Local Resources 
On this page you will find links to local organizations and agencies that help older adults and family caregivers in Santa Clara County (or the Bay Area region in general). Also check out the Local Resources page of our Later Life Guide for links to county-wide resources for assistance and information on specific health needs.
Legal Assistance:
Medicare & Medicaid:
Senior housing options:
Emergency Contacts
To get vital information quickly to EMTs and other emergency personnel, write down essential details - and then put it someplace easily seen in a crisis, like taped to the back of the front door or bedroom door.
What details are essential? An excellent example is the Santa Clara County Fire Department's L.I.F.E. form. Download and print a copy of the L.I.F.E. form, or pick up a printed copy (that a can go on a refrigerator or a metal file cabinet) from the Santa Clara County Fire Department (see link for details).
If there is a list or form posted in the home, be sure to note its location under emergency information in their cell phone. See the box for Don't Forget the Phone! under Planning Care and Organizational Tools for instructions how to do this.
Find Support Groups
Local support groups for family caregivers:
If the person you care for is seriously ill, also look for national organizations that advocate for people with that condition. Often the support groups connected to advocacy groups have expert advice and news about current clinical trials or research to share.
Local Support for People with Mobility Issues
Here are some local organizations that offer support groups and other resources for people with mobility disorders and their family caregivers:
Local support agencies serving the blind or those with low vision:
Find Free or Low-Cost Medical Equipment
These Bay Area organizations have loan closets or other programs that distribute new or used equipment in good working order:
For deaf or hearing-impaired people, these organizations help with lower-cost hearing aids and hearing assessment, accessible telephone communication devices, and more:
For how to recycle, donate, or properly dispose of used medical equipment, see:
The text on this page is copyright Lise M. Dyckman and PlaneTree Health Library, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Linked contents are the responsibility of their creators or copyright holders.