Home Care in Virginia: Top-Rated In-Home Care Agencies by City

Aging at home in Virginia

Virginia's 18.4 percent share of residents aged 65 and older is spread across places that have little in common. Northern Virginia, home to more than a third of the state's people, sits next to the federal workforce and tends to have the deepest pool of caregivers. Hampton Roads, with Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Naval Station Norfolk, has a large retired military community along the water. Richmond and Charlottesville anchor the middle of the state, while the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia are more rural, and the Eastern Shore is a peninsula of its own. A family's options depend heavily on which of these Virginias a parent lives in.

18.4% of Virginia residents are 65 or older. Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, July 1, 2025 estimate (V2025).

Cities, towns and neighborhoods we cover

In Virginia Beach, older residents are found in Kempsville, Great Neck and Princess Anne as well as near the Oceanfront. Norfolk's Ghent, Larchmont and Colonial Place are older, walkable neighborhoods close to the Chrysler Museum of Art, while Ocean View faces the Chesapeake Bay. In Richmond, the Fan, Church Hill and Jackson Ward have historic rowhouses with steps and narrow entries, and Maymont and Carytown draw active retirees. Alexandria serves Northern Virginia, Charlottesville and Roanoke serve the Piedmont and the Blue Ridge, Williamsburg draws retirees near Jamestown, and Chincoteague sits on the Eastern Shore, far from larger agencies.

• Virginia Beach: Oceanfront, Kempsville, Princess Anne, Great Neck, Sandbridge
• Norfolk: Ghent, Ocean View, Larchmont, Colonial Place, Freemason
• Richmond: The Fan, Carytown, Church Hill, Jackson Ward, Museum District

Regions

• Northern Virginia: home to over a third of the state's population, with an economy driven by technology firms and federal agencies
• Hampton Roads: contains the region's main seaport and Naval Station Norfolk
• Shenandoah Valley: fertile valley with the state's most productive agricultural counties
• Southwest Virginia: mountain region crossed by the Blue Ridge, which runs through the western and southwestern parts of the state
• Eastern Shore: two-county peninsula separated from the rest of the state by the Chesapeake Bay

Familiar places

Cape Henry Lighthouse, Virginia Beach; First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach; Virginia State Capitol, Richmond; Maymont, Richmond; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk; Jamestown, site of the 1607 settlement; Great Falls of the Potomac, Northern Virginia.

Planning care around Virginia's seasons and geography

Coastal Virginia deserves its own plan. Norfolk and other Hampton Roads neighborhoods are described as particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels, with some streets flooding at high tide, so ask any agency how it handles visits when roads in low-lying areas are flooded and where a caregiver can park. On the Eastern Shore, the Chesapeake Bay separates the peninsula from the mainland, so a caregiver's commute can be long. In Southwest Virginia and the Blue Ridge, mountain roads lengthen every trip. Families in Northern Virginia should plan around congested commutes at rush hour.

• Norfolk is described as particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels, and some areas already flood regularly at high tide, which can affect access to homes in low-lying Hampton Roads neighborhoods.
• More than a third of Virginia residents live in Northern Virginia, so demand and caregiver supply are concentrated there compared with the rest of the state.
• The Eastern Shore is a two-county peninsula separated from the mainland by the Chesapeake Bay, which lengthens travel for caregivers coming from other regions.
• The Blue Ridge crosses the western and southwestern parts of the state, so mountain terrain shapes travel in Southwest Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley.

Virginia resources for families

• Licensing. Virginia licenses 'home care organizations' under Va. Code Article 7.1 (32.1-162.7 and following) and 12VAC5-381, which covers organizations providing personal care (help with activities of daily living) in the home; organizations offering only housekeeping or chore services are exempt, and the code text does not address companion-only services. Confirm current requirements with the state before you hire.
• Aging services. DARS has a Find Your Area Agency on Aging page, and the national Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116) can also find the local agency by ZIP code. Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)
• Help paying. Virginia's Medicaid home and community-based program for older adults is Commonwealth Coordinated Care Plus (CCC Plus) Waiver. Eligibility is based on income and care needs.