Dementia and 24-Hour Home Care in Solana Beach

Schedule a free in-home assessment · Call (760) 720-7740, available 24/7

Dementia care that fits Solana Beach homes and routines

Solana Beach is a small coastal city, but its homes vary a lot from the bluffs to the hills east of the freeway. That shapes how care works at home:

• Seaside and the coastal bluffs: beach cottages, condos and bluff-top homes, often with outdoor stairs, narrow lots and beach access close by

• Highway 101 and the Cedros Design District: condos and townhomes near shops and restaurants, where a short walk can lead to a busy street

• Eden Gardens: older single-story homes on small lots, close to neighbors and to Lomas Santa Fe Drive

• Lomas Santa Fe and the golf course area: larger homes and townhome communities, many with split levels, stairs and big yards, near the Rancho Santa Fe edge

• Near the Del Mar and Cardiff edges: neighborhoods at the north and south ends of town, where family may live nearby but a spouse is often the main caregiver day to day

During the free assessment, we walk through the home with you and look at the layout, the stairs, the doors, the patio and the yard. Then we plan care around how your loved one actually lives. Our caregivers keep familiar routines going, like a walk along the coast, coffee on Cedros, time in the garden or an afternoon on the patio, for as long as they are safe and enjoyable.

Long shifts: 8 to 24 hours a day

As dementia progresses, a few hours of help often stops being enough. Many Solana Beach families start with a 4-hour visit a few days a week and later move to longer coverage. We schedule:

• Full-day shifts of 8 to 12 hours, so the same caregiver carries the routine through meals, personal care and activities

• Overnight shifts, so someone is awake and present if your loved one gets up, becomes confused or needs help to the bathroom

• 24-hour care, with caregivers scheduled around the clock so someone is always in the home

Heritage provides 24-hour care through scheduled shifts. Learn more about our 24-hour and overnight care.

Daily routines for someone living with dementia

Predictable days lower anxiety and confusion. Our caregivers help with:

• Personal care: bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting and moving safely around the house

• Meals and hydration: preparing meals your loved one recognizes and enjoys, and encouraging them to eat and drink

• Medication reminders: prompts at the right times (non-medical; our caregivers do not administer medication)

• Engagement: music, photo albums, simple chores, gardening, puzzles, walks and conversation matched to their abilities

• Light housekeeping and laundry, so the home stays calm and uncluttered

• Transportation and errands, including rides to appointments and familiar places

Each care plan is built around your loved one's history, habits and what comforts them, and we match caregivers to their personality. Read more about our Alzheimer's and dementia care.

Wandering and sundowning support

Two of the hardest parts of dementia for families are wandering and sundowning, the restlessness and confusion that often build in the late afternoon and evening.

• Wandering: near the bluffs, the beach stairs or busy Highway 101, wandering can be especially worrying. Our caregivers provide steady supervision, notice when your loved one is restless or looking for the door, and redirect gently with a walk together, a snack or a familiar task. During the assessment we can talk through simple home steps families often choose, such as door chimes, gate latches, stair gates or better outdoor lighting.

• Sundowning: our caregivers keep evenings calm and predictable, with soft lighting, less noise, a familiar evening routine and reassurance rather than argument. Overnight and 24-hour shifts mean someone is there through the hours when it is most needed.

Home care or a memory care facility?

Many Solana Beach families look at memory care communities first. A facility is the right choice for some people. Others do better at home, with their own bed, their own routines and one-on-one attention from a caregiver who knows them. At the assessment we'll talk honestly about what home care can and can't do for your loved one.

Coming home after a hospital stay

Many families first call us when a parent is about to come home from a hospital stay, often at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas or another area hospital. The hospital team and your loved one's doctors handle the medical side. Our caregivers handle the everyday side: getting settled at home, meals, bathing and dressing, reminders and company through the day and night.

Solana Beach resources for families

You don't have to figure this out alone. A few places Solana Beach families use:

• Mature Adult Center at Solana Beach Presbyterian Church on Stevens Avenue, with weekly programs, a Wednesday lunch, chair yoga and a Memory Cafe for older adults

• Solana Beach Community Connections, a volunteer nonprofit that helps Solana Beach seniors age in place, with games days and a speaker series at La Colonia Community Center

• City of Solana Beach Senior Services, which lists local programs, including a senior transportation program with Jewish Family Service of San Diego

• Alzheimer's San Diego, a nonprofit that offers free support groups for family caregivers, including virtual groups you can join from home

A support group or senior program and a caregiver at home work well together: one helps you, the other helps your loved one.

