326 Assisted Living Communities near Los Angeles

What is Assisted Living?

An assisted living community is designed to let seniors stay independent while providing the help they may need in the areas of housekeeping, mobility, and transportation, as well as some medical care. Assisted living communities are residential settings where care is available 24/7, with meals provided to minimize the number of chores that aging citizens have to handle on their own.

Some assisted living communities take the form of huge complexes that feel more like resort hotels, while others might be smaller, consisting of a few private rooms in a single-family residence. Most assisted living communities help seniors make friends and engage in social interaction.

What Services are Available in Assisted Living in Los Angeles?

If you live in Los Angeles, you'll find that assisted living near you can vary by size and location; however, here are some general services available at most assisted living facilities:

• Assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs)
• Medication management
• Security & supervision
• Basic housekeeping
• Daily meals
• Health and exercise programs
• Transportation

Whether it's transportation to a doctor's appointment or a day trip to a local attraction, you'll find that many assisted living communities in Los Angeles do everything they can to keep seniors connected to their communities. Other amenities typically include three meals per day, usually served restaurant-style in a shared dining hall.

The size of an assisted living community may determine what other on-site amenities are available. Larger communities in suburban areas feature outdoor walking areas, swimming pools and hot tubs and even game rooms and beauty salons. Even in a small community, you can count on the availability of non-medical staff around the clock to help seniors with medication management and personal grooming, bathing and other activities of daily living. In addition, assisted living communities typically provide laundry services and assistance with maintenance needs.

Getting Ready to Move to Assisted Living in Los Angeles

If you're helping your loved one get ready to move to an assisted living community in Los Angeles, you'll have to start with a couple of medical evaluations.

Your loved one's personal physician will handle the first evaluation. This is a basic review of their medical condition. The doctor will note special dietary needs that your loved one has, while also detailing medications and special treatments they require.

The staff of the assisted living community will handle the second evaluation. Here, they're trying to assess whether their community is the right fit for your loved one. They'll already have the physician's report in hand, so what they're looking for is a sense of how much assistance is needed with dressing, grooming, bathing, etc. If this evaluation indicates that the community may not have the facilities or staff to meet the needs of your loved one, they may be able to provide appropriate recommendations.

How Much Does Assisted Living Cost in Los Angeles?

The average monthly cost of assisted living in Los Angeles is $4,485 according to the Genworth Cost of Care Calculator.

While Los Angeles is one of the more expensive cities in the U.S., the average monthly cost for assisted living is $4,485, which is close to the national average. Assisted living communities typically offer amenities that can make them a good financial deal, since you're paying for far more than just living space. You can find basic assisted living communities charging as little as about $2,500, while the fees at luxury assisted living communities can run as high as $10,000 per month. Those fees cover meals, a wide variety of social activities, maintenance, utilities, laundry and linen services and housekeeping. In addition, they include the non-medical care provided to each resident, including medication management and assistance with grooming, bathing, and dressing when needed.

That high-end luxury community comes with far more than that, of course. Accommodations in these resort-style communities tend to be spacious and lavish, with amenities that include pools and state-of-the-art gyms, as well as chartered day trips to LA's top shopping and entertainment venues. Expect 24/7 medical care from full-time nurses and even physicians on call, with regular visits from physical therapists, occupational therapists, podiatrists, and more. Residents of these luxurious assisted living communities also have a wide range of meal choices available, often including personalized menus.

On the other end of the spectrum is budget assisted living communities, especially if you're willing to travel away from the business centers of the greater LA region. Expect to have your loved one's basic needs for comfort and care met at these facilities, although they may end up with a smaller or shared room.

In between the luxury communities and the basic ones are smaller boutique assisted living communities. These moderate communities add a few amenities to the basic level of care provided at the lower end, usually including enrichment classes and exercises facilities. Your loved one can expect a private room or suite in the middle-range communities.

Our local Seniorly Partner Agents often have the ability to negotiate monthly rent and fees on your behalf at many of the communities you might be interested in. This is a free service to you. To connect to a Seniorly Partner Agent email us now at ask@seniorly.com or call (855) 866-4515.

What’s the Difference Between Assisted Living vs. Other Senior Care Types?

Unlike other forms of care, assisted living sits directly between independent living and skilled nursing facilities, sometimes called nursing homes, on a spectrum of care. 

In an independent living community, seniors enjoy social activities and amenities that let them lead an active lifestyle. Typically the seniors who enjoy these communities don't need help with daily activities or medication management.

On the other end are skilled nursing facilities, which cater to residents who have medical issues, lead a sedentary life and need round-the-clock nursing care. Many of these facilities include residents who have some level of memory loss.

In between these extremes are assisted living communities. These facilities encourage and facilitate a fair amount of independence while providing help with daily activities, meal preparation, and transportation that seniors sometimes need.

Helpful Apps and Websites for Assisted Living in Los Angeles

Because Los Angeles is geographically spread out, there are many apps to help connect seniors to services that make life easier. Your loved one can now use their smartphone to arrange for grocery and meal delivery, pet care, auto care, door-to-door transportation and more. Check out this exclusive list of delivery services and apps designed by Seniorly specifically for seniors in Los Angeles.

