Assisted Living in Carlsbad, CA

Assisted Living Costs in Carlsbad

Genworth’s 2018 Cost of Care study shows that at $4,500 per month, Carlsbad’s average monthly cost for assisted living is equal to the state average, which is $500 higher than the national average ($4,000). 

Prices in cities to the north, such as Santa Maria ($4,825), Los Angeles ($4,500) and Oxnard ($4,575), are comparable. Further inland, where real estate prices are lower, assisted living costs less in El Centro ($3,650), Riverside ($3,500) and Bakersfield ($3,150). 

Note: Senior care cost data wasn’t available for Carlsbad, so data for the closest city, San Diego, was used. 

The Cost of Assisted Living in Surrounding Areas

Care Cost Comparison

Monthly senior care costs in Carlsbad range from $1,733 for adult day health services up to $8,517 for semiprivate nursing home care. The significant price difference is due to the type of care offered with each service. Nursing home care involves around-the-clock medical care in a specialized, state-licensed residential facility, while day health services provide nonmedical supervision on weekdays only in a group setting. 

Assisted living costs between $267 and $299 less than 44 hours of weekly homemaker or home health aide services, and as with nursing home care, assisted living prices include accommodations, meals, home maintenance and most utilities. 

Senior Care Cost Comparison Chart

Financial Assistance for Assisted Living in Carlsbad

Medicaid in California

One in four California residents are enrolled in Medicaid, the nationwide health protection plan for those who can’t afford medical care, including children, adults with disabilities and the elderly. It includes coverage for primary, emergency and long-term care services. 

Medicaid is jointly funded by federal and state governments and administered at the state level. In California, the program is known as Medi-Cal. To qualify for free Medi-Cal coverage, seniors either need to be Supplemental Security Income recipients or meet the following financial criteria: 

• Have a monthly income of $1,242 per month or less when applying as a single, or 
• Have a combined monthly income of $1,682 or less when applying with a spouse, and
• Own no more than $2,000 in countable assets as a single, or
• Own no more than $3,000 in countable assets as a couple

Some assets are exempt, including one vehicle, clothing, household furnishings, a non-revocable burial trust and a home in which either the applicant and/or their spouse lives. 

If only one spouse in a married couple is seeking Medi-Cal coverage, the non-applicant spouse is entitled to a minimum monthly maintenance needs allowance of up to $3,161, which can be transferred from the applicant spouse without penalty. The non-applicant can also keep up to $126,420 of the couples’ countable assets under the community spouse resource allowance clause. 

For more information and assistance with Medi-Cal enrollment, contact the Access Call Center at (866) 262-9881. 

Assisted Living Waiver

The Assisted Living Waiver is a Medicaid home and community waiver that funds support services for seniors who meet the Medicaid criteria for nursing home placement. 

To qualify for the ALW, seniors must be 65 or older, have Medi-Cal coverage with no share-of-cost and wish to reside in an assisted living facility. Under the program, participants pay the room-and-board portion of their monthly costs, and Medi-Cal funds services participants need to remain safely in assisted living, which may include: 

• Skilled and intermittent nursing
• Medical supplies and equipment
• Personal care
• Housekeeping
• Recreational programming
• Help self-administering medication
• Transportation
• Case management

The ALW also provides transition support for seniors who are moving from a nursing facility to an assisted living setting. 

Participants are placed in an assisted living facility operated by a participating ALW provider. Seniors who meet program criteria may be placed on a waiting list as there are statewide ALW enrollment limits. 

For more information and to request an ALW assessment, contact GrandCare, the ALW Care Coordinator Agency for San Diego County, at (866) 554-2447.

Other Financial Assistance Programs for Assisted Living

VA Aid and Attendance Benefits and Housebound Allowance

VA pension recipients who have a chronic illness or permanent disability that impacts their ability to perform self-care and/or limits their mobility may qualify for increased pension payments under either the VA Aid and Attendance Benefit or the Housebound Allowance.

Maximum annual pensions rates under Aid and Attendance are: 

• $22,577 for a veteran without dependents
• $26,766 for a veteran with one dependent
• $14,509 for a survivor without dependents
• $17,309 for a survivor with one dependent

To qualify for Aid and Attendance, applicants must: 

• Be a resident in a nursing facility, or
• Have eyesight tested at 5/200, or
• Be bedridden due to a chronic illness, or
• Have a visual field of 5 or fewer degrees, or
• Need help to perform activities of daily living 

Maximum annual pension rates under Housebound are: 

• $16,540 for a veteran without dependents
• $20,731 for a veteran with one dependent
• $11,095 for a survivor without dependents
• $13,893 for a survivor with one dependent

To qualify for Housebound, applicants must have a permanent disability that prevents them from leaving their home most of the time. 

Note: Benefits from these two programs cannot be combined, and veterans who already receive VA disability benefits are ineligible for Aid and Attendance and Housebound. 

For application assistance, contact the San Diego County Office of Military and Veterans Affairs at (858) 694-3222. Veterans and survivors who are unable to travel to a VA office location can request outreach services. 

Assisted Living Resources in Carlsbad

Senior Center

Seniors aged 50 and older can participate in a wide variety of fitness classes, activity groups and social clubs at the Carlsbad Senior Center. Operated by the City of Carlsbad, the center offers a low-cost lunch on weekdays for seniors aged 60 and older. 

There are regular, free educational workshops for seniors that focus on financial, health and wellness issues. Seniors can register in free tech classes to learn how to use a smartphone, tablet or laptop, and transportation to the center is available for a $2 donation. 

Carlsbad Senior Center
799 Pine Ave., Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 602-4650

Community Aid Agencies

San Diego County’s Aging and Independence Services provides seniors with referrals to local resources, including free legal assistance, senior dining centers and home-delivered meals and the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program. 

For information on AIS services and programs, call (800) 510-2020. 

Veteran’s Services 

Assistance with VA benefit applications, appeals and service records is available at the Military and Veterans Affairs Resource Center in nearby Oceanside. The center also offers outreach services for vets and survivors who have difficulty traveling due to a disability. 

Outpatient VA health services, including primary care, physical therapy and diabetes care, are available at the Oceanside VA Clinic, which is affiliated with the VA San Diego Healthcare System. 

San Diego County Military and Veterans Affairs Resource Center
1701 Mission Ave., Suite 110, Oceanside, CA 92058
(442) 262-2701

Oceanside VA Clinic
1300 Rancho del Oro Dr., Oceanside, CA 92056-1729
(760) 643-2000