With its enviable location in Orange County, it’s easy to see why Irvine makes a great place to spend your retirement years. The growing city is home to just under 308,000 residents, and one in 10 are seniors aged 65 and older.
Irvine’s near-perfect year-round weather is comfortable, relatively dry and snow-free. You’ll enjoy an average of 281 sunny days each year, and summer high temperatures are typically in the low 80s. This means you can spend plenty of time outdoors, whether you want to stroll through a local park or explore one of the area’s open-air shopping centers.
If you’re a grandparent, your family will have no trouble finding things to do when they visit. Irvine features a number of all-ages attractions, including libraries, museums and indoor/outdoor entertainment centers that you can enjoy with your loved ones.
You’ll also appreciate knowing that high-quality health care services are readily available in Orange County, so you won’t have to travel to access emergency and acute medical care. The Hoag Hospital Irvine offers a wide range of specialized services, while the nearby UCI Medical Center is one of the nation’s top-ranked teaching hospitals.
In Irvine, you can expect to pay around $5,434 per month for home care services, based on 44 hours of care per week. You can get an idea of what your costs are likely to be by multiplying the number of hours of assistance you expect to need each month by Irvine’s average home care rate of $28.50 per hour.
The average cost for home health care, which combines home care with some medical services such as skilled nursing, is slightly higher at $5,529 per month or $29 per hour.
In-home care rates in Irvine are higher than in nearby Oxnard, where seniors pay an average of $5,339 per month for either home care or home health care services. Further south in San Diego, costs are higher than in Irvine, with rates for home care and home health care running around $5,716 per month. To the north in Santa Maria, both kinds of in-home care are even more expensive, with an average cost of $6,101 per month.
Home care rates in Irvine are $434 higher than the average cost of assisted living in the city ($5,000), while home health care costs $529 more. As is typical nationwide, adult day care is the least-expensive senior care service, and in Irvine, this type of care costs about $1,647 per month. Rates for a semiprivate room in a nursing home run around $8,060 per month, as this type of care includes room and board, around-the-clock supervision and skilled nursing services.
Finding a home care provider for yourself or a loved one can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Below, we explain the process of how to find a home care provider in 5 simple steps. Use the infographic below to help guide your search for in-home care in Irvine, CA.
Remember that there’s not necessarily a right or wrong choice – it comes down to choosing a provider that you feel comfortable with and who’s capable of meeting your specific needs. No matter which provider you choose, you should always have a formal arrangement with your expectations and the payment rate in writing. Doing so will prevent confusion or potential disagreements down the line so that the focus remains on helping the person receiving care.
What You Should Know
Age Well Senior Services’ Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Program is a low-cost, reservation-based service that helps seniors travel to and from medical appointments throughout Irvine and Orange County. Each one-way trip costs $2, and there’s no charge for care attendants. There is a monthly per-client limit of eight round-trip rides, or 16 one-way trips.
You can use this wheelchair-accessible service to travel to your doctor’s office and physiotherapy, dental and dialysis appointments or to pick up prescription and over-the-counter medications. The service is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m to 6 p.m., and rides must be reserved at least 48 hours in advance.
Who Is Eligible?
As a senior aged 60 or older, you’re eligible to use this service to travel between your Irvine home and any medical facility within 15 miles of your residence. You can also use the service to travel to one of the medical facilities within the designated service area, even if that facility is further than 15 miles away.
How to Get Started
To learn more about the Senior Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Program, call (949) 855-9766.
What You Should Know
The Lakeview Senior Center is a multipurpose city-owned and operated facility for residents aged 50 and older. The wheelchair-accessible center is equipped with a kitchen, cafe and studio; a games room; two multipurpose rooms; an auditorium and a crafting room. There’s also a patio with bistro seating, and a relaxing rose garden.
You can sign up for a wide variety of free and low-cost fitness classes, preventive health lectures, computer lessons and social events at the center. The cafe serves low-cost beverages and snacks, and the center hosts regular holiday parties, health fairs and special lunches.
Who Is Eligible?
As an Irvine senior, you’re welcome to access the center’s programs and services. Some activities are drop-in only, while registration is required for a number of classes and workshops.
How to Get Started
For up-to-date programming information, call the center at (949) 724-6900.
What You Should Know
Pets can provide seniors with a great deal of comfort, companionship and sense of purpose. The Irvine Animal Care Center helps to match older adults with senior companion animals through the Seniors Helping Seniors program.
This program aims to reduce the number of senior adoptable pets from local animal shelters by waiving the adoption fees for adopters who are also seniors. Most of the adoptable senior cats and dogs were surrendered to the shelter when their owners could no longer care for them, so the available pets are generally well-mannered, housebroken and up-to-date with their vaccinations.
Who Is Eligible?
If you’re a senior aged 62 and older who can provide a safe, loving home to a senior pet, you’re welcome to apply to adopt a senior animal through the program.
How to Get Started
To learn more about the Seniors Helping Seniors program, contact the Irvine Animal Care Center at (949) 724-7740.
What You Should Know
Keeping up with essential home repairs can be a challenge, especially for low- and moderate-income seniors. The City of Irvine helps homeowners resolve code issues and complete safety-critical home repairs through the Residential Rehabilitation Program.
The RRP provides eligible homeowners with low-interest, deferred-payment loans and non-repayable emergency grants to fund the cost of essential repairs. This program can also be used by seniors who meet the financial criteria, and who need to make their home more accessible to continue living independently.
Who Is Eligible?
To qualify for either a low-interest loan or an emergency grant through the RRP, you must own and occupy a single-family house or manufactured home in Irvine. You can apply for an emergency grant of up to $5,000 as long as you haven’t received a RRP grant in the past, and you need the funds to complete emergency code-related work.
If you’ve already received an emergency RRP grant, or your home requires work that costs more than $5,000, you can apply for up to $25,000 in a deferred loan. Your income must be below 80% of the area median to be eligible for funds through the RRP.
How to Get Started
To learn more about the RRP, call the Neighborhood Services Department at (949) 724-7454.
What You Should Know
Living independently can be rewarding, but it can also lead to feelings of loneliness, isolation and a loss of interest in everyday activities. The Friendly Visitor Program aims to reduce feelings of isolation among Orange County seniors by pairing them with friendly, trained volunteers. Services are available in three languages: English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Following a comprehensive assessment by a licensed social worker, program participants are connected with a volunteer. The volunteer makes regular phone calls, visits the seniors in their home, and helps to identify additional services and supports that could help them address any unmet health and social needs.
Who Is Eligible?
If you’re a frail or housebound senior who has limited contact with family and friends, and you’d like to receive free support from a friendly volunteer and a team of senior care specialists, you’re eligible to participate in the Friendly Visitor Program.
How to Get Started
To learn more about the program, contact the Council on Aging of Southern California at (714) 479-0107.