Family Caregiver Support in California: Where to Start

You may know that your parent or family member needs more help, but not know which California program, agency, or service to contact. That is common. Family caregiver support is spread across statewide programs, county agencies, local organizations, healthcare systems, and community services.

You do not need to understand the whole system before asking for help. Start with what is happening in your family and what care is becoming difficult to provide.

Start with the problem you are trying to solve

Before searching for a program, identify what is becoming difficult. Different caregiving problems lead to different kinds of support.

Once the actual care problem is clear, it becomes easier to identify which services may be able to take over specific tasks.

Area Agencies on Aging can be a useful first stop

California's network of Area Agencies on Aging coordinates services for older adults and family caregivers at the local level.

Through the Family Caregiver Support Program, caregivers may be connected with information and referrals, counseling, support groups, caregiver training, care planning, respite care, and other local services.

The exact services available can differ by area, so the county where the person receiving care lives matters.

California also has Caregiver Resource Centers

California's Caregiver Resource Center network serves family caregivers across all 58 counties.

These centers can be especially relevant when an adult has a chronic or disabling health condition and the family needs help understanding care needs, planning care, finding services, or coping with the demands of caregiving.

Depending on the situation and local center, support may include assessment, care planning, information and referral, counseling, education, respite assistance, and other caregiver services.

An ADRC may help when several systems are involved

Aging and Disability Resource Connections are designed around a “No Wrong Door” approach. They help older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers understand long-term services and supports and connect with appropriate resources.

This can be useful when the problem does not fit neatly into one program. A family may need transportation, personal care, meals, caregiver support, benefits information, and help planning longer-term care at the same time.

ADRC availability and organization vary across California, and not every Area Agency on Aging is itself an ADRC. Local options should therefore be checked for the county where the person lives.

IHSS may be relevant when someone needs help to remain safely at home

California's In-Home Supportive Services program may help eligible aged, blind, or disabled people receive services that allow them to remain safely in their own home.

Eligibility is based on the person receiving care, not simply on the fact that a family member is providing caregiving. The county evaluates the person's circumstances and assessed needs.

Depending on eligibility and assessed need, IHSS can include certain household services, meal-related tasks, personal care, accompaniment to medical appointments, and other authorized assistance.

Learn more about IHSS help for family caregivers in California

Respite matters when the caregiver needs relief

Sometimes the immediate problem is not that the family lacks all care. It is that one person has been providing too much of it for too long.

Respite care can provide temporary relief from caregiving. Depending on local programs, eligibility, funding, and the person's needs, respite may be available through caregiver programs or community organizations.

If you are reaching the point where you cannot continue as the primary caregiver, the goal should be larger than finding a few hours of relief. The family may need to redesign who provides the essential care tasks.

Learn what to do when you cannot keep being your parent's primary caregiver

The right starting point depends on what is happening

A caregiver looking for transportation and occasional respite may need a very different pathway from a family whose parent is falling repeatedly, cannot manage medications, or needs hands-on personal care throughout the day.

If your parent lives alone, start by looking at whether the current arrangement is still safe.

Is your elderly parent still safe living alone?

If caregiving is interfering with your employment, identify which workday care tasks need to be transferred.

What to do when you work full time and care for an elderly parent

If cost is the main barrier, look at public programs and community support before assuming that private-pay care is the only option.

What to do when you cannot afford enough care for an elderly parent

If your parent is being discharged from a hospital, begin planning before the transition home whenever possible.

Planning for an elderly parent's hospital discharge in California

You do not need to know which program to ask for

California has many programs and organizations that can help families. The difficult part is often deciding which ones fit the situation, which care tasks they can actually address, and what to do first.

Start with the person, not the system: what is happening, what help is needed, what the family can realistically provide, what is no longer working, and where the person lives.