Free Caregiver Matching Service in Los Angeles

How the free 48-hour matching service works

The matching process for Los Angeles families has four parts: a short care form, screening caregivers for dementia care experience, 3 to 5 video profiles within 48 hours, and your review of each video interview before anyone is invited to the home.

You stay in control of the next step. You do not have to meet every person in the set of profiles, and you decide whether daytime help, overnight coverage, or another schedule is the right fit.

The short care form

Matching starts with a short care form that describes who needs help in Los Angeles, where they live, and what a typical day looks like.

Families usually note the tasks that matter most, such as meals and company, help with bathing and dressing, overnight presence, or a break for a family caregiver. You can also describe routines that belong with memory care at home or a planned return from the hospital. The form is brief on purpose, so you are not filling out a long intake before you have even seen a caregiver.

Caregivers screened for dementia care experience

We screen caregivers for dementia care experience before we send their profiles to a Los Angeles family.

That screen looks at whether the caregiver has worked with people living with dementia. It is not a substitute for the questions you should ask any caregiver or agency. Ask about background checks, licensing, and training, then watch the video interview. The video interview is the proof of how that person talks about the work and whether they would fit your household.

3 to 5 video profiles within 48 hours

You receive 3 to 5 video profiles within 48 hours of submitting the short care form.

Each profile includes a video interview, so you can see and hear the caregiver before any meeting. The 48-hour window is for families who cannot spend weeks calling agencies across Los Angeles while a parent or spouse still needs help today.

Watch each video interview before you decide whom to meet

Families watch each caregiver's video interview before deciding whom to meet. The video interview is the proof.

Watch for how they describe past dementia care experience, how they would handle a difficult afternoon, and whether their manner would fit your parent or spouse. Only after that review do you choose whom, if anyone, to meet in person. If none of the first set feels right, you are not obligated to schedule a meeting.

In-home care options after you match

After you match, care can stay in the home and follow the level of help you described on the form.

Some households start with daytime companion care for meals, appointments, and company. Others need personal care for bathing, dressing, and mobility. When nights are the hard part, families often look at 24-hour live-in care. A family caregiver who needs a break can use respite care. If someone is leaving a hospital, hospital discharge care can cover the first days back at home.

Los Angeles families arranging care at home

Los Angeles has 533,344 residents aged 65 and over, 71,996 residents aged 85 and over, 129,947 senior households where someone 65 or older lives alone, and a median household income of $80,366, according to the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates.

The CDC describes dementia as a condition that affects memory, thinking, and the ability to carry out daily activities. When those changes show up at home, families often look for in-home help rather than a move, especially when a parent or spouse lives alone. Look for a geriatrician, neurologist, or memory clinic through the person's existing doctors if you still need a medical evaluation. Matching a caregiver is not a diagnosis and does not replace medical care.

Paying for care and other local help

The matching service is free. The in-home care you hire after you meet a caregiver is paid separately, through private funds, long-term care insurance, or public programs you may already qualify for.

The National Institute on Aging publishes an overview of what long-term care is and a separate guide to paying for long-term care. Medicare home health services cover eligible skilled care in the home. That benefit is not the same as ongoing companion or personal care from a matched caregiver, so confirm coverage rules on Medicare.gov before you assume a visit will be paid.

California's In-Home Supportive Services program is one path some residents use for in-home help. Read the CANHR overview of IHSS and confirm current income, asset, and hour rules with the county office that administers the program. Wartime veterans and some surviving spouses can review the VA's Aid and Attendance benefits and Housebound allowance. Families supporting someone with Alzheimer's disease in the Los Angeles area can use the Alzheimer's Association Southern California chapter for education and local support. Listing a resource is not an endorsement of this matching service.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does free caregiver matching work in Los Angeles?

You submit a short care form. We screen caregivers for dementia care experience, send 3 to 5 video profiles within 48 hours, and you watch each caregiver's video interview before deciding whom to meet. The video interview is the proof.

How many video profiles will I get, and how soon?

Los Angeles families receive 3 to 5 video profiles within 48 hours of the short care form. Each profile includes a video interview you can watch before any in-person meeting.

What does it mean that caregivers are screened for dementia care experience?

We screen caregivers for dementia care experience, meaning we look at whether they have worked with people living with dementia. You should still ask any caregiver or agency about background checks, licensing, and training. The video interview is the proof you use before you decide whom to meet.

Is this the same as Medicare home health?

No. Matching helps you find an in-home caregiver for companion help, personal care, or related support. Medicare home health is a separate skilled-care benefit with its own rules. Review Medicare's home health coverage page for what that program covers.

How many older adults live in Los Angeles?

The U.S. Census Bureau reports 533,344 Los Angeles residents aged 65 and over, 71,996 aged 85 and over, and 129,947 senior households where someone 65 or older lives alone. Those figures describe the city's older population. They are not a count of people living with dementia.