Research · October 2026
What ChatGPT tells families looking for in-home care: 8 cities, 24 answers
In all 24 conversations across eight US cities, ChatGPT named specific home care agencies, 8 to 15 per city. National franchises took 46 of the 74 slots we classified. Independents were named in every city. In Lincoln and Kansas City, agencies with more reviews were not named ahead of those with fewer.
What did ChatGPT say, city by city?
Each city was asked three questions in three fresh, logged-out chats. “Agencies named” counts every agency that appeared in any of the three answers.
| City | Run | Agencies named | Franchises | Named in all 3 answers | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarasota, FL | 28 Sep | 11 | 5 | 2, both franchises | Kept all 8 names from a 9 Sep check |
| Naples, FL | 28 Sep | 9 | 6 | 3 | Quoted a Florida AHCA license number |
| Fort Myers, FL | 28 Sep | 11 | 7 | Includes 2 independents | Two independents named every time |
| Pinellas County, FL | 28 Sep | 15 | 12 | None | Most fragmented answer |
| Omaha, NE | 4 Oct | 8 | 5 | 3, all franchises | No independent named more than once |
| Lincoln, NE | 6 Oct | 10 | 3 | 3, including 1 independent | That independent was listed first in two answers |
| Des Moines, IA | 6 Oct | 10 | 8 | 5, all franchises | A franchise office rated 1.0 was named |
| Kansas City, MO/KS | 6–7 Oct | 12 | Not classified | Not recorded | 3 independents named, each with a stated reason |
| Total | 86 | 46 of 74 | Kansas City excluded from the franchise count |
Does ChatGPT name specific home care agencies?
Every time. Each of the 24 answers named agencies and explained the picks. In the runs where I recorded the format, the agencies appeared as Google Business Profile cards with a star rating.
How often are franchises named?
Most of the time, but it varies a lot by city. Across the seven cities I classified, national franchises took 46 of 74 named slots, or 62%. Lincoln was the exception at 3 of 10. Pinellas County was the other extreme at 12 of 15. In Omaha and Des Moines, every agency named in all three answers was a franchise.
Can an independent agency win the answer?
Yes. Independents were named in all eight cities, and in at least three they held a place every time or came first. In Lincoln a locally owned agency was named in all three answers and listed first in two, ahead of a national franchise with more than twice its reviews. In Fort Myers two independents were named every time. In Kansas City three independents were named, and ChatGPT said why:
“A core specialty rather than simply listing it among dozens of services.” ChatGPT, on why it put an independent Kansas City agency first for dementia care, October 2026
In Des Moines one local independent broke into an answer in which 8 of 10 names were franchises.
Do ratings and reviews decide the order?
Not in a consistent way. In Lincoln the most-reviewed agency we found, rated 4.5, was left out of all three answers, while agencies with fewer reviews were named. In Des Moines a franchise office rated 1.0 was recommended. In Kansas City an agency rated below 4.5 was named first for dementia care, while one with more than a hundred reviews at 4.9 was never first. Only an earlier, single-question Sarasota check showed rating and review count lining up with the answer.
Where does ChatGPT send families besides agencies?
To the local Area Agency on Aging, usually as the first call: Aging Partners in Lincoln and Aging Resources of Central Iowa in Des Moines came up in all three answers, and the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging in Omaha. To state license lookups in Florida and Nebraska. And in Kansas City, to two trade association directories. An agency listed accurately in those places is easier for the answer to vouch for.
How stable is the answer?
Somewhat. Sarasota was checked on 9 September with one question and on 28 September with three. The later run named three agencies the first had not and kept all eight earlier names; some of that comes from the extra questions. Answers also vary between runs on the same day. A result is a snapshot, worth re-checking monthly.
How was this done?
ChatGPT was asked in a logged-out session, with a new chat for every question, between 28 September and 7 October 2026. Each city got three questions written the way an adult child asks: one about a parent living alone who has had falls, one about paying privately, and one about dementia care. Sarasota had also been checked on 9 September, logged in, with one question.
Every agency named was recorded with its Google rating. Franchise status was checked agency by agency. Kansas City's 12 named agencies were not all classified, so it is left out of the franchise total. Ratings come from the answers' own cards and from Google Maps data pulled the same week.
Answers vary between runs and change over time. These are counts of what 24 answers said, not a prediction.
No agency is named on this page. The point is the pattern, not who won.
Short answers
Questions owners ask
Can I run this check for my own city?
Yes. Open a private browser window, go to ChatGPT without logging in, and ask the three questions in separate new chats, naming your city. Write down every agency named and the reason given.
Why doesn't this page name the agencies?
Some of them are agencies I may work with or have contacted. Publishing who won and who lost would help no one; the pattern is what matters.
Will these results still be true next month?
Probably not exactly. Answers vary between runs and drift over time. Treat any result older than a month as out of date.
See what ChatGPT says about your agency
I'll run these questions for your city, show you which agencies get named and why, and list what your site and listings are missing. Twenty minutes, no charge, and you keep the findings either way.
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