Penda Senior Home Care

Resources

Local help for older adults in San Diego County

Numbers and programmes worth knowing, whether or not you ever hire anyone. Most of these cost nothing. We don’t run any of them and we get nothing for listing them.

Request a free in-home consultation Call (858) 380-9599

Licensing and caregiver screening

  • Licensed Home Care OrganizationCDSS license #374700397

  • Caregivers on the state registryLive Scan fingerprint check (CA DOJ and FBI) and TB test

  • Owned by a registered nurseMildred Kiminyei, RN

Start here

  • County of San Diego Aging & Independence Services: 800-510-2020. The main call centre for older adults, people with disabilities, and families. Information on In-Home Supportive Services, meals, and local programmes. It also takes reports of suspected elder or dependent adult abuse.
  • 211 San Diego: dial 211. Free, around the clock, for help finding food, housing, utilities assistance, health services, and more across the county.

Help for the family doing the caring

  • Southern Caregiver Resource Center: 800-827-1008. A San Diego nonprofit for family caregivers. Caregiver assessment, care planning, short-term counselling, training, and professionally run support groups, at no cost, with services available in Spanish.
  • Alzheimer’s San Diego. A local, independent nonprofit with a free helpline, family support groups, and classes on handling behaviour changes. No membership, no cost.

If you are the one doing the caring, these exist for you rather than for the person you care for, and they are the most underused services on this page.

Meals and food

  • Meals on Wheels San Diego County: 619-858-1006. Meals delivered to adults 60 and older, and to veterans with disabilities of any age. There is a suggested donation, and no one is turned away for being unable to pay.
  • Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center, 1525 Fourth Avenue, downtown. Run by Serving Seniors. Free meals 365 days a year for adults 60 and older on low incomes, plus social services on site.
  • County senior dining sites. Congregate meals at centres across the county. Ask Aging & Independence Services on 800-510-2020 for the nearest one.

Medicare, insurance, and paying for care

  • HICAP: 800-434-0222. The Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program, run locally by Elder Law & Advocacy. Free, confidential, one-to-one counselling on Medicare, Medigap, Medicare Advantage, billing problems, and long-term care insurance. Independent, and not selling anything.
  • VA Aid and Attendance. An extra monthly amount added to a VA pension for veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities. The rules are on va.gov. Accredited veterans service officers help with claims free of charge; be wary of anyone who charges to file one.
  • In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS). Medi-Cal’s programme, which pays a caregiver the recipient chooses, often a family member. Apply through Aging & Independence Services.

Our own page on paying for care covers hourly rates, long-term care insurance, and what Medicare does and doesn’t cover.

Memory loss and dementia

  • Alzheimer’s San Diego. Free helpline, support groups for families and for people recently diagnosed, and practical classes.
  • Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, UC San Diego (La Jolla). Education and clinical trials.
  • Glenner Alzheimer’s Family Centers. Adult day programmes, including one in Chula Vista: a supervised day out for the person, and a break for the family.
  • Take Me Home, San Diego County Sheriff. A free, confidential registry for people who may wander and can’t say where they live. Deputies can search it by description or photo and get someone home.
  • St. Paul’s PACE, Chula Vista. For people 55 and older who qualify for nursing-home-level care but want to stay home: medical care, a day centre, and transport in one programme.

Senior centers in the communities we serve

  • Norman Park Senior Center, 270 F Street, Chula Vista. The city’s main senior centre: classes, exercise, cards, and a fitness room.
  • La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Boulevard. Classes, bridge, and talks aimed at older adults.
  • Carlsbad Senior Center, 799 Pine Avenue. A weekday lunch for adults 60 and older, plus classes, and city-run rides for Carlsbad residents 60 and older who no longer drive.
  • Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center, 16780 La Gracia. Resources, family support, classes, and social activities. No membership fee, and you don’t have to live in Rancho Santa Fe.
  • Del Mar Community Connections, 225 Ninth Street. Volunteer rides to the grocery store and medical appointments, loaned medical equipment, and social programmes.
  • City of San Diego recreation centres, including Carmel Valley, run activities for older adults through the city’s Age Well programme.

Safety, rights, and checking a provider

  • Suspected abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation. Adult Protective Services takes reports through Aging & Independence Services on 800-510-2020, day or night. You do not need proof to make a report.
  • Checking a home care agency’s licence. Any business sending caregivers into homes in California must hold a Home Care Organization licence. Ask for the number and look it up on the CDSS care facility search. Ours is #374700397.
  • AlertSanDiego. The county’s emergency notification system. Register the numbers of everyone who might need to act in a wildfire evacuation, including an older parent who no longer drives.
  • Long-term care ombudsman. For concerns about care in an assisted living facility or nursing home, ask Aging & Independence Services for the ombudsman programme.

If you’re comparing home care agencies

We wrote down the questions worth asking, including the ones that separate agencies: questions to ask a home care agency. Ask us the same ones on (858) 380-9599.

Something on this page out of date, or a programme we should add? Tell us and we’ll fix it.

Request a free in-home consultation

Tell us what’s going on and we’ll call you back to talk it through and set up a visit at the home. The consultation is free.

If it’s urgent, call instead of using the form.

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