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16 Assisted Living Communities in La Mesa, California

The average cost of assisted living in the city is $4,500 a month. This guide is a starting point covering the cost of assisted living care in the city, as well as financing options to pay for it. You’ll find in-depth information on 16 Assisted Living Communities in La Mesa and several in surrounding areas.

  • Assisted living: $4,500
  • Nursing home semiprivate room: $8,517
  • In-home care: $4,767
  • Adult day health services: $1,733

Assisted Living Facilities near La Mesa, California

Compare Costs, Photos, & Reviews of All Your Options Near La Mesa

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Reviews of Assisted Living Facilities in La Mesa

Barbara

5

March 30, 2021

I am/was a resident of this facility

I'm at Grossmont Gardens and they're very accommodating here. The staff is quite friendly. I love my apartment, and it has a lot more space than I expected. It's very pretty inside and very peaceful. If you look outside, they also have the gardens, and it's wonderful. The meals are very good too. I'm very content. I watch different activities from my patio, and they're great. The seniors that live here are so friendly, and they're open to meeting new people.

Kelly

5

January 25, 2021

I visited this facility

The Montera was beautiful and beautifully maintained. The landscaping and the architecture of the place were just gorgeous. I want to live there. The staff was wonderful, and the lady during the tour was really good. The room was really nice, roomy, and spacious. The residents seem happy, 'cause there were residents hanging out in the front area. They have a whole level of care for memory care, which is a different area separate from the other residents that don't need that much care. They have a beauty salon, a pool, daily activities, exercise, and game nights. They have like 2 or 3 activities every day. It is expensive, but for the second person, the price really drops. It's almost $3000 for one person, for the room, food, and everything, but the second person was only $800. You get a discount for a couple. The food is like done by a top chef. It's like gourmet. They have these cookies that the chef made, and they were just to die for, they're so good, and they melt in your mouth.

Roxanne

5

November 13, 2019

I am a friend or relative of a current/past resident

Waterford Terrace Retirement Community is a happy place. The people are generally clean and happy. It's a pleasant place to be. Everybody is very engaged and the people are doing a lot. They ask about my father when they don't see him come down for dinner. He's enjoying it. The food is great. We love it. We looked at the one-bedroom and the studio. We liked the studio because it was very spacious and there was enough room for Dad. They have a breakfast bar every Thursday, they did Oktoberfest, there's a theater, a library, a van that will take you to your doctor, and laundry rooms. Everything's convenient. He gets three meals a day and they put out cookies in the afternoon daily.

Patrick

5

December 10, 2018

I visited this facility

The general appearance of Waterford Terrace Retirement Community was great, and the tour, facilities, and all the amenities were great. A one-bedroom apartment was $4,000, which was way out of my price range, and that was the cheapest one, plus I had to put down a deposit, so I would have to pay about $10,000 to $12,000 just to move in. The person who accommodated me, Ashley, was fine and showed me and my brother-in-law everything that was down there. We saw the home theater, recreation room, game room, and where to eat. She said if we have special diets, it needs to be written and given to the chef. Everything was perfect, but out of my price range. I talked to one lady who's living there, and she said it's a great place to live. Everything's immaculate, the grounds was great, everything was clean, and nothing was out of place. If I had a question, Ashley answered right away, and answered pretty straightforward.

Marianne

3

November 13, 2018

I am a friend or relative of a current/past resident

My husband stayed at Arbor Hills Nursing Center. It was a little better than the previous place my husband stayed, but there were a few incidents that shouldn't be happening in a nursing home. It was nicer, brighter, and cleaner, but one time when my husband and I were sitting in the lobby, some woman in a wheelchair was flat on her back and she was wheeling around and couldn't see what she was doing. Nobody was with her and there was nobody at the front desk. I went back to where the nurses were and I told one of the guys there about the woman and they said, "Yeah, she does that a lot." I told them she's out there by herself and there's nobody there. When I came back, the woman was banging against the glass of the aviary with live birds inside, and nobody said or did anything. It was not a good impression. My husband was getting physical therapy there, which is the one thing I liked about the place. They had a really good physical therapist, but there was one time they were showing my husband how to make rice crispy treats and there were people there that were old and senile making a mess, and it wasn’t anything my husband wanted to do. I just think they need to find out what these people are interested in. They did have music and people were singing along, so that was good. I just thought that it's not a place for my husband. He hated the food, quit eating, and lost about 50 pounds. The lobby was beautiful, but the rooms were tiny.

