The 7 Best In-Home Care Agencies in Lancaster, PA

Aging at home in Lancaster

Lancaster is a compact, historic city of about 58,000 in the heart of Lancaster County, centered on Penn Square and the 1889 Central Market. Its streets mix brick row houses near the former Stehli silk mills, modest homes on Cabbage Hill and arts-district buildings downtown. Only about 11 percent of residents are 65 or older in the city, while surrounding townships hold more retirees, so many families arrange care for a parent living just outside the city line. Walkable blocks and close neighbors shape life at home here.

11.3% of residents are 65 or older. Source: 2020 Census (city), as reported on Wikipedia.

Neighborhoods and nearby towns

In Lancaster, families ask about care in Downtown / Penn Square, Cabbage Hill, Historic East Side, Gallery Row, West End, Chestnut Hill, Prospect Heights and Uptown.

Agencies listed here also commonly serve nearby Manheim Township, East Lampeter Township, West Lampeter Township, Landisville, Elizabethtown and Columbia. Confirm each agency's service area before you sign.

Familiar places in Lancaster

Care that fits the routines of home often means getting to the places that matter: Central Market, Fulton Opera House, Wheatland, Historic Rock Ford, Demuth Museum and National Watch & Clock Museum.

Planning care in Lancaster

Lancaster has four real seasons, with about 21 inches of snow in an average year and a record low of minus 16, so winter driveway and step clearing matter for older adults at home. Historic row houses near the old mills often have steps and narrow layouts, which affects how a parent gets in and out. Care needs often extend into nearby townships, so families should ask agencies about travel areas.

Local resources

• Aging services. The local Area Agency on Aging is a free place to ask about services and programs that help pay: Lancaster County Office of Aging.
• After a hospital stay. If a family member is discharged from Lancaster General Hospital, ask the discharge planner about private-duty help at home, and choose the agency yourself from this list.