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A Place for Mom’s September 2026 survey found that 58% of respondents whose loved ones did not live in senior housing viewed in-home care as a “great option,” up from 42% in 2025. Yet 66% of family caregivers reported financial strain, and many cited cost as a barrier to hiring or continuing paid care.
Interest in in-home care is rising, but many families say they struggle to afford or arrange paid support, according to a new survey commissioned by senior-care referral platform A Place for Mom. The September 2026 survey found that 66% of family caregivers experienced financial strain, even as more respondents described home care as a “great option” for an older loved one.
Among respondents whose loved ones did not live in senior housing, 58% called in-home care a “great option”, compared with 42% in 2025. A Place for Mom described that as a 38% increase from the prior year’s figure. Support for senior living changed little: the share viewing it as a great option was 15% in 2026, down from 16% in 2025.
The survey also points to a gap between interest and the ability to pay. A Place for Mom CEO Tatyana Zlotsky told Home Health Care News that 45% of families who stopped using home care said it was too expensive to continue. Separately, 38% of respondents said cost was a reason they provided care themselves, up from 21% in 2025. Nearly one-third said they found it difficult to understand how to pay for professional care.
Caregiving demands extend beyond household budgets. Respondents reported spending an average of 23 hours a week providing care. Forty percent said their mental health had worsened since they began caregiving, compared with 33% in 2025. The survey describes reported experiences; it does not establish that caregiving alone caused those changes.
Costs Keep Families From Paid Care
The findings highlight a practical tension for families weighing care options: more people may see home care as appealing, but interest does not mean professional help is financially accessible. When families cannot sustain paid care, relatives may take on more of the work, while those already providing care report substantial weekly commitments and worsening mental health.
For families making decisions, uncertainty about prices and what services include can make planning harder, particularly before needs become urgent. The survey suggests that clearer cost information could help people compare options, but it does not measure whether better pricing information would make care affordable or increase use.
The results also matter to care providers and organizations that connect families with services. Rising interest could increase inquiries, while affordability concerns may limit conversions into ongoing paid care. The report provides evidence of stated preferences and reported barriers, not a forecast of future demand or a measure of the size of the home-care market.
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How the Survey Compared Care Options
A Place for Mom commissioned the online quantitative survey, which consumer research company Morning Light Strategy conducted in September 2026. It included 1,013 U.S. nonprofessional caregivers, both paid and unpaid, ages 40 to 75, who cared for at least one adult age 55 or older. Professional caregivers were excluded.
The survey’s comparison of in-home care and senior living concerns respondents’ views of those options, not the number of people using each service. The in-home care figure applies specifically to respondents whose loved ones did not live in senior housing. A Place for Mom said interest in home-based care increased more than interest in senior living, but the reported results do not establish why individuals chose one form of care over another.
Zlotsky told Home Health Care News that in-home care can allow an older person to remain in familiar surroundings and keep family members involved. That is her explanation for the appeal, rather than a measured conclusion from the survey. The findings come from a company that operates a platform connecting families and caregivers with aging-care services, including home care and senior living.
What the Survey Cannot Establish
The survey reports respondents’ views and experiences, but the available findings do not specify whether the sample represents all U.S. caregivers. They also do not provide details about the respondents’ income, location, care needs, or the prices they faced, making it difficult to determine which households encounter the greatest barriers.
The reported 38% increase in support for in-home care is a relative change from the 2025 figure of 42% to 58% in 2026; the underlying figures are percentages of respondents, not a count of households. The survey does not establish why attitudes changed or whether stated interest will lead to hiring. It is also unclear what types or amounts of home-care services respondents had discontinued, and how long they had used them.
Because A Place for Mom commissioned the research and connects families with care services, the results should be read as findings from that survey rather than as an independent census of the care market. The source material does not report the survey’s margin of error or full questionnaire wording.
More Pricing Data Would Clarify Access
The report’s findings put cost clarity and affordability at the center of the discussion, but the source material does not announce a specific policy change, new pricing program, or follow-up study. Families considering care can ask providers for written rates, service details, and information on how costs may change as care needs increase; those steps do not guarantee that services will fit a household’s budget.
Further information on survey methods, respondents’ financial circumstances, and the kinds of services families stopped using would help show how broadly the reported barriers apply. Until then, the figures offer a snapshot of caregiver views and reported strain, not a complete measure of demand or access to paid in-home care.
Key Questions
What did the 2026 survey find about interest in in-home care?
Fifty-eight percent of respondents whose loved ones did not live in senior housing called in-home care a “great option,” compared with 42% in 2025, according to A Place for Mom.
How common was financial strain among caregivers?
Sixty-six percent of family caregivers in the survey reported financial strain. Nearly one-third said it was difficult to understand how to pay for professional care.
Why did some families stop using home care?
A Place for Mom CEO Tatyana Zlotsky told Home Health Care News that 45% of families who discontinued home care said it was too expensive to continue. The report does not provide further details about the types of care or prices involved.
Who took part in the survey?
Morning Light Strategy conducted the online survey in September 2026 for A Place for Mom. It included 1,013 U.S. nonprofessional caregivers, paid and unpaid, ages 40 to 75, who cared for at least one adult age 55 or older; professional caregivers were excluded.
Source: homehealthcarenews.com