Shirley

5

November 1, 2018

I am/was a resident of this facility

My brother and I live in Waterford Terrace Retirement Community. It is a very good place to live with good meals, attractive walls with art prints, spacious apartments, and very nice employees. I tell my friends it's like living on a cruise ship that never leaves port. They serve three meals a day. We have an activity director on-staff. We have bingo, Wii games, poker, an activity room where people gather and do several activities, a few art classes, exercise classes every day, and bus trips to local places to visit, museums and other places of interest as well as meal out at the participant's cost. I've lived here two years and I really love it. It is independent living though healthcare caregivers are available for hire to take care of personal needs for those who are no longer quite independent. We're well fed and there are enough activities to keep us busy.

Don

4

August 31, 2018

I visited this facility

I like The Montera and they're really good. The rooms were really nice. It's all modernized, renovated, and it has several buildings and nice outside walkways. They have great food selection and the people in charge are just super nice.

Lynn

5

August 21, 2018

I am a friend or relative of a current/past resident

My stepdad stayed at the Montera and it's wonderful. They have a lot of things that they do there, they have a great staff, I wouldn't move him, but they didn't want to take care of patients with diabetes. We were very satisfied. The staff was wonderful, they just went out of their way, and they were really good to my mom. They were in the middle of renovation, but it's always been clean, and the food has been just superb. They always have something going on.

J.R.

3

March 26, 2018

I visited this facility

We visited the Montera. The staff member was really accommodating, and we liked her a lot. However, the place was huge and older.

Map of La Mesa, California

Assisted Living Costs in La Mesa

According to Genworth’s 2018 Cost of Care study, the cost of assisted living in La Mesa is the same as the state average of $4,500 and moderately higher than the national average of $4,000.

Assisted living costs here are similar to costs in other areas in Southern California, including Los Angeles ($4,500) and Oxnard ($4,575), while prices for assisted living are notably higher further north along the Pacific Coast in cities that include San Francisco ($5,500) and Santa Cruz ($5,595). 

Note: Senior care cost data wasn’t available for La Mesa, so data for the closest city, San Diego, was used. 

Cost of Assisted Living Comparison Chart

La Mesa

$4,500

National average

$4,000

State average

$4,500

Los Angeles

$4,500

Oxnard

$4,575

Riverside

$3,500

El Centro

$3,650

San Francisco

$5,500

Santa Cruz

$5,595

Care Cost Comparison

There is a wide range in senior care services in La Mesa, where adult day health care costs are about one-third the cost of assisted living and in-home care options. The differences in costs are due to the skill and training of the staff, the senior-to-staff ratios and the number of hours of direct service provided every month.  The most expensive senior care option is nursing home care, which costs nearly double that of assisted living and in-home care, because nursing home care includes skilled nursing and a higher staff-to-senior ratio than assisted living.   Cost of Homemaker/Home Health Aide Comparison Chart

  • Assisted living: $4,500
  • Homemaker services: $4,767
  • Home health aide: $4,799
  • Adult day health: $1,517
  • Nursing home care (semiprivate room): $8,517

 

Cost of Homemaker/Home Health Aide Comparison Chart

Assisted living

$4,500

Homemaker services

$4,767

Home health aide

$4,799

Adult day health

$1,517

Nursing home care (semiprivate room)

$8,517

Financial Assistance for Assisted Living in La Mesa

Medicaid in California

Approximately 14 million children, families and adults are covered under Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. Established by the federal government on July 30, 1965 to improve health care for low-income Americans, Medicaid is funded by both the federal and state governments and every state has participated in Medicaid since 1982. 

No-cost Medi-Cal coverage is automatically provided for all California seniors who receive Supplemental Security Income, while low-income seniors who own few assets may also be eligible for free or low-cost Medi-Cal health coverage. 

Adults who are 65 and older need to meet the following requirements to qualify for free Medi-Cal coverage: 

  • Earn a maximum of $1,242 a month as an individual applicant or $1,682 a month when applying as a couple
  • Own less than $2,000 (individual) worth of countable assets or $3,000 for a couple


All types of income are considered under Medi-Cal rules and countable assets include cash, investments and all real estate except for the applicants’ principal residence. Household furnishings, clothing, personal effects and one vehicle are exempt from the Medi-Cal asset limits. 

There is a Medicaid look-back period in California that audits any assets an applicant has sold, gifted or otherwise disposed of during the 30-month period prior to seeking Medi-Cal coverage. This audit is designed to ensure that seniors use all their own resources to pay for their care before seeking government assistance. If assets are discovered during the audit, Medi-Cal applicants may be ineligible for a period of time that is determined based on both the value of the assets and the current monthly price of private nursing home care. 

