Ultimately, in-home senior care services may become a more popular choice for families as they continue to hold out for visits with their loved ones. Mame Donohue owns Comfort Keepers in Pittsburgh with her husband and has taken note of increased demand for in-home services throughout the pandemic.

Mrs. Donohue said the virus created problems for the business initially as people began taking care of their loved ones while working from home, and the company’s retired caregivers became “fearful of going into private homes” for their own health.

“It was a little frightening at first as to how many caregivers are afraid to go to work and how many clients we are going to lose,” Mrs. Donohue said of the pandemic’s start.

However, Mrs. Donohue said Comfort Keepers is seeing a rising number of new clients opting for the in-home care service to enjoy more time with family while traditional nursing homes keep their doors closed to visitors (Jade Campos, "Pa. nursing homes to continue restrictions").