The National Council on Ageing (NCOA), the national voice for every person's right to age well, has released a new research series examining the promises and risks of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in home- and community-based care that helps older Americans and individuals with disabilities live independently.

Nearly 63 million family caregivers and more than 3.2 million paid home care workers provide personal care and support to individuals in the U.S. While demand for these services continues to grow as the population ages, persistent low wages and high turnover among home care workers threaten the quality of care.

"When implemented well, AI can give home care workers more time to focus on people rather than paperwork," said Nicole Howell, Director of Direct Care Workforce Development at NCOA. "Yet at the same time, we must continue to invest in job training and quality to ensure a strong workforce that can deliver the care every person deserves."

The three-report series, A New Era of Care, explains what AI is, where it is already being used in home care, and what safeguards are needed to ensure that the technology strengthens—but does not replace—the human touch of home care.

The sector is already innovating with AI, the research shows. Some providers are adopting AI-powered tools to improve safety and monitoring—such as sensors, fall-detection systems, and predictive analytics. Others are using AI to streamline operations, including hiring, training, communication across care teams, reporting, and claims processing.