As a REALTOR® in Silicon Valley who works mostly with older homeowners and their families, I end up recommending the same handful of agencies and nonprofits over and over again. A daughter in Seattle calls because her dad shouldn’t be driving anymore, or a widow in Willow Glen needs help with a Medicare decision before she can even think about the house. This guide pulls together the government programs, local nonprofits, national organizations and community groups that I’ve seen make a real difference for seniors in Santa Clara County, along with what each one actually does and how to reach them.
Santa Clara County’s Social Services Agency keeps a very thorough Resources for Older Adults page, and it’s worth bookmarking. The trouble is that there’s so much on it that families get lost, so here I’ve narrowed it to the resources people use most, with plain-English explanations. I re-checked every website and phone number on this page in October 2026, and removed a few organizations that have closed or changed hands since this article was first written.
Key Takeaways
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Summary: The most useful senior resources in Silicon Valley are Sourcewise (the county’s Area Agency on Aging), Santa Clara County’s Department of Aging and Adult Services, Adult Protective Services, In-Home Supportive Services, the Senior Nutrition Program, SALA for free legal help, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, HICAP for Medicare counseling, and VTA ACCESS for transportation. This guide lists each with a verified website and phone number, plus national and community organizations that serve older adults and their families.
This guide is broken down into the following sections:
- Section 1: Government Agencies
- Section 2: Local Nonprofit Organizations
- Section 3: National and Statewide Organizations
- Section 4: Community-Based Organizations
- Section 5: Transportation, Medicare Counseling and Property Tax Help
- Frequently Asked Questions
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Section 1: Government Agencies Serving Seniors in Silicon Valley
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Most of the county’s public programs for older adults run through the Social Services Agency’s Department of Aging and Adult Services, which handles everything from in-home caregivers to elder abuse investigations. City recreation departments in San Jose, Palo Alto and other cities add senior centers, classes and meal sites on top of that. If you only remember one county number, make it the DAAS main line below, because they’ll route you to the right program.
1. Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS)
Website: ssa.santaclaracounty.gov/departments/department-aging-and-adult-services
Phone: (408) 755-7600
The Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) in Santa Clara County runs the programs that support the independence, safety and well-being of older adults and adults with disabilities. That includes Adult Protective Services, In-Home Supportive Services, the Senior Nutrition Program and the Public Guardian’s office, all described below. Their goal is to help residents age with dignity and stay safely in their own communities for as long as possible.
2. Adult Protective Services (APS)
Website: ssa.santaclaracounty.gov/departments/department-aging-and-adult-services/adult-protective-services
Phone (24/7 reporting line): (408) 975-4900 or (800) 414-2002
Adult Protective Services investigates reports of abuse, neglect, self-neglect and financial exploitation of adults 60 and older, as well as dependent adults ages 18 to 59. Anyone can make a report, and you don’t need proof, just a reasonable concern. Financial abuse is something I run into in real estate more than people would guess, often in the form of a “helpful” new friend or relative pushing an older owner to sign over or sell a house. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 first. I’ve also written about how SALA helps combat elder abuse in Santa Clara County.
3. In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS)
Website: ssa.santaclaracounty.gov/supportive-services/in-home-supportive-services
Phone: (408) 792-1600 or (408) 792-1601
The In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program helps eligible older, blind and disabled residents who are on Medi-Cal stay safely in their own homes instead of moving into institutional care. IHSS pays for a caregiver to help with daily tasks like bathing, dressing, cooking, cleaning and getting to appointments, and in many cases that caregiver can be a family member. For families who don’t qualify or need more hours, I put together a guide to finding great in-home caregivers in Silicon Valley.
4. Senior Nutrition Program (SNP)
Website: ssa.santaclaracounty.gov/food-assistance/meals-older-adults
Phone: (408) 755-7680
If you’re 60 or older and live in Santa Clara County, you’re eligible for healthy, dietitian-approved meals at more than 35 community dining sites across the county, and the lunch is as much about company as it is about food. The county’s Mobility Management Program (same phone number) can arrange free rides to dining sites for people who don’t drive. Seniors who are homebound can get meals delivered through Sourcewise Meals on Wheels, listed in Section 2.
