New ‘care home’ for seniors aims to bring alternative to home health care

EAST MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont has a housing crisis for seniors trying to age in place. A nonprofit in Addison County is hoping to pioneer a new model to meet the needs of Vermont’s aging demographic.

“Addison County Home Health looked for about a year and a half to find a space, and this was really the first house that really captured us that had enough room for people to live together, but comfortably,” said Deb Wesley, the CEO of Addison County Home Health & Hospice.

That house is at 127 East Main Street in East Middlebury. The five-bedroom home was built in the early 1800s. It has old bones, but it’s about to take on a whole new life.

“Our goal is to provide a home for eight individuals who really are medically frail, are really unable to live at home alone, or require some increased assistance for their care,” Wesley said.

This model is called a “care home.” Its house is shared by seniors who need a little extra help. There, home-cooked communal meals will be served in the dining room, and caregivers will be in the house 24/7, along with an on-call nurse.

Wesley says there’s a growing need for housing and health care for the almost 500 patients her nonprofit serves.

“Our population in Addison County is aging, and we’re seeing more and more individuals with chronic conditions and disease processes that are impacting their quality of life, which is leading to the need for more care,” she said.

It’s a need the state’s infrastructure is struggling to meet. According to state research and a 2025 study by AARP, 65% of their Vermont members are concerned they won’t be able to stay in their home as they grow older, or remain independent. One-third of their Vermont members have chronic health conditions, and 28% are worried about loneliness.

It comes as assisted living facilities in the region are not only short-staffed, but also short on beds.

“Folks need a place to live. They do not need to be sent out of state, which is happening on a regular basis, because we don’t have the facilities for them. And we feel like they deserve to live in their own communities for the rest of their lives,” said Maureen Conrad with Addison County Home Health & Hospice.

Medicare and private insurance do not cover assisted living costs for folks who need them. The East Middlebury facility will accept Medicaid, but they’re still figuring out how to fully finance the project.

“There’s a housing crisis here, and we know that we can’t solve the whole thing, but we’re so pleased and so privileged to have solved even a little bit of it,” Conrad said.

Addison County Home Health & Hospice is hoping to open this care home in late spring.

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