Respite for family caregivers in Solana Beach

Many spouses and adult children are doing this mostly on their own. Respite care gives you scheduled time away, a few hours, a full day or a few nights, while one of our caregivers keeps your loved one's routine going at home. Solana Beach families use senior respite care to work, rest, travel, go to a support group or sleep through the night. Respite visits follow the same 4-hour minimum, and you can schedule them once or on a regular basis.

Veterans and their families

Many Solana Beach families include a veteran or a surviving spouse. Heritage Senior Care is contracted with the VA for Homemaker and respite care. The VA decides eligibility and costs. Learn more about in-home care for veterans.

Long-term care insurance

If your parent has a long-term care insurance policy, it may help cover in-home care. Policies vary, so we offer a long-term care insurance policy review and go over the policy with you before care begins.

Simple, flexible terms

• 4-hour visit minimum: enough time for real help, not a rushed drop-in

• No long-term contracts: adjust, add hours or pause care as needs change

• Free in-home assessment: we meet you and your loved one at home before care begins

One family-owned office, caregivers across North County

Gayle Mayben started Heritage Senior Care in 1983, alongside her daughter Roni, and Heritage Senior Care, Inc. is still family-owned. We are a licensed California Home Care Organization (HCO #374700058). All scheduling runs from one office at 2111 Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad. Our caregivers are Heritage employees who live and work across North County San Diego.

Each of our caregivers completes a lifetime background check with Live Scan fingerprinting through the FBI and the California Department of Justice before caring for clients.

Our care is non-medical. We do not provide nursing, therapy or medical treatment. If your loved one has a home health or hospice team, our caregivers can work alongside them. For general senior home care in the area, see our Solana Beach home care page.

Questions to ask before you hire dementia care in Solana Beach

Do you provide in-home dementia care in Solana Beach?

Yes. Heritage Senior Care provides non-medical in-home care for people living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia across Solana Beach, including Eden Gardens, Lomas Santa Fe and the coastal neighborhoods along Highway 101. Care is scheduled from our office in Carlsbad, and our caregivers come to your home.

Are your caregivers your own employees?

Yes. Our caregivers are W-2 employees of Heritage Senior Care, Inc. We hire, train, schedule and supervise them ourselves.

How do you screen your caregivers?

Each of our caregivers completes a lifetime background check with Live Scan fingerprinting through the FBI and the California Department of Justice before caring for clients. Heritage Senior Care is a licensed California Home Care Organization (HCO #374700058).

Can someone with dementia get 24-hour care at home instead of moving to memory care?

Often, yes. We schedule full-day shifts of 8 to 12 hours, overnight shifts and 24-hour care, with caregivers scheduled around the clock so someone is always in the home. Whether home is right depends on your loved one's needs.

Do you offer respite care for family caregivers in Solana Beach?

Yes. Our caregivers can step in for a few hours, a full day or a few nights so you can rest, work or travel while your loved one's routine continues at home. Respite visits have the same 4-hour minimum.

Do your caregivers give medications or provide nursing care?

No. Our caregivers give medication reminders. They do not administer medication or provide medical or nursing care. They can work alongside a home health or hospice team.

What is the minimum visit, and is there a contract?

Visits are a minimum of 4 hours, and there are no long-term contracts. You can add hours, reduce them or pause care as needs change.

Will long-term care insurance help pay for dementia care at home?

It may. Coverage depends on the policy. We can review your parent's long-term care insurance policy with you before care begins.

What happens at the free assessment?

We meet you and your loved one at home, walk through the house, and talk about daily routines, safety concerns and the hours of help you need. Then we put together a care plan. Call (760) 720-7740, available 24/7, or request a free assessment. You can also send us a note.

Dementia care for your Solana Beach family from a family that's been doing this since 1983. Free assessment · (760) 720-7740 (24/7) · Office Mon–Fri 9 am–4 pm · 2111 Palomar Airport Rd Ste 120, Carlsbad, CA 92011