Nursing Homes and Senior Care in California

Nursing Homes by City in California

The California cities with the most CMS-certified nursing homes. All 345 cities are listed below the table. Homes in California average 4.5 hours of nursing care per resident per day; the national median is 3.7 hours.

5-Star Nursing Homes in California

Homes with CMS's top overall rating, ordered by inspection rating. See all highest-rated nursing homes in California.

Assisted Living in California

California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division (Adult and Senior Care Program) licenses assisted living in California. License types: Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) and RCFE-Continuing Care Retirement Community. Use the state's search to check a community's license and inspection history.

• California assisted living facility search
• California assisted living rules
• California assisted living licensing (California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division (Adult and Senior Care Program))

Memory Care Rules in California

California's term is "Dementia Special Care, Programming, and Environments"; it isn't a separate license, but rules apply to facilities that offer dementia care. Facilities must give families a written disclosure of their dementia care services.

• Staff who assist residents with personal activities of daily living receive 40 hours of training: 20 hours, including six hours specific to dementia care, before working independently with residents, and the remaining 20 hours, including six hours specific to dementia care, within the first four weeks of employment (Health and Safety Code 1569.625).
• An additional 20 hours of training annually, eight hours of which shall be dementia care training (Health and Safety Code 1569.625).
• Training covers dementia care, including the use and misuse of antipsychotics and the adverse effects of psychotropic drugs used to control the behavior of persons with dementia, and nonpharmacologic, person-centered approaches to dementia care (Health and Safety Code 1569.625).
• Any RCFE that advertises or promotes special care, special programming, or a special environment for persons with dementia shall disclose the special features of the facility to the department in its plan of operation, and provide this information to the public upon request (Health and Safety Code 1569.627).
• The disclosure includes a brief narrative of the facility's philosophy, preadmission assessment, admission, assessment, program, staff, staff training, physical environment, changes in condition, and success indicators (Health and Safety Code 1569.627).
• The licensee must ensure the facility has an auditory device or other staff alert feature to monitor exits on exterior doors and perimeter fence gates accessible to residents who may be at risk for elopement; location tracking devices may be used with prior written approval of the resident or conservator (Section 87705, per CDSS guide).
• Delayed egress devices do not substitute for staff needed to escort residents who need supervision to leave the facility (CDSS guide to the 2025 dementia care regulations).
• Each elopement is reported to the resident's representative immediately and to the licensing agency no later than the next working day (Section 87705, per CDSS guide).
• Licensees that lock exterior doors or perimeter fence gates must ensure staff on all shifts have access to and know how to use the equipment needed to unlock them, and must keep a court order showing a conservator's authority or a signed statement from a non-conserved resident consenting to the locked doors or gates (Section 87706, per CDSS guide).

• California memory care rules

Medicaid Long-Term Care in California

California's Medicaid program is Medi-Cal. For nursing home Medicaid (2026), the state lists an asset limit of $130,000 for one person, add $65,000 for every extra person in your house (up to 10 people), through June 30, 2027. Starting July 1, 2027: $21,000 for one person, $31,000 for two people, add $1,550 for every extra person (up to 10 people)..

• Assisted Living Waiver (ALW): assisted living. Age 21 or older, full-scope Medi-Cal with zero share of cost, nursing facility level of care. Available in 15 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma. The number of available slots is limited and there is a waitlist. Participants pay their own room and board.
• Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) Waiver: in-home care. Provides care management by a nurse and social worker team to persons at risk of nursing home or institutional placement, living in a community-based residence (privately owned, leased, or a family member's home). DHCS publishes current enrollment and waitlist information on an enrollment dashboard.
• Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP): adult day, respite and in-home care. Persons 60 years of age or older who are eligible for Medi-Cal under a qualifying primary Medi-Cal aid code and who are certified or certifiable for placement in a skilled nursing facility. Services include care management, adult day care, supplemental in-home chore, personal care and protective supervision, and respite services.
• Community-Based Adult Services (CBAS): adult day. A community-based day health program for Medi-Cal beneficiaries at risk of needing institutional care who can live at home with health, rehabilitative, personal care, and social services.

• Medi-Cal nursing facility coverage
• California Medicaid long-term care limits

Nursing Home Inspections and Complaints in California

California Department of Public Health, Center for Health Care Quality, Licensing and Certification Program inspects nursing homes in California for CMS.

• California nursing home inspection lookup
• File a nursing home complaint in California

California Long-Term Care Ombudsman

The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is a free, confidential advocate for residents of nursing homes and assisted living. Ombudsmen help with complaints, residents' rights and problems with care. Call 1-800-231-4024.

• Contact the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

Aging Services and Caregiver Support in California

California Department of Aging runs California's aging services, delivered through local Area Agencies on Aging. Family caregivers can get help through Family Caregiver Services. Adult day services are licensed or certified by California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division (Adult Day Programs, Title 22, Division 6, Chapter 3).

• California aging services: California Department of Aging
• Area Agencies on Aging in California
• Caregiver support in California: Family Caregiver Services
• California adult day services

Guides for Your Next Step

See how to choose a nursing home, what memory care is, how Medicaid pays for nursing home care and what Medicare covers. For local help, call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116.

Frequently Asked Questions