Hospice care in Avila Beach
Hospice care in Avila Beach and the hills above San Luis Bay.
Care that comes to you
Avila Beach is a small town, and hospice should feel that way too: one team, regular visits, and a nurse you can call at any hour. We come to homes in the village, in San Luis Bay Estates, and along Avila Beach Drive.
Every Avila Beach patient receives the full hospice benefit — skilled nursing, aides, social work, chaplain visits, and bereavement support — with admission typically within 24–48 hours of referral.
If you live behind a gate in the hills above the bay, give us the code and a landmark. We will put it on the visit plan.
About 35 minutes north of Santa Maria, just west of the 101.
Questions about care in Avila Beach? Call (805) 361-0264. A member of our team answers day and night.
At a glance
- 24/7
- Nurse always on call
- 24–48hr
- Typical admission
- Medicare
- Hospice benefit for eligible patients
Three questions to shape the first call
Almost no family knows what to ask the first time. These are the three things we need to know, and what usually follows from each answer.
- 1
Where does your loved one live?
- A house in the village, on Avila Beach Drive, up See Canyon, or behind a gate in the hills above San Luis Bay — care comes to the home, and family caregivers are trained and supported.
- An assisted living or senior community near the bay — hospice is added on top of the care they already receive.
- A skilled nursing facility — we coordinate directly with facility staff so hospice fits the routine already in place.
- Still in the hospital — care can begin at discharge, or follow them where they are.
- 2
What is hardest this week?
- Pain, breathing, nausea, or hard nights — skilled nursing and pain management.
- Bathing, dressing, and transfers — a home health aide.
- Paperwork, benefits, or a conversation nobody wants to start — social work.
- Grief, fear, or questions of meaning — chaplain and emotional support.
- 3
Has a doctor said the illness is life-limiting?
- Yes — call today, and we will start arranging the certification and the first visit.
- Not yet, but the family is carrying all of the caregiving — call anyway. We will talk it through with you and with the doctor.
- You are still weighing hospice against palliative care — call and ask. Nobody is signed up on a first conversation.
What it costs and how fast it starts
What it costs
For most Avila Beach families, hospice is a benefit rather than a bill. Medicare Part A covers nursing visits, home health aide visits, medications for the hospice diagnosis, medical equipment such as a hospital bed, supplