The Care Compass Podcast
An editorial podcast on Medi-Cal, Medicare, IHSS, CBAS, ALW, RCFE, and the system every California family wishes they had a guide to. Sourced from California Department of Health Care Services, California Department of Aging, California Department of Social Services, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services public records.
New episodes Sunday and Wednesday.
Latest episode
When your parent can no longer live alone, the first step is to assess their needs, looking at their ability to perform Activities of Daily Living like bathing and dressing. California offers several paths for care. In-Home Supportive Services, or IHSS, can provide a paid caregiv
Coming up
Medicare and Medi-Cal: How They Work Together for California Seniors
2026-05-31 (Sun)IHSS: When Your Parent Needs Help at Home in California
2026-06-03 (Wed)CBAS: The Medi-Cal Day Program Most Families Never Hear About
2026-06-07 (Sun)The Assisted Living Waiver: What California Families Should Know
2026-06-10 (Wed)Subscribe via Spotify or RSS so each episode lands automatically.
About the podcast
Most senior-care explainers were written for clinicians, social workers, or attorneys. This one is written for the adult child who just learned a parent has dementia, the spouse who just got a 48-hour hospital discharge notice, the family wondering whether Medi-Cal will cover assisted living, or the daughter in another state trying to coordinate care for a parent in Los Angeles.
Each episode is California-specific. Medicaid is national; Medi-Cal is California, with its own income tests, managed-care plans, waivers, and quirks. National podcasts get most of these details wrong for California listeners. This one does not.
Episodes are sourced from California Department of Health Care Services, California Department of Aging, California Department of Social Services, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services public records. Every claim has a citation on the episode page.
How we are paid
Facilities pay us, not families, and we publish what they pay.
California Care Compass is independent. We are not a senior placement agency working on commission. When a family chooses a facility we recommended, that facility pays a one-time referral fee, disclosed in writing before any tour. Read the full disclosure.