Help for older adults
Last updated June 9, 2021 at 9:01 AM
If you are an older adult or care for one, here are safe and reliable options for getting help with:
Great Plates – food delivery
California’s older adults can get three free, restaurant-quality meals through Great Plates Delivered. This home delivery program helps seniors stay safe at home during the pandemic. It is currently authorized through July 9, 2021.
See if you qualify
You may qualify to get meals from Great Plates if you:
- Are age 65 or older, are 60-64 and have been diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19, or are considered high risk by the CDC
- Live by yourself or with one other program-eligible adult
- Are not currently receiving assistance from other state or federal nutrition assistance programs, like CalFresh/SNAP or Meals on Wheels
- Have difficulty accessing food or preparing your own meals
- Earn 600% or less of the federal poverty limit
- Live within a county or city participating in the program
Sign up for delivery
Contact a Great Plates administrator in your city or county and ask about free home delivered meals for seniors.
- Alameda County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Care & Shelter: call 925‑803‑7943 or email ACGreatPlates@acgov.org
- City of Bell Gardens (Senior Center): call 562‑334‑1779 or email rescobedo@bellgardens.org
- Contra Costa County (Helpline): call 800‑510‑2020
- City of Lodi: call 209‑369‑1591 or email meals@loelcenter.net
- City of Los Angeles (Dept of Aging Hotline): call 213‑263‑5226, 9am – 5pm
- Los Angeles County: call 211, email greatplates@wdacs.lacounty.gov, or https://wdacs.lacounty.gov/greatplates
- Marin County: call 415‑473‑6263
- Mendocino County: call 707‑463‑7900, 877‑327‑1799, or email mendocinocounty.org/greatplates
- Monterey County: call 831‑796‑3530 or email murrayphillipsk@co.monterey.ca.us, or call 831‑755‑4447 or email mcaaa@co.monterey.ca.us
- City of Moreno Valley (Hotline): call 951‑413‑3280
- City of Oakland: call 510‑238‑FOOD (3663), email: greatplates@oaklandca.gov, or apply for meals in Oakland
- Nevada County (Adult Services Office): call 530‑265‑1639
- City of Parlier: call Eva Beltran at 559‑646‑3545 ext. 242, or email ebeltran@parlier.ca.us
- City of Pasadena: call 626‑744‑7311 or email: GreatPlatesDelivered@cityofpasadena.net
- City of Perris (Public Health Hotline): call 951‑435‑7206
- City of Rancho Mirage (COVID Hotline): call 877‑652‑4844 or email greatplates@ranchomirageca.gov
- Riverside County (Office on Aging Line): call 800‑510‑2020, 8am – 5pm
- San Bernardino County (Hotline): call 888‑743‑1485
- San Diego County: call 800‑339‑4661, or apply for meals in San Diego
- Santa Cruz County: call 831‑454‑4406 or email hsd_greatplates@santacruzcounty.us
- City & County of San Francisco (Dept. of Disability & Aging Helpline): call 415‑355‑6700
- County of San Mateo (Hotline): call 800‑675‑8437
- City of Seaside (Senior Services Office): call 831‑899‑6809 or 831‑899‑6821
- Ventura County: call 805‑477‑7300, email Lois.vcaa@ventura.org, or apply for meals in Ventura County
More details about receiving meals are available in the participant FAQ.
How to provide meals
If you’d like to supply meals or help administer the Great Plates program, review this information and submit your request.
- Program guidance
- Data reporting questionnaire (DOC)
- Local administrator FAQs
- Restaurants FAQs
- Guidance for food facilities
After reading, you can request to volunteer or provide meals.
Other meal delivery options
- For home delivered meals from Meals on Wheels, call 1‑800‑510‑2020.
- To apply for the CalFresh EBT Card (also known as food stamps), visit getcalfresh.org.
Living in senior facilities
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities continue to be severely affected by outbreaks of coronavirus. Rules on visits to residents help reduce the disease’s impact on residents and staff.
Read what you can do to protect and connect with your loved ones in senior living.
State guidance for senior living
- California Department of Public Health (CDPH): Guidance for Limiting the Transmission of COVID-19 in Long-Term Care Facilities
- CDPH: Guidance for Skilled Nursing Facilities
- California Department of Social Services: Guidance for Residential Care Facilities for Elderly
Keeping residents safe
- Frequently asked questions for friends and family
- Caregiving From Afar: Questions to ask the facility
- Coronavirus in Long-Term Care: Information for Advocates
- 6 Ways to Stay Connected with Seniors
Report abuse
- Report suspected abuse or neglect of an adult
COVID-19 statistics
- COVID-19 cases in skilled nursing facilities
- COVID-19 cases in adult and senior care facilities (select “Additional Resources”)
Facility information
To find out what steps a senior living facility is taking to protect residents and staff, contact them or check their website.
Find details about specific facilities through Nursing Home Compare, provided by Medicare.gov.
See and file complaints about a facility through CDSS’s Care Facility Search.
More services
- Enter your location into 211.org to find local services for all Californians, including older adults, such as food, financial, health care, and housing assistance. Every community has a dedicated line for aging and adult services. Connect with yours at 800‑510‑2020.
- Friendship Line California is a free crisis intervention hotline for non-emergency emotional support calls. To use this service, call 1‑888‑670‑1360 or visit the Friendship Line California webpage.
- Visit the California Department of Aging’s COVID-19 page for resources for older and other at-risk adults.
- If you suspect an adult is being neglected or abused, call Adult Protective Services at 833‑401‑0832.
- If you suspect someone of committing fraud against seniors, contact AARP’s Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877‑908‑3360.
- If you’re concerned about someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s or their caregiver, call the Alzheimer’s Association at 800‑272‑3900.
- Contact California’s COVID-19 hotline for questions about coronavirus at 833-422-4255 (833‑4CA‑4ALL).