Home Care in Tempe, AZ

Tempe has about 190,000 residents, and the Census counts only 11.1% of them as 65 or older. The university shapes the city. Households are small, and fewer than half of homes are lived in by their owners. By the numbers, it's a young place.

The city itself goes back a long way. The county board voted to incorporate Tempe in November 1894, and Hayden Butte, also called A-Mountain, rises about 300 feet above the river. A young city still has older residents, and many of them want to stay in the homes they know. In a place like this, an older resident who lives alone can go a while without much company their own age. That's one reason Tempe's senior centers matter, and one reason home care helps.

The city lists four main centers for adults 50 and older: the Dennis J. Cahill Senior Center, Escalante Community Center, North Tempe Multi-Generational Center and Pyle Adult Recreation Center. Cahill sits inside the Westside Multi-Generational Center on West 5th Street. It's open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with classes, workshops and a Friday lunch at 11:30. The senior center at North Tempe, near Scottsdale and McKellips Roads, closes at 1 p.m. on weekdays and stays closed on weekends.

Those hours leave long afternoons and whole weekends at home. A caregiver can help the person you care for get ready in the morning, drive them to Cahill for Friday lunch and bring them home. Then the caregiver can stay through the quiet stretch after 2:30. Rides, errands and company like that are part of our companion care.

Tempe Community Action Agency, known as TCAA, runs several programs for older residents. Its Meals on Wheels brings a hot meal and a daily well-being visit to homebound seniors and adults with disabilities. Deliveries run Monday to Friday, based on need, in Tempe ZIP codes 85280 through 85285 and 85287. TCAA also serves lunch for anyone 55 and older at Escalante (Tuesday to Friday) and North Tempe (Monday and Wednesday). You sign up at least a day ahead.

Its Neighbors Helping Neighbors program pairs Tempe seniors with volunteers. They help with groceries, prescription pickups, rides, pet care and friendly phone calls, so people can keep living in their own homes.

These are community programs, separate from us, and they're worth knowing about. Sometimes the need grows past what a volunteer or a delivered lunch can cover. Your family member may need help in the shower, supper at six and someone there while they get ready for bed. That kind of hands-on help is personal care. The cooking, laundry and tidying are on our home help for seniors page.

HonorHealth Tempe Medical Center sits on South Mill Avenue. It was formerly Tempe St. Luke's. The hospital lists a 24-hour emergency department, a primary stroke center and total joint surgery.

The first weeks after a new hip or knee are a lot. There are slow trips from the bed to the chair, a shower chair in the tub and a walker in every doorway. There are follow-up visits to get to and meals someone has to make. A caregiver handles that everyday side while the doctors and therapists handle the medical care. Our post-hospital care page explains those first weeks. After a stroke, or with a long-term illness, chronic condition support keeps the daily routine steady.

Tempe's summers are hard on older adults. The city's heat relief page reports that 18 Tempe residents died of heat-related causes in 2025. It also says about 60% of the county's heat deaths were people 50 and older. From May 1 to Sept. 30, the city lists cooling centers at Tempe Public Library on South Rural Road and Church of the Epiphany on South Price Road. Hydration stations are set up at Escalante, North Tempe, Westside and Kiwanis.

Inside the house, a caregiver watches the basics. The water glass stays full. The blinds come down against the afternoon sun. If the house feels warm even with the AC running, the caregiver lets the family know. For eligible low-income homeowners, the city's Cooling Repair/Replacement Program helps repair or replace failing heating and cooling systems. It keeps a waitlist, and the city notes that a spot on the list doesn't promise help, since funding is limited.

Meridian Home Care is in Tempe often, so regular visits are simple to plan, from a few mornings a week to every evening. We also come to homes in neighboring Mesa and Chandler, and out to Scottsdale. Our home care services page lays out each kind of help. Every town we serve is listed on our service areas page.