Home Care in Delaware: Licensed In-Home Care Agencies by City

Aging at home in Delaware

More than one in five Delawareans, 21.8 percent or about 229,000 people, was 65 or older in 2024. The state has just three counties: New Castle in the north, Kent in the middle and Sussex in the south. Wilmington, the largest city, is within commuting distance of Philadelphia and Baltimore, Dover is the capital, and the Atlantic beaches around Rehoboth and Bethany draw summer visitors from Washington, Philadelphia and Baltimore. Sussex County alone had 237,378 residents at the 2020 census, making it the second most populous county, and the state has the lowest mean elevation of any state at about 66 feet.

21.8% of Delaware residents are 65 or older. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024 state age and sex estimates (July 1, 2024), share of residents age 65 and over.

Cities, towns and neighborhoods we cover

In Wilmington, Trolley Square, Quaker Hill, Little Italy and the Highlands are among the older neighborhoods, and the Hagley Museum, Winterthur and Brandywine Creek State Park lie just outside the city in the Brandywine Valley. Newark is home to the University of Delaware and the Cooch's Bridge battle site, with Middletown to the south. In Kent County, Dover is built around its historic Green and sits a couple of miles from Dover Air Force Base, with Milford on the Kent and Sussex line. Sussex County mixes farm towns like Georgetown and Seaford with the beaches of Lewes, Rehoboth, Bethany Beach and Cape Henlopen State Park.

• Wilmington: Trolley Square, Quaker Hill, Little Italy, The Highlands, Brandywine Village
• Dover: The Green (Dover Green Historic District), Eden Hill, Silver Lake, Downtown Dover
• Newark: University of Delaware campus area, Cooch's Bridge, Ogletown (just east of the city)

Regions

• New Castle County: northernmost and most urbanized county, part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area, with Wilmington and Newark
• Kent County: middle county, historically agrarian, with the capital at Dover
• Sussex County: southernmost county on the Delmarva Peninsula, historically agrarian, with Georgetown and Seaford
• Delaware Beaches: resort towns of Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, South Bethany and Fenwick Island

Familiar places

Cape Henlopen State Park, near Lewes; Delaware Seashore State Park, near Dewey Beach; Hagley Museum and Library, near Wilmington; Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, Winterthur; Fort Delaware State Park, Pea Patch Island; Brandywine Creek State Park, north of Wilmington; Dover Green, Dover.

Planning care around Delaware's seasons and geography

Delaware has long, hot, humid summers, brief late-day thunderstorms and light winter snow, averaging about 20 inches in Wilmington and about 10 in Lewes. The seasonal pattern that matters most is the beach. Bethany Beach, for example, has 954 year-round residents and about 15,000 more in summer, and 97 percent of tourists arrive by car, which makes the roads to the shore, including DE 1 and DE 404, a planning factor for caregivers and relatives traveling to Sussex County on summer weekends.

• Delaware has a humid subtropical climate moderated by the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay, with long, hot, humid summers and brief late-day thunderstorms.
• Snow averages about 20 inches a year in Wilmington and about 10 inches in Lewes.
• Beach towns swell in summer: Bethany Beach has 954 year-round residents but about 15,000 more vacationers in the summer months, and 97 percent of Delaware tourists arrive by car.
• Delaware is very flat, with an average elevation of about 66 feet and its highest point under 450 feet.

Delaware resources for families

• Licensing. Delaware licenses non-medical agencies as Personal Assistance Services Agencies (PASA) under 16 Del. Admin. Code 3345; the license covers help with daily activities, companion, homemaker and transportation services, and each office must be separately licensed. Confirm current requirements with the state before you hire. Delaware Division of Health Care Quality, Office of Health Facilities Licensing and Certification
• Aging services. Delaware has one statewide Aging and Disability Resource Center, reachable at 1-800-223-9074, which provides information, options counseling and help enrolling in services at no charge. Delaware Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD)
• Help paying. Delaware's Medicaid home and community-based program for older adults is Diamond State Health Plan Plus (DSHP Plus), Delaware's Medicaid managed long-term services and supports program. Eligibility is based on income and care needs.