The free LA care checklist
One page for when someone you love needs more help. Free programs first, then the next steps for what just changed. Tick the boxes as you go.
1. Call the free help first
- IHSS — In-Home Supportive Services. If your person has Medi-Cal (or can get it), the county can pay for help at home with things like bathing, cooking, and errands. The person receiving care chooses who to hire — and California allows that person to be a family member. Many families are paid through IHSS to care for their own parent. LA County applications: (888) 944-4477. How IHSS works →
- Your Area Agency on Aging. One phone call, a real person, free advice on programs you qualify for. LA County: (800) 510-2020. City of LA: (213) 482-7252.
- 211 LA. Dial 211 from anywhere in LA County, any hour. They keep the county-wide list of free and low-cost services and will search it with you.
- If anyone in the situation may be being hurt, neglected, or financially taken advantage of, call Adult Protective Services first: (877) 477-3646 in LA County — 24 hours, 7 days. Statewide: (833) 401-0832. You do not need proof to call; they will figure it out with you.
Phone numbers checked against each program’s official page on 07/19/2026. All free programs →
2. Then, for what just changed
There was a fall
- Make the house match how they move now — Home & Safety providers
- Extra hands while they recover — Care providers
Memory or confusion is getting worse
- Support that fits memory changes — Care providers
- Someone who has done this a hundred times — Health-adjacent providers
- The paperwork moment — sooner is kinder — Legal & money help
Coming home from the hospital
- Cover the first two weeks home — Care providers
- Keep the recovery moving at home — Health-adjacent providers
Things are generally getting harder
- Regular help with the regular things — Care providers
- Let the house do some of the work — Home & Safety providers
A serious illness — hospice or comfort care
- Check any hospice before you sign — Check a hospice in LA County
- Comfort, support, and the paperwork — Free help in LA County
Nothing yet — planning ahead
- Future-proof the house while it's a project, not an emergency — Home & Safety providers
- Set up the life logistics early — Life services
Want these steps explained for your situation? Answer 5 plain questions →
3. Check before you sign
- Care home or home-care agency: look up its state license. Our directory shows CDSS’s record (file generated 10/08/2026).
- Hospice: check its state license and Medicare listing. Hospice check uses CDPH’s file (09/16/2026) and Medicare’s file (08/19/2026).
- Something feels wrong? Where to report it.
A starting map, not medical or legal advice. For anything about health, talk with your person’s doctor. From ElderGuideLA — elderguidela.com/checklist