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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 considered in-home care a “great option,” up from 42% in 2025. The report also found widespread financial strain, with respondents citing costs as a reason to provide care themselves or discontinue paid home care.
Interest in in-home care rose among family caregivers surveyed in 2026, but financial strain and unclear costs continue to limit families’ ability to hire professional help, according to a report from senior-care referral platform A Place for Mom. The findings highlight a gap between viewing home care as a preferred option and being able to pay for it, a challenge also discussed in coverage of the in-home care burden on families.
In the survey, 58% of respondents whose loved ones did not live in senior housing described in-home care as a “great option,” compared with 42% in 2025. The report characterized that change as a 38% increase. Views of senior living were essentially unchanged: 15% called it a great option in 2026, down from 16% the previous year.
Affordability remained a reported obstacle. Sixty-six percent of family caregivers said they experienced financial strain, and nearly one-third said they found it difficult to understand how to pay for professional 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 also found that 38% of respondents said cost was a reason they provided care themselves, compared with 21% in 2025. Respondents spent an average of 23 hours a week providing care. Forty percent said their mental health had worsened since they began caregiving, up from 33% in 2025. These are survey findings and self-reported experiences, not measures of all U.S. caregivers.
Interest Outpaces Ability to Pay
The findings point to a practical gap for families planning care: preference does not guarantee access. Families may favor keeping an older adult at home while still being unable to afford paid assistance or determine what different services will cost. When paid care is out of reach, relatives may take on more hours themselves, with potential effects on household finances and caregiver well-being.
For care providers and families, transparent pricing and clear explanations of services could help people compare options. The report does not establish that better price information would make care affordable, but it identifies cost and difficulty understanding payment as barriers reported by respondents.
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How the Survey Was Conducted
A Place for Mom commissioned an online quantitative survey conducted by consumer research company Morning Light Strategy in September 2026. It included 1,013 nonprofessional caregivers ages 40 to 75 who cared for at least one U.S. adult age 55 or older. The group included both paid and unpaid caregivers; professional caregivers were excluded.
The survey compared responses with figures from 2025, including attitudes toward in-home care and senior living, reasons for providing care, and reported mental-health effects. A Place for Mom is a New York City-based platform that connects families and caregivers with aging-care options, including home care and senior living. The report was commissioned by the company, a relevant consideration when interpreting its findings.
Limits of the Caregiver Findings
The report describes responses from a specific online survey sample, and the source material does not provide further details on the survey’s margin of error or whether its results represent all U.S. caregivers. The findings should be understood as respondents’ reported views and experiences, rather than a count of every family facing care costs.
The survey also does not establish why interest in in-home care changed, or whether the reported increase will lead to more families hiring professional services. It does not specify the prices respondents faced, the types or hours of care they considered, or how insurance and other payment sources affected their decisions.
Pricing and Care Choices Ahead
The source report does not identify a scheduled follow-up study or a policy change tied to the findings. The next developments to watch are whether providers offer clearer pricing information and whether later surveys show that increased interest translates into paid home-care use. For families, the report’s central unresolved issue remains how to match care needs and available services with costs they can manage.
Key Questions
How many caregivers viewed in-home care as a great option?
Fifty-eight percent of surveyed caregivers whose loved ones did not live in senior housing said in-home care was a “great option” in 2026, up from 42% in 2025, according to A Place for Mom’s report.
What financial barriers did the report identify?
Sixty-six percent of respondents reported financial strain, and nearly one-third said it was difficult to understand how to pay for professional care. The report also said 45% of families who discontinued home care cited expense, according to A Place for Mom CEO Tatyana Zlotsky.
How many caregivers took part in the survey?
The online survey included 1,013 nonprofessional caregivers ages 40 to 75 who cared for at least one U.S. adult age 55 or older. It was conducted by Morning Light Strategy in September 2026 and commissioned by A Place for Mom.
Did support for senior living change?
It changed little in the survey: 15% of respondents viewed senior living as a great option in 2026, compared with 16% in 2025.
Source: homehealthcarenews.com
