Home Care in Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix covers about 518 square miles and has around 1.67 million residents, according to the Census. Only 12.2% are 65 or older, a smaller share than nearby Scottsdale. In a city this size, though, that's roughly 200,000 people. Phoenix has come a long way from its start. Governor John C. Fremont signed the Phoenix Charter Bill on Feb. 25, 1881, and about 2,500 people lived here for the first city election.

In a city this spread out, Meridian Home Care comes out on a schedule we set ahead with your family. We also serve Tempe and Scottsdale next door, Glendale to the west and Cave Creek to the north. You'll find each kind of help on our home care services page and every town on our service areas page.

The city's Human Services Department runs 15 senior centers. They stretch from Deer Valley, Paradise Valley and Sunnyslope in the north to South Mountain and Pecos in the south. The Chinese Senior Center on West Elm Street is one of them. Centers are open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and close on city holidays. Membership is $20 a year for Phoenix residents, and there's a weekday lunch when you reserve three days ahead.

One rule is worth knowing. Members need to be 18 or older and independent with self-care, and the city allows a personal care attendant to come along. If the person you care for needs a hand in the restroom or someone to steady their walker, a caregiver can go along with them. Ask their center how it handles attendants first. That hands-on help is our personal care, and the ride and company fall under companion care.

Phoenix has two ride programs older residents can use. Paid center members who are 60 or older, or who have a disability, can ride to their nearest senior center. The trip has to stay inside city limits, and it's $1 a ride or $2 round trip. Phoenix Dial-a-Ride serves riders approved for ADA service through Valley Metro. The fare is $4 each way in exact change. It runs Monday to Saturday from 4:40 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sundays and holidays from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Either ride ends at the door. A caregiver can walk your family member inside, wait with them at the doctor's office, pick up the prescription and get them settled at home again. The city ride can cover senior center days, and a caregiver can cover appointments and errands.

Homebound Phoenix residents who are 60 or older, and adults with disabilities, can get home-delivered meals. Enrollment goes through the Senior Helpline at the Area Agency on Aging. At the senior centers, the weekday lunch carries no charge for adults 60 and older.

The city also runs a Housing Repair Program for owner-occupied homes inside city limits. It covers vital systems like plumbing, electrical and structural repairs, for households that meet HUD income limits. A household assessment comes first.

One delivered meal still leaves the rest of the day, and a repair only fixes the house itself. Someone has to handle breakfast and supper, the laundry, a clean kitchen and fresh sheets. That's what our home help for seniors covers.

The centers close at 5 on weekdays and stay closed on weekends. That leaves evenings, nights, Saturdays and Sundays at home, and those can be the hardest hours.

Late afternoon can bring restlessness for someone living with dementia. Dementia home care plans for it with lamps on early, quiet music and a familiar snack. If they're awake at night, an overnight caregiver can stay up while the rest of the house sleeps. Our 24-hour home care page explains how that works. If you're the one doing most of the caring, respite care gives you a weekend afternoon back.