and have their preferences when it comes to care respected by the people who care for them.

All of these wants are a vital part of person-centred care, but they are typically easier to implement in a home care system, in no small part due to familiarity and fewer changes needing to be implemented immediately.

Similarly, the level of control is also a huge factor in the move towards home care, as it is easier to ensure that care decisions are ultimately decided as much as possible by the person most widely affected by them.

The next most important factor is retaining existing social relationships. Friends, family and the other parts of a support network are critical to ensuring people have the best possible mental and physical health, and care at home allows people to continue to visit whenever they want and social engagements to continue.

Other major factors include value for money inherent to home care, how staying at home affects access to community health services, local GPs and hospital visits, the ease with which it can be organised without the need for relocation, and feeling part of a community.