Last year is officially in the rearview. You’ve taken stock and made your resolutions. But before you rush forward into the new year, it’s time to take a deep breath and look at the road ahead.
Here’s the good news: For the home care industry, that road is full of opportunities! This is because several home care industry trends are aligning to make 2025 a fantastic year. More seniors than ever need caregiver assistance, and most of them would prefer to stay at home instead of moving into an assisted living facility, which means a lot more demand for senior care—and for home care in particular.
More and more families are trusting home care agencies to manage the logistics of caring for a loved one instead of hiring caregivers directly. Taken together, these home care industry trends for 2025 point to a growth industry that’s slanted toward agencies.
Here are some of the current and future trends in senior care, and why we expect 2025 to be a good year for home care agencies.
Demand For Senior Care Services Is Rising
The need for senior care services is rising across the country, and the reason boils down to simple math.
Baby boomers are the largest generation ever, and the youngest of them are approaching retirement age. By 2029, there will be around 71.4 million Americans aged 65 and older. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 70% of this population will need some form of care during their lifetime.
Senior care options must meet a variety of needs. As they age, baby boomers may need help with mobility, hygiene, errands or companionship. In other words, they’ll need the kind of assistance home care agencies offer.
Most Seniors Want to Age in Place
In many cases, people move to assisted living facilities and nursing homes because they need to, not because they want to. For seniors, moving can mean losing their routines, independence and communities. That’s why 75% of them would prefer to age in place if possible.
Professional caregivers can make aging gracefully at home feasible, so it’s easy to see why so many seniors are specifically looking for home care vs nursing home care. And the numbers bear that out: Business Wire estimates a 22% increase in demand for home care by 2034.
This surge in demand will benefit home care agencies—as long as they’re ready for it. By hiring proactively, improving processes, building community relationships and investing in caregiver technology to enhance care efficiency, agencies can prepare themselves to meet seniors’ needs.
Families Want Help Finding and Managing Care
Families seeking in-home care for an aging loved one are already under a lot of stress, and the added work of finding a new caregiver can be too much. Especially in the past few years, many are turning to home care agencies to handle day-to-day of caregiving for their loved ones.
This trend will become even more pronounced in 2025. Employment laws are getting more complex, making it more complicated for families to hire individual caregivers. Instead of worrying about the risks of hiring a private caregiver, many opt to work with a home care agency like FirstLight Home Care.
Agencies are well-equipped to help. By handling hiring and compliance and managing care plans, they can simplify the path to receiving care so families can focus on being present with their loved one.
Home Care Industry Trends Make 2025 a Great Year to Invest
The market for home care is booming. Demographics and senior preference are creating enormous demand, which will only increase over the next decade. At the same time, complex regulations will continue to direct most of that demand toward home care agencies. All these points make 2025 a great year to invest in your own home care agency. If you’re interested in starting a new FirstLight franchise, contact us today.