5. Public Administrator, Guardian and Conservator
Website: ssa.santaclaracounty.gov/protective-services/public-administrator-guardian-conservator
Phone: (408) 755-7610
When an older adult can no longer manage their own care or finances and there’s no family member or trusted person able to step in, the county’s Public Guardian can be appointed by the court as conservator. The same office also handles estates when someone dies without a will or an heir willing to serve. Most families would rather keep these decisions in the family, and I’ve written about how to pursue a conservatorship through the courts and what’s involved in selling a house under a conservatorship.
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Section 2: Local Nonprofit Organizations Supporting Senior Citizens in Silicon Valley
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A lot of the hands-on help older adults receive here comes from nonprofits rather than the county itself. Some of them, like Sourcewise and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, are funded through federal and state aging programs, while others run largely on volunteers and donations. Together they cover Medicare counseling, meals, legal help, advocacy in care facilities and support for people living with disabilities.
1. Sourcewise (Santa Clara County’s Area Agency on Aging)
Website: mysourcewise.com
Phone: (408) 350-3200, option 1
Sourcewise is the nonprofit designated as the official Area Agency on Aging for Santa Clara County, which makes it the hub for most federally funded senior services here. Their Information and Assistance line connects older adults, caregivers and people with disabilities to help with health insurance counseling, care management, meals, transportation and caregiver support. If you’re calling from anywhere in California, the statewide number (800) 510-2020 will route you to your local Area Agency on Aging, which in Santa Clara County is Sourcewise. South County residents can also reach the Gilroy office at (408) 762-7362.
2. Sourcewise Meals on Wheels
Website: mysourcewise.com/programs-services/meals-on-wheels
Phone: (408) 350-3200, option 1
Sourcewise Meals on Wheels delivers nutritious meals to older adults in Santa Clara County who are homebound and can’t easily shop or cook for themselves, regardless of income. The delivery itself doubles as a friendly wellness check, and for a lot of my clients’ parents it’s the most reliable visitor they have all week. It’s one of the simplest ways to help someone stay safely in their own home.
3. Senior Adults Legal Assistance (SALA)
Website: sala.org
Phone: (408) 295-5991
Senior Adults Legal Assistance (SALA) provides free civil legal services to Santa Clara County residents who are 60 and older, with no income test. SALA focuses on the legal problems that threaten seniors’ independence and dignity, including housing, public benefits, elder abuse, incapacity planning and access to health care. For families worried that a parent is being taken advantage of, SALA is often the first call I suggest after Adult Protective Services.
4. Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (Catholic Charities)
Website: ccscc.org/seniors-ombudsman
Phone: (408) 944-0567 | State CRISIS line (24/7): (800) 231-4024
The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County advocates for the rights and well-being of residents of nursing homes and licensed assisted living communities. Trained ombudsmen visit facilities regularly, investigate complaints and help resolve problems with care, billing, evictions and residents’ rights, and their help is free and confidential. If you’re moving a parent into assisted living, it’s worth knowing this number before you need it.
5. Avenidas
Website: avenidas.org
Phone: (650) 289-5400
Avenidas is a long-established nonprofit senior center based in Palo Alto that serves older adults across the north end of Santa Clara County and the Peninsula. They offer classes, fitness, care management, caregiver support, an adult day health program and the Avenidas Door to Door ride program at (650) 289-5411. For families in Palo Alto, Mountain View and Los Altos, Avenidas is often the best first stop.
6. Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC)
Website: svilc.org
Phone: (408) 894-9041 (San Jose) or (408) 843-9100 (Gilroy)
SVILC is run by and for people with disabilities, and it serves people of all ages, which makes it a good fit for older adults whose mobility, vision or hearing is changing. They help with accessible housing searches, assistive technology, benefits advocacy and transitions out of nursing facilities back into the community. If you’re weighing home modifications versus a move, my article on aging in place in Silicon Valley walks through the tradeoffs.
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Section 3: National and Statewide Organizations Supporting Senior Citizens in Silicon Valley
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National and statewide organizations fill in the gaps that local agencies can’t cover, especially for families who live far away from the parent they’re helping. They offer research-backed information on health, finances and caregiving, benefit-screening tools, helplines that answer around the clock, and programs you can join by phone or online without ever leaving the house.
1. Eldercare Locator (U.S. Administration on Aging)
Website: eldercare.acl.gov
Phone: 1-800-677-1116
The Eldercare Locator is a free public service of the U.S. Administration for Community Living that connects older adults and their families with local services anywhere in the country, including housing, transportation, in-home help, legal assistance and caregiver support. It’s the tool I suggest most often to adult children who live out of state and don’t know where to start.
2. National Council on Aging (NCOA)
Website: ncoa.org
Phone: (571) 527-3900
The NCOA is a national nonprofit that advocates for older adults and helps them age well, with a particular focus on economic security and health. Their free BenefitsCheckUp tool screens older adults for thousands of public and private benefit programs, including help paying for Medicare, food and utilities, and many families are surprised by how much they’ve been missing.
3. Alzheimer’s Association
Website: alz.org/norcal
Phone: 1-800-272-3900 (24/7 Helpline) | San Jose office: (408) 372-9900
The Alzheimer’s Association supports people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, along with the family members caring for them. Their Northern California chapter runs caregiver support groups, education programs and care consultations locally, and the 24/7 helpline is staffed by specialists who can talk through a hard situation at 2 a.m. If memory care is on the horizon, my guide to independent living vs. assisted living vs. memory care covers costs and quality in our area.
4. Well Connected (formerly Senior Center Without Walls)
Website: frontporch.net/connect/well-connected
Phone: (877) 797-7299
Well Connected, the program long known as Senior Center Without Walls, is run by the nonprofit Front Porch and offers free classes, support groups, conversation and activities for Californians 60 and older entirely by phone or online. It’s built for people who can’t easily get to a senior center because of mobility, transportation or caregiving responsibilities, and it’s a wonderful answer to the isolation so many older adults feel.
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Section 4: Community-Based Organizations Supporting Senior Citizens in Silicon Valley
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Community-based organizations work at the neighborhood level, and many of them offer services in the languages and cultural context their clients are most comfortable with. They run adult day programs, volunteer drivers, wellness classes and social activities, and because they’re rooted in the communities they serve, they often notice when someone is starting to struggle before anyone else does.
1. Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley (JFS)
Website: jfssv.org
Phone: (408) 556-0600 | Center for Aging: (408) 806-6231
JFS of Silicon Valley serves older adults of every faith and background through its Rick and Doris Davis Center for Aging, with care management, counseling, support groups and help for family caregivers. Families on the Peninsula and in Palo Alto may also want to look at Jewish Family and Children’s Services (jfcs.org), whose Seniors At Home program offers in-home care and care management.
2. Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) Senior Wellness
Website: aaci.org/wellness/senior
Phone: (408) 975-2730
AACI is a San Jose-based community health organization, and its Senior Wellness Program supports older adults, especially those from immigrant and refugee communities, in staying independent and healthy. The program offers culturally responsive health education, exercise, social activities and nutrition services in multiple languages, so seniors can stay connected without a language barrier getting in the way.
3. Heart of the Valley, Services for Seniors
Website: servicesforseniors.org
Phone: (408) 241-1571 (weekdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
Heart of the Valley is an all-volunteer nonprofit that helps adults 62 and older stay independent with escorted rides to appointments and errands, minor home repairs and friendly visits. They serve Santa Clara, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Los Gatos, Campbell and parts of West San Jose, and the volunteers are some of the kindest people you’ll ever meet.
4. Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County: Older Adult Services
Website: ccscc.org/assisting-older-adults
Phone: (408) 468-0100
Beyond the Ombudsman Program, Catholic Charities supports older adults through programs at the Eastside Neighborhood Center and the John XXIII Multi-Service Center in downtown San Jose. These centers offer classes, wellness activities, case management and a Senior Nutrition Program that serves hot meals to adults 60 and over, all with an eye toward keeping people socially connected.
5. Live Oak Adult Day Services
Website: liveoakadultdaycare.org
Phone: (408) 971-9363 (Willow Glen and main office) | Cupertino (408) 973-0905 | Los Gatos (408) 354-4782 | Gilroy (408) 847-5491
Live Oak Adult Day Services provides daytime care for older adults, including many living with Alzheimer’s or other memory loss, at four centers around the county. Participants get structured activities, socializing and supervision in a safe setting, and family caregivers get a few hours of breathing room to work or simply rest. For a lot of families, adult day care is what makes it possible to keep a parent at home a while longer.
6. City of San José: Programs for Older Adults 50+
Website: sanjoseca.gov (Programs for Older Adults 50+)
Email: [email protected]
San José’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services department runs recreational, educational, fitness and social programs for adults 50 and older at community centers across the city, along with senior nutrition meal sites. Most other cities in the county, including Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Saratoga, Los Gatos and Campbell, run their own senior centers too, so check your city’s recreation department for what’s closest to home.
7. Age-Friendly Silicon Valley
Website: agefriendlysiliconvalley.org
Age-Friendly Silicon Valley is a county-wide initiative working to make Santa Clara County’s cities more livable for older adults, coordinated with the county’s Department of Aging and Adult Services. It brings together local governments, organizations and residents to improve housing, transportation, outdoor spaces and services so that people can live, work and thrive at every age. It’s less a place to get services than a place to see where the county is headed.
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These are the practical questions that come up in almost every family meeting I sit in on: how Mom will get to the doctor once she stops driving, which Medicare plan makes sense, and whether the property tax bill can be eased. Each of these programs is free or low-cost, and most families have never heard of at least one of them.
1. VTA ACCESS Paratransit
Website: vta.org/programs/access
Phone: (408) 321-2380 | Eligibility: (408) 321-2381
VTA ACCESS provides shared, door-to-door rides for people whose disability, including age-related conditions, keeps them from using regular buses and light rail. Riders have to apply and be found eligible first, so it’s smart to start the process before it’s urgently needed. The San Jose nonprofit Outreach also runs senior transportation programs in the county and is worth a call if ACCESS isn’t a fit.
2. County Mobility Management and Senior Ride Programs
Phone: (408) 755-7680
The county’s Mobility Management Program arranges free rides to Senior Nutrition Program dining sites and can point you to other options, including Avenidas Door to Door in the north county, Heart of the Valley in the West Valley and Sourcewise’s transit program for South County at (408) 762-7362. Between these and VTA ACCESS, very few older adults in the county truly have no way to get around.
3. HICAP (Free Medicare Counseling)
Website: mysourcewise.com/programs-services/medicare-options
Phone: (408) 350-3200, option 1 | Statewide: 1-800-434-0222
California’s Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) offers free, unbiased one-on-one Medicare counseling from trained counselors who don’t sell insurance. In Santa Clara County it’s run by Sourcewise, and it’s especially useful during open enrollment each fall or when a move out of the area means changing plans.
4. California Property Tax Postponement Program
Website: sco.ca.gov (Property Tax Postponement)
Phone: (800) 952-5661
The State Controller’s Property Tax Postponement program lets homeowners who are 62 or older, blind or disabled defer property taxes on their primary residence, as long as they have at least 40% equity, meet the household income limit and don’t have a reverse mortgage. The postponed taxes plus interest become a lien that’s repaid when the home is sold or transferred. It can be a lifesaver for house-rich, cash-poor longtime owners, and it pairs well with understanding Prop 19 for seniors and the pros and cons of a reverse mortgage.