Seniors who have income or assets that exceed the limits for Medi-Cal coverage can opt to enroll in Medi-Cal on a Share of Cost basis that requires them to pay their own medical bills up to an agreed limit before Medi-Cal will become effective. In many cases, this option is more costly than purchasing a private insurance plan. 

California Assisted Living Waiver 

The ALW is available to Medi-Cal eligible seniors who need the level of care provided in a nursing home. This program reduces the rates of nursing home placement among Medi-Cal covered seniors by providing additional care and medical services in an assisted living setting. Medi-Cal reimburses the cost of services provided in an assisted living setting except for the expense of room and board.

To enroll in the ALW seniors need to request an assessment through the San Diego Care Coordinator Agency. If accepted into the ALW program, seniors may be placed on a waiting list, as the demand for ALW services currently exceeds the number of statewide waivers offered.

Note: ALW is not available to seniors who are enrolled in Medi-Cal on a Share of Cost basis. 

For more information about Medi-Cal coverage, contact the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency at (866) 262-9881. 

To request as assessment for the ALW program, contact the San Diego County Care Coordinator Agency at (888) 681-1559. 

Other Financial Assistance Programs for Assisted Living

Optional State Supplementation

Seniors who receive Social Security Income benefits and are 65 or older may qualify for the California Optional State Supplementation program. The state-funded program increases SSI payments to help seniors pay for the room and board portion of assisted living costs. 

Under the OSS program, eligible seniors may have their total SSI monthly income increased to $1,194.37 for a single applicant, and a maximum of $2,388.74 for a couple applying together. 

For more information about the OSS program, contact the San Diego Social Security office at (800) 772-1213. 

Veterans Aid and Attendance Benefits and Housebound Allowance

Veterans and their survivors who qualify for the regular VA pension and either need assistance with activities of daily living, are visually impaired, bedridden or housebound or live in a nursing home, may be eligible for funding through the VA Aid and Attendance Benefits and Housebound Allowance

This program tops up the regular VA pension, and qualifying disabilities or illnesses do not need to be service-related. 

For more information about the VA Aid and Attendance Benefits and Housebound Allowance, contact the San Diego Vet Center at (858) 642-1500.

Assisted Living Resources in La Mesa

Senior Centers in La Mesa

The City of La Mesa’s Community Service Department operates the La Mesa Adult Enrichment Center where area seniors can join social clubs, participate in weekly exercise classes and take part in escorted outings to area attractions. 

City of La Mesa – Adult Enrichment Center
8450 La Mesa Boulevard, La Mesa, CA 91942
(619) 464-0533

Veteran Centers and Clinics

Veterans can contact either the San Diego Vet Center or the VA San Diego Regional Office for information about VA pensions and benefits. 

La Mesa is also home to an active Veterans of Foreign Wars Post where veterans can socialize, learn about local services and participate in special events. 

San Diego Vet Center
2790 Truxtun Road, Suite 130, San Diego, CA 92106
(858) 642-1500

San Diego Regional Office – Veterans Benefits Administration
8810 Rio San Diego Drive, San Diego, CA 92108
(800) 827-1000

Community Aid Agencies

Area seniors who need assistance with accessing health care, completing a legal will or finding information on Medicaid, can contact Elder Law and Advocacy, a non-profit organization that provides free and low-cost legal services to seniors. Seniors who need preventative health care can call the Sharp Grossmont Hospital Senior Resource Center, which offers free health education classes, seniors’ health screenings and information on area health services for older adults.  Elder Law and Advocacy
5151 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 110, San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-1392 Sharp Grossmont Hospital Senior Resource Center
9000 Wakarusa Street, La Mesa, CA 91942
(619) 740-4214

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By clicking "Get Costs" I am providing express written consent to receive calls including automated/pre-recorded calls and automated texts for which I may incur a cost, as well as emails from Caring and its partners. I understand I am not obligated to provide this consent to utilize Caring’s service(s). I acknowledge I was able to review the Agreement to be Contacted, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.

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Those with certain disabilities or diseases have more obstacles to overcome when searching for a quality assisted living home. If you have questions, we are here to help provide the answers. Give our senior care advocates a call and read our guides for specific information and resources related to your or your loved one’s condition.

SeniorHomes.com

Those with certain disabilities or diseases have more obstacles to overcome when searching for a quality assisted living home. If you have questions, we are here to help provide the answers. Give our senior care advocates a call and read our guides for specific information and resources related to your or your loved one’s condition.

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