Free help in Orange County
The numbers worth having before you need them
None of these are us. They are free, they are independent, and two of them do some of what we do at no cost to anybody. We publish them because a family that can see we told them about the free options has a reason to believe the rest of this website.
If something is wrong right now
Call these first, not us
If you believe somebody is being harmed or neglected, these are the right calls and they are faster than anything we could do.
Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Orange County
1 (800) 300-6222Free, independent advocates for anyone living in a licensed care home or nursing facility. They make unannounced visits, investigate abuse and neglect complaints, and report serious violations to the state. They also give unbiased placement information and referrals at no charge.
State Ombudsman CRISISline
1 (800) 231-402424 hours
The 24-hour California line, for when something is wrong in a facility outside business hours.
Adult Protective Services, Orange County
1 (800) 451-5155For suspected abuse, neglect or financial exploitation of an older adult in a private home or an unlicensed board and care home. If the person is in a licensed facility, call the Ombudsman above instead.
Report a care facility to the state
1 (844) 538-8766The California Department of Social Services line for reporting elder abuse or neglect in a licensed facility.
Planning, benefits and advice
Free, unbiased, and nobody's sales channel
These services are funded to give advice without selling anything, which makes them worth more than most of what you will find searching.
Orange County Office on Aging
(714) 480-6450The county's Area Agency on Aging. Their Information and Assistance call centre is the correct first call for almost any need an older adult has in Orange County, and it covers programmes that have nothing to do with placement. Online at officeonaging.oc.gov.
HICAP, Orange County
(714) 560-0424Free, unbiased Medicare counselling, including appeals and understanding long-term care coverage. They state plainly that they do not sell, endorse or recommend any insurance product. The statewide line is 1 (800) 434-0222.
HICAP counselling in Anaheim
(714) 765-4510First Monday of the month, 9am to 12pm
In-person Medicare counselling at the Anaheim Downtown Community Center, 250 E. Center, Anaheim CA 92805.
Why a placement agency publishes this
The Ombudsman does part of our job, for free
The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program states on its own website that it provides unbiased placement information and referrals to long-term care facilities. That is a free, publicly funded alternative to hiring a placement agency, and it would be dishonest of us to leave it off a page like this.
What we add is time and access: we have been inside the buildings, we know who has a bed this week, and we will drive to a home with you on a Wednesday because a discharge is Friday. For some families that is worth a great deal. For others, one call to the Office on Aging is genuinely enough, and if that is your situation we would rather you knew it.
You can also check any home's licence and complaint history yourself at no cost. Here is how to do that in about two minutes.
Common questions
Who to call, answered
- Who do I call if I think something is wrong at my mother's care home?
- The Long-Term Care Ombudsman for Orange County, on 1 (800) 300-6222, or the 24-hour state CRISISline on 1 (800) 231-4024. They are free, independent of any facility, and independent of us. If she is in a private home or an unlicensed home, call Adult Protective Services on 1 (800) 451-5155 instead.
- Is there free help finding a care home in Orange County?
- Yes. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program provides unbiased placement information and referrals at no cost, and the Orange County Office on Aging runs an information and assistance call centre on (714) 480-6450. Both are genuine alternatives to using a placement agency, including this one.
- Where can I get independent Medicare advice in Anaheim?
- HICAP, which is California's State Health Insurance Assistance Program. In Orange County the line is (714) 560-0424, and they counsel in person at the Anaheim Downtown Community Center on the first Monday of each month. They do not sell insurance.
Every number on this page was checked against the publishing agency's own website on 13 October 2026. Phone numbers change; if one does not work, the Orange County Office on Aging on (714) 480-6450 can redirect you.
And if you would rather somebody just did this with you
That is what we are for. Tell us the situation and we will tell you which of the calls above is the right one, and what we would do next if it were our family.
Tell us who you are looking after
Four short questions. Nothing you answer is shared with a facility until you say so.
Prefer to talk now? (714) 975-9652, open every day until 6pm.