Colorado is one of the fastest aging states, and 70 percent of older adults will need some form of direct care to help with activities of daily living (ADL). As such, direct care for older adults will become more and more important. However, our understanding of what it truly costs to provide in-home care has thus far been limited. This has prevented us from fully supporting caregivers and those they care for. Our upcoming cost model will illuminate what it takes to provide sufficient, quality care to older adults by supporting paid and unpaid caregivers alike.

Direct care broadly refers to care provided to older adults and people with disabilities and can take place in various settings whether in one’s home or in a facility. However, most older adults will prefer to age in their own home or community. That makes in-home caregivers, such as personal care aides and family members and friends who step in to provide care, especially important. As such, the Bell has built a care cost model to quantify the total cost of providing in-home, non-medical, care to older adults in the state. This brief describes the ecosystem and landscape of in-home care in Colorado, while subsequent briefs describe the cost model, the major cost drivers, and use the model for further analysis.