Resources for Caregivers in Los Angeles

It's no surprise that resources for seniors and their families and caregivers are widely available throughout Los Angeles, and this exclusive resource from Seniorly directs you to some of the best. Nonprofit and educational institutions provide emotional and practical support, as well as training on how to help aging citizens with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. In addition, because of the great diversity of Los Angeles, you can find caregiver services aimed at the Latino community, the Korean community, the LGBT community and survivors of the Holocaust.

Government Resources for Seniors in Los Angeles

California's Department of Aging has resources available for both seniors and their caregivers. Adult day care programs allow some respite care for caregivers, and senior services are provided through the department's links to local organizations. The state also offers assistance to people who need help applying for Medi-Cal, which is California's Medicaid program. Overall, the Department of Aging focuses on keeping seniors involved with their communities and staying healthy.

The city of Los Angeles has its own Department of Aging, which provides services to local seniors. Sixteen multipurpose senior centers are spread across the city, and separate programs provide education in elder abuse and support for family caregivers. Assistance is also given with health insurance advocacy and guidance, home modifications, emergency preparedness and legal services.

Los Angeles Demographics

Los Angeles, the second largest city in the U.S., is a majority-minority city — that is, a city in which no one ethnic group forms a majority, though the Hispanic population comes close at 47 percent. The diversity in L.A. is impressive, with 40 percent of the population coming from another country. Wealthy communities are scattered throughout the Los Angeles region, though they tend to gravitate toward the Pacific Ocean.

Los Angeles Weather

Los Angeles locals like to talk about living in a desert, but actually, the climate in LA is Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and mild winters. The rainy season is short, often too short for L.A. natives, who covet rain to protect them from the wildfires that break out around the region in late summer and fall. People from all over the country flock to Los Angeles to enjoy its 292 days of sunshine per year.

Transportation in and Around Los Angeles

Los Angeles has a huge public transportation system that sends out branches in all directions from the heart of downtown. Local, express, and freeway buses connect downtown to the South Bay area south of Los Angeles International Airport, to Pasadena and other points in the San Gabriel Valley to the northeast, and to the far west sections of the San Fernando Valley, as well as throughout the L.A. basin. L.A.'s train lines run to the San Gabriel Valley and Long Beach, as well as through the heart of the city. In addition, Los Angeles offers DASH bus service on short, local loops through downtown, Hollywood, the South-Central region, the San Fernando Valley, the Mid-City area and more.

Fun Facts About Los Angeles

You don't realize how big Los Angeles is until you try to drive it — which may explain why most locals try to minimize their commutes. Also stealthy in its size is L.A.'s economy, which is larger than Switzerland's, Sweden's and Saudi Arabia's combined. Los Angeles is well-known as the film capital of the world, which is the result of its superb weather and the fact that many filmmakers in the early 20th century headed west to avoid patent infringement claims filed by Thomas Edison.

Los Angeles Hospital Information

Greater Los Angeles is home to several nationally ranked hospitals, including UCLA Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on the west side of town, Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena and Keck Hospital of USC just east of downtown. Other excellent hospitals in the Los Angeles area include Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in the South Bay area and Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles in Hollywood.

Assisted Living Community Ratings, Inspection Reports and User Reviews for Los Angeles

The Community Care Licensing Division and the Continuing Care Contacts Branch of the California Department of Social Services are in charge of licensing residential care facilities for the elderly in California. These include assisted living communities, as well as memory care and continuing care retirement communities. The same government agencies are also in charge of enforcing regulations, which they do through regular inspections and periodic audits. The intention of the regulations on the books is to promote the independence of residents to the greatest extent possible.

The Better Business Bureau in Los Angeles assigns grades of A+ to F to assisted living facilities across the greater Los Angeles area. Many of the assisted living communities that receive the coveted A+ grade are actually located around the edges of Los Angeles proper. Checking out what actual residents and their families think about various assisted living communities is easy thanks to the availability of user reviews on sites such as Yelp, Facebook, and Google.

What Questions Should I Ask When Touring Assisted Living Facilities in Los Angeles?

Here are the top 10 questions you should ask when touring assisted living communities in Los Angeles:

1. What is the staff turnover rate?
2. What type of training does the staff receive?
3. Is the staff available 24/7 to help with basic daily needs?
4. Is cable or satellite TV available in each resident's living quarters? What about internet access? Are these included in the monthly fee, or is there an extra charge?
5. How many meals are provided each day? Is food available to residents outside normal dining hours?
6. Is transportation available for medical or therapy appointments? Is it included in the monthly fee?
7. Is there a registered nurse, licensed vocational nurse, or certified nursing assistant on staff? If so, how often?
8. Is it possible to view all of the types of rooms available?
9. Are there any shared community animals, such as dogs, cats, birds, and fish?
10. Are barber and beauty services offered? If so, is there an extra cost?

You can find many more questions to ask here. Visiting an assisted living community is an important step in helping your loved one.