Senior living & care in San Diego, California

Fellowship of Older Gays, known as FOG, is a California mutual benefit corporation providing social activities, emotional support and education for older gay men. It has been running since 1993. Its own description of its purpose is plain: the primary focus is weekly activities for members. The regular calendar is Wednesday Coffee and Saturday Coffee, both 10am to noon, every week. Monthly there is Breakfast Out with Older Guys on the first Thursday, Dine Out with Guys on the third Thursday, Walk and Talk on the third Monday, and a lunch that moves around. Some events are in person and some are on Zoom. The annual membership meeting and banquet is the first Thursday in October, and the holiday potluck is the third Saturday in December. FOG also turns up at San Diego Pride and the Big Gay Picnic in Balboa Park. This is a membership club, not a care provider and not a drop-in center. It is for older gay men specifically, which is worth knowing before you point a relative at it. Membership details and current dues are on the Join or Renew page, and the board meets on the second Saturday of the month. For anyone weighing up whether a social group belongs in a directory about care: isolation is not a soft problem in later life. A standing Wednesday morning that somebody notices you missed is a practical form of support, and for an older gay man with no adult children nearby it may be the most reliable one available.

Inclusive features: Chosen-family policies

ParkView is one of three Sharp HospiceCare hospice homes in San Diego County, in the Del Cerro area of San Diego. It is a residence rather than a clinical unit, with private rooms, spacious living areas and registered nurses on site 24 hours a day. Sharp describes these homes as the only residences of their kind in the county. They exist solely to provide emotional, physical and spiritual care at the end of life, for people who cannot be cared for at home. Sharp is documented on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Long-Term Care Equality Index for its written LGBTQIA+ policies and staff training. Ask specifically about visiting and decision-making rights for a partner or chosen family, and have your health-care proxy signed before you need it. Hospice care is generally covered by the Medicare hospice benefit, Medicaid or private insurance.

Inclusive features: Chosen-family policies