5. 211 Bay Area
Website: 211bayarea.org
Phone: Dial 211 (24/7) or text your ZIP code to 898211
211 is a free, confidential referral line that connects callers to local health and human services, from food and housing help to utility assistance and crisis support. It’s a good fallback whenever you aren’t sure which agency handles a particular problem.
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Conclusion
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There’s a whole universe of programs available to senior citizens in Silicon Valley, from county agencies and the Area Agency on Aging to volunteer drivers and adult day programs. The hard part isn’t whether help exists, it’s knowing where to start, especially when the family members trying to coordinate everything live in another city or another state. If you’re not sure, call Sourcewise first, and keep the Adult Protective Services and Ombudsman numbers handy just in case.
In my experience, the families who handle a parent’s later years best are the ones who line up these resources early, before a fall or a hospital stay forces every decision at once. If a move is part of the picture, my 90-day senior move plan and downsizing guide for Bay Area seniors are good next reads, and I’m always happy to talk through your family’s situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Who is the Area Agency on Aging for Santa Clara County?
Sourcewise is the nonprofit designated as the Area Agency on Aging for Santa Clara County. Its Information and Assistance line at (408) 350-3200, option 1, connects older adults and caregivers with Medicare counseling, meals, transportation, care management and caregiver support. From anywhere in California, (800) 510-2020 routes callers to their local Area Agency on Aging.
How do I report suspected elder abuse in Santa Clara County?
Call Adult Protective Services, which takes reports 24 hours a day at (408) 975-4900 or (800) 414-2002. APS covers abuse, neglect, self-neglect and financial exploitation of adults 60 and older and dependent adults 18 to 59. For problems in a nursing home or assisted living community, call the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at (408) 944-0567 or the state CRISIS line at (800) 231-4024. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Can seniors in Santa Clara County get free or low-cost meals?
Yes. Anyone 60 or older who lives in the county can eat at more than 35 Senior Nutrition Program dining sites, and the county can arrange free rides to those sites. Call (408) 755-7680. Seniors who are homebound can get home-delivered meals through Sourcewise Meals on Wheels at (408) 350-3200, option 1.
Where can seniors get free help choosing a Medicare plan?
HICAP, the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, offers free and unbiased Medicare counseling from trained counselors who do not sell insurance. In Santa Clara County it is run by Sourcewise at (408) 350-3200, option 1, and the statewide HICAP number is 1-800-434-0222.
What transportation options are there for seniors who no longer drive?
VTA ACCESS Paratransit provides door-to-door rides for people who cannot use regular transit because of a disability, at (408) 321-2380. The county Mobility Management Program at (408) 755-7680 arranges free rides to senior meal sites, Heart of the Valley offers volunteer escorted rides for adults 62 and older in the West Valley, and Avenidas Door to Door serves the Palo Alto area.
Is there free legal help for seniors in Santa Clara County?
Yes. Senior Adults Legal Assistance (SALA) provides free civil legal help to county residents 60 and older with no income test, covering housing, public benefits, elder abuse, incapacity planning and health care access. Call (408) 295-5991 or visit sala.org.
Can seniors in California postpone their property taxes?
Homeowners who are 62 or older, blind or disabled may qualify for the State Controller’s Property Tax Postponement program if they have at least 40% equity in their home, meet the household income limit and do not have a reverse mortgage. The postponed taxes plus interest are repaid when the home is sold or transferred. Call (800) 952-5661.
Where should I start if I live out of the area and need help for a parent in Silicon Valley?
Start with the national Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 or Sourcewise at (408) 350-3200, option 1, which can connect you to local services by phone. You can also dial 211 from your parent’s area for referrals to health and human services. Many families also bring in a local care manager and, when a move is on the table, a real estate agent who specializes in working with older adults.
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