Dignity-First Eldercare for LA Seniors

Health care access

South LA Central LA City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Los Angeles’ aging population is growing rapidly, yet thousands of low-income seniors and disabled individuals are unable to access essential home care, transportation, and nutritional support. Many have worked their entire lives but lack long-term care insurance or family assistance, leaving them vulnerable to neglect, malnutrition, and isolation. Without financial or familial support, many suffer in silence, unable to advocate for themselves or navigate complex care systems. This crisis is especially acute in historically underserved areas like South Central LA. Without intervention, seniors face worsening health outcomes, unnecessary hospitalizations, and loss of independence.

UltraCare Charitable Foundation will expand its Community Eldercare Support Initiative (CESI), a four-part program that removes economic barriers to quality in-home care for low-income seniors and disabled individuals in Los Angeles County. CESI provides culturally responsive, dignity-first care by prioritizing historically excluded communities, particularly Black and Latino elders in South Central LA and unincorporated areas.

The initiative includes in-home non-medical support services such as bathing, hygiene, companionship, and light housekeeping; a culturally sensitive meal delivery program and grocery assistance; reliable transportation to medical appointments, food programs, and community events; and caregiver scholarships and workforce development for local residents. Together, these services allow vulnerable elders to age in place safely, improve their health outcomes, and reduce the risk of isolation or hospitalization.

By combining direct services with workforce investment, UltraCare strengthens both individual well-being and the broader eldercare ecosystem across underserved areas of Los Angeles.

If successful, UltraCare’s work will ensure that more low-income seniors in Los Angeles, particularly in historically excluded communities, are able to age with dignity, safety, and consistent support. Elders will no longer be forced to choose between food, rent, and care. Instead, they will receive the in-home services they need to remain independent and connected. The caregiver workforce will grow with trained professionals from the same neighborhoods they serve, creating local jobs and strengthening community trust. Over time, this model will reduce preventable hospitalizations, ease the burden on emergency systems, and serve as a replicable framework for culturally competent, community-based eldercare across the region.