AFTER serving more than one million seniors throughout the US, Europe, Asia, Portugal and Japan, the world's leading provider in private non-medical home care services, Home Instead Senior Care, is up and running on the Gold Coast.

"Home Instead Senior Care aims to ease the strain placed on the 'sandwich generation' on the Gold Coast - a demographic struggling to cope with raising children, caring for ageing parents and demanding careers," says Gold Coast Home Instead Senior Care franchise owner Steve Patterson.

"Many people need non-medical assistance to continue living in their own home, but often they fall outside the government criteria and are left in the cold when it comes to accessing in-home care, resulting in limited services or a reliance on family support."

Approximately 13 per cent of the Australian population was aged 65 years and older in 2003. This figure is expected to rise to 21 per cent by 2033 and 25 per cent by 2051.

According to statistics provided by Home Instead Senior Care, more than 2.6 million Australian adults (13 per cent of the population) currently provide daily companionship or assistance to a parent, relative or friend, with more than 78 per cent of care received by seniors provided directly by a family member.

The number of people likely to need assistance is due to increase by around 160 per cent by 2031. In the same period, the number of informal carers of older people is expected to increase by 57 per cent. For every 100 people aged 65 and over and needing care, there will be 35 carers.

"Home Instead Senior Care offers a wide range of services including companionship, personal care, shopping, light housekeeping, medication reminders, running errands, meal preparation and incidental transportation," says Mr Patterson.

He says he has already employed nine caregivers from the Gold Coast and expects to recruit between 150 and 200 in the next three years.