New report finds dementia and limited mobility are driving factors in homeshare arrangements
Share and Care Homeshare, the largest homeshare organisation in the UK, has released its 2024 report providing an invaluable insight into how homeshare supports older people and the factors that are driving an increase in arrangements.
Its latest report confirms that the primary driver for homeshare is memory issues with 35 per cent of householders living with Dementia or other memory loss, closely followed by poor mobility, which accounts for 30 per cent 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 per cent 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 per cent 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 per cent of older people in homeshare arrangements are female, 18 per cent male, and five per cent are couples.
The average duration of a homeshare arrangement is 12 months and the longest current match with the same sharer is in its fifth year.
Caroline Cooke, founder of Share and Care Homeshare, commented: “The findings from the Share and Care Homeshare 2024 report further highlight the incredible positive impact of homeshare arrangements on older people.
“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.’ It’s easy to signpost people to homeshare, and it can change lives for the better.”
In 2023, the Homeshare Association released a report which revealed that the primary drivers for seeking a homeshare arrangement are poor mobility and dementia.
