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

Aging at home in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is one of the older states, with about 20.4 percent of residents 65 or older. That group is split between big-city rowhouse neighborhoods and small towns set in Appalachian valleys. Philadelphia's Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy and South Philadelphia, Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill, Allentown's West End and the borough of State College are all very different places to grow older. The commonwealth has 52 Area Agencies on Aging covering its 67 counties, which tells you how locally this works: the best fit for in-home care depends on which valley, ridge or river town a parent lives in.

20.4% of Pennsylvania residents are 65 or older. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates, Vintage 2024, July 1, 2024 (civilian population, computed from single-year-of-age file; the Vintage 2025 file puts it at 21.4).

Cities, towns and neighborhoods we cover

In the southeast, the Delaware Valley fans out from Center City and Manayunk to suburbs and the Valley Forge area. Across the state, Pittsburgh's Oakland, Shadyside and Bloomfield sit among hills and bridges that shape every trip. The Lehigh Valley around Allentown links Old Allentown and West Park with Bethlehem, while Harrisburg and Lancaster anchor the central counties and Hershey. Scranton and the Poconos mark the northeast, and Erie covers the lake shore. Gettysburg and the Laurel Highlands home of Fallingwater are in smaller communities, so families outside the metros should ask how far an agency's staff will travel.

• Philadelphia: Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy, Manayunk, South Philadelphia, Center City
• Pittsburgh: Squirrel Hill, Bloomfield, Shadyside, Oakland, Strip District
• Allentown: West End, Old Allentown, West Park, Old Fairgrounds

Regions

• Delaware Valley: The Philadelphia metropolitan area, the state's largest metro
• Greater Pittsburgh: Western Pennsylvania's metro on the Allegheny Plateau, the second-largest in the state
• Lehigh Valley: Allentown and Bethlehem country, with a 2020 metro population of 861,899
• Pocono Mountains: A mountain region in the northeast, with a highest summit of 2,280 feet
• Lake Erie shore: Erie sits in the lake-effect snow belt in the state's northwest corner

Familiar places

Independence Hall, Philadelphia; Valley Forge National Historical Park, near Philadelphia; Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg; Fallingwater, Stewart Township in the Laurel Highlands; Presque Isle State Park, Erie; Monongahela Incline on Mount Washington, Pittsburgh; Hershey, Dauphin County.

Planning care around Pennsylvania's seasons and geography

Winter is the main planning season in Pennsylvania, and it is not the same everywhere. Erie sits in a lake-effect snow belt, the Poconos and other highlands get colder, snowier winters, and the cities see cold spells with hot, humid summers to follow. Pittsburgh's hills and many bridges make a snowy morning commute slower than the map suggests. Families should ask whether an agency has caregivers living near the client, how it handles late arrivals in storms, and who covers when a road is closed.

• Most of the state's larger cities have cool to cold winters and hot, humid summers, while the highland areas have more severe, snowier winters.
• Erie lies in the snow belt that stretches from Cleveland to Syracuse and gets heavy lake-effect snow in winter.
• Pittsburgh is called the City of Bridges for its 446 bridges, and more than a quarter of its neighborhood names refer to hills or heights, so travel times between neighborhoods can be hard to predict.
• About 59 percent of Pennsylvania is forested and the Appalachian Mountains run through the center of the state, so some counties are a long way from the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh caregiver pools.

Pennsylvania resources for families

• Licensing. Yes. The Department of Health issues a Home Care Agency/Registry license (agency or registry model) for providers of non-skilled in-home services such as personal care, help with instrumental activities of daily living, companionship and respite. Confirm current requirements with the state before you hire. Pennsylvania Department of Health
• Aging services. The department oversees 52 local Area Agencies on Aging covering all 67 counties. On the department's site, open Local Resources and then Area Agencies on Aging to find the agency for your county. Pennsylvania Department of Aging
• Help paying. Pennsylvania's Medicaid home and community-based program for older adults is Community HealthChoices (CHC). Eligibility is based on income and care needs.