A study conducted by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies revealed that up to 85% of seniors in Birmingham can’t afford in home care while 70% of seniors throughout the U.S. will require long-term care at some point in their lives.

Samara Scheckler, a research associate for Harvard, elaborated on the rise in costs and noted that Medicare does not cover in home care services and Medicaid often has a large waitlist for in home services, especially in Alabama where 1.8 million seniors reside.

“The cost of daily assistance at home is out of reach for most and so is assisted living, which bundles housing and care together,” she said.

Priya Chidambaram of KFF, a non profit source for info on national health issues, believes that the rising cost of in home care is happening for a number of reasons but possibly the most significant and costly for seniors is the shrinking pool of care givers.

“Staffing shortages in nursing homes are hugely affecting those who need institutional care,” explained Chidambaram.

“It’s a wonderful thing that the older population is growing overall and people are living longer than a generation ago,” Molinsky said. “But the supports that people need to stay in the community, stay in their home are really expensive and hard to secure.”

In 2023 every state in the U.S. reported a shortage of care workers. 43% saw permanent closures of care facilities, such as group homes and assisted living centers.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.