Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about in-home senior care in San Diego County. If your question is not here, call us at 858-829-2901 (office) or 858-215-6603 (manager) — a real person answers.
Getting started
How do we get started?
Call 858-829-2901 (office) or 858-215-6603 (manager). We will ask a few questions about what is going on, then schedule a free in-home assessment. A care advisor visits, reviews daily routines, health needs, home safety and budget, and leaves you with a written care plan and a recommended caregiver match. There is no cost and no obligation.
How quickly can care start?
In most cases we can have a caregiver in the home within 24 hours of the assessment. Urgent situations — a hospital discharge, a fall, a caregiver who quit without notice — we handle faster when we can. Call and tell us the timeline you are working with.
Is there a minimum number of hours?
Schedules range from a few hours a week to round-the-clock live-in care. We will talk through what actually fits during the assessment rather than pushing you toward a package.
Cost and payment
How much does in-home care cost?
Cost depends on how many hours you need, the level of care involved, and whether you need overnight or live-in coverage. Rather than quote a number that may not apply to your situation, we give you a written quote at the end of the free assessment, with the rate and the schedule spelled out. Call 858-829-2901 (office) or 858-215-6603 (manager) to set that up.
Does Medicare pay for in-home care?
Generally, no. Medicare does not cover ongoing non-medical home care — help with bathing, meals, companionship, housekeeping and similar daily support. Medicare may cover short-term skilled home health care when a doctor orders it after a hospital stay, which is a different service.
Families commonly pay through long-term care insurance, VA benefits such as Aid and Attendance, or private funds. We are happy to talk through what we have seen work, but we are not benefits advisors — confirm coverage directly with your plan or the VA before counting on it.
What we do and do not do
What is the difference between home care and home health care?
Home care — what we provide — is non-medical support with daily life: bathing and dressing, meals, medication reminders, light housekeeping, errands, transportation, companionship, and supervision for safety. No doctor’s order is needed and you can start whenever you like.
Home health care is skilled clinical care — wound care, injections, physical therapy — delivered by licensed nurses or therapists under a physician’s order. Many families use both at once, and the two work well together.
Do caregivers administer medication?
No. Our caregivers provide medication reminders — prompting the right medication at the right time, tracking refills, setting up pill organizers, and reporting missed doses to the family. Administering medication requires a licensed clinician and falls outside non-medical home care.
What services are included?
- Personal care — bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, transfers
- Companion care and socialization
- Meal preparation and nutrition support
- Medication reminders
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Grocery shopping and errands
- Transportation to medical appointments
- Mobility support and fall prevention
- Dementia and Alzheimer’s care
- Post-hospital and post-surgery recovery care
- Respite care for family caregivers
- 24-hour and live-in care
Do you provide care for dementia or Alzheimer’s?
Yes. Our caregivers are trained in redirection, routine-building, and managing sundowning and agitation. The goal is to keep familiar surroundings and daily rhythms intact, because for most people with memory loss, staying in a known environment is what keeps them calm and oriented.
Do you offer overnight or live-in care?
Yes — both awake overnight caregivers and live-in care, seven days a week. This is common for fall risk, advanced dementia, or the first weeks after a hospital discharge.
Can you help just temporarily, so I can take a break?
Yes. Respite care is one of the most common reasons families call us — a few hours, a weekend, or several weeks while you rest, work or travel. We follow the routine you have already built and hand it back the way you left it.
Caregivers
Are your caregivers screened?
Every caregiver is background-checked, trained, bonded and insured, and supported by a dedicated care manager who reviews the care plan monthly. All Star Caregivers is a licensed home care organization.
How do you choose which caregiver we get?
We match on personality, language and lifestyle — not just who happens to be available. A quiet, private person and a chatty extrovert need different caregivers, and getting that wrong is the most common reason home care arrangements fall apart.
What if it is not a good fit?
Tell us and we will rematch. You are not stuck with a caregiver who is not right for your family, and saying so does not offend us — a bad match helps no one.
What happens if our caregiver is sick or on vacation?
We send backup coverage. You should never be left without care because of a scheduling problem on our end — that is our job to solve, not yours.
Service area
What areas do you serve?
We serve San Diego County, including San Diego, Poway, Escondido, Vista, San Marcos, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Santa Fe, Mira Mesa, Miramar, Del Sur and Hidden Meadows. If you are just outside these areas, call and ask — we can often still help.
Do you have an office we can visit?
We are a service-based provider — our caregivers come to you. Rather than have you drive to us, a care advisor comes to the home, which is where the assessment needs to happen anyway.
Still have a question?
Call 858-829-2901 (office) or 858-215-6603 (manager). We are available 24/7, and the first conversation is just a conversation — no pressure, no obligation.