Community Interest Company (CIC), Share and Care Homeshare’s 2024 report provides an invaluable insight into how homeshare supports older people and the factors that are driving an increase in arrangements.
The latest report confirms that the primary driver for homeshare is memory issues with 35% of householders living with Dementia or other memory loss, closely followed by poor mobility, which accounts for 30% of arrangements. Other drivers for homeshare include Parkinson’s disease, sight issues, heart conditions, anxiety, loneliness, arthritis and being at risk of falls. The report reveals that there is often more than one driver for seeking a homeshare arrangement, such as dementia coupled with loneliness.
The report also reveals that homeshare can significantly reduce the number of falls a householder might have; of the 40% of householders citing ‘falls risk’ as one of their drivers to Homeshare, only 10% had a fall once they had a sharer living with them. With fewer falls there is a potential financial benefit to the NHS and other adult support services with a lower number of visits to a GP or hospital and a potential reduction in home care visits.
Over the years, Share and Care Homeshare has helped into the thousands of older people stay living independently in their own homes, and 96% of its householders report that homeshare has positively impacted their overall quality of life.
The homeshare sector provides a valuable service within the health and social care landscape. Homeshare matches older people (householders) who would benefit from a little extra help around the home, with younger people (sharers) who are looking for an affordable place to live. Sharers pledge up to 15 hours each week in a mix of practical help and company, which supports older people with some of the struggles they face on a day-to-day basis. Homeshare has wide-reaching benefits. It offers greater capacity for safe independent living, improves mental wellbeing, reduces the risk of falls, and enables older people to enjoy regular freshly-cooked meals. For instance, before moving into a homeshare arrangement, 89% of householders were finding meals difficult or having to rely on pre-packed meals.
According to the report, the average age of a householder is 85, and the oldest is 96, while the average age of a sharer is 42. 77% of older people in homeshare arrangements are female, 18% male, and 5% are couples.
“As our report illustrates, homeshare supports many older people to live fulfilling and independent lives in the comfort of their own home, and people living with dementia or limited mobility are the biggest users of our service.
By far the best solution for most older people is to support them to remain in their own homes; as a low-cost service that offers practical live-in help, reassurance and companionship to older people, we want to encourage more health and social care professionals to ‘Think Homeshare!’,” Caroline Cooke, founder, Share and Care Homeshare.
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