Home Care in North Carolina: Licensed In-Home Care Agencies by City

Aging at home in North Carolina

North Carolina is aging from the mountains to the coast, with 17.9 percent of residents now 65 or older. The Charlotte and Raleigh metro areas are growing fastest and draw retirees, but plenty of older adults live in smaller places such as Boone in the Blue Ridge, New Bern on the Coastal Plain and the Outer Banks near Kitty Hawk. The state's geography is the main factor in arranging help. A parent in a Piedmont suburb has many providers within a short drive, while one in a mountain hollow or an eastern county town may have only a few to choose from.

17.9% of North Carolina residents are 65 or older. Source: America's Health Rankings, citing U.S. Census Bureau Single-Race Population Estimates via CDC WONDER, 2024.

Cities, towns and neighborhoods we cover

Charlotte's Myers Park, Dilworth, NoDa and Ballantyne, and Raleigh's Oakwood, Five Points and Hayes Barton, offer a mix of historic homes and newer subdivisions. Greensboro and the Triad sit between them in the Piedmont. Visitors and residents enjoy the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Umstead State Park, Tryon Palace in New Bern and the Wright brothers site at Kitty Hawk. West of the Piedmont, Asheville and Boone sit in the Blue Ridge, where Mount Mitchell rises to 6,683 feet. Care needs differ across these regions in distance, terrain and the kind of housing a caregiver visits.

• Charlotte: NoDa, Dilworth, Myers Park, Plaza Midwood, Ballantyne
• Raleigh: Five Points, Oakwood, Glenwood South, Hayes Barton, Boylan Heights
• Greensboro: Southside, Downtown Greensboro, Four Seasons area

Regions

• Piedmont: upland region between the mountains and the coastal plain, including Charlotte and Greensboro
• Research Triangle: second-most populous combined metro in the state, home to Raleigh and Research Triangle Park
• Blue Ridge Mountains: western mountains descending from the Appalachians, including Asheville and Boone
• Coastal Plain: eastern part of the state, with New Bern and the coast
• Outer Banks: barrier-island coast where the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk in 1903

Familiar places

NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte; U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte; North Carolina State Capitol, Raleigh; William B. Umstead State Park, Raleigh; Tryon Palace, New Bern; Wright brothers site, Kitty Hawk; Mount Mitchell, the highest point in the state at 6,683 feet.

Planning care around North Carolina's seasons and geography

Storms drive the planning here. Hurricane Florence in 2018 dropped up to 35.93 inches of rain on the southeast, and Hurricane Helene in 2024 flooded the mountains, closed more than 400 roads in the western part of the state and left Asheville largely cut off for days. Families should have a plan for evacuation, backup power and medication supplies before hurricane season. Summers are hot and humid, with July highs near 90 degrees F in Charlotte and Raleigh. Mountain towns like Boone see snow from November to March, so winter driving is a real issue there.

• Hurricane Florence (2018) brought up to 35.93 inches of rain to southeastern North Carolina and an estimated $17 billion in damage.
• Hurricane Helene (2024) caused record flooding in western North Carolina; landslides collapsed sections of I-26 and I-40 near Asheville, more than 400 roads closed, and at least 879,000 customers lost power.
• July daytime highs average about 90 degrees F in Charlotte and Raleigh, with hot and humid summers.
• Western mountains usually see snow from November to March; Boone, at about 3,333 feet, averages nearly 25 inches a year.

North Carolina resources for families

• Licensing. North Carolina's Home Care Agency and Home Assistance Services Provider Licensure Act (S.L. 2023-150) requires a home care agency license for hands-on in-home aide services, and companion, sitter and other non-hands-on services are treated as a separate category, so confirm the current rule with DHSR. NCDHHS Division of Health Service Regulation
• Aging services. North Carolina's Area Agencies on Aging serve all 100 counties, usually through regional councils of government; use the NCDHHS page to find the agency for the county. NC Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging and Adult Services
• Help paying. North Carolina's Medicaid home and community-based program for older adults is Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults (CAP/DA). Eligibility is based on income and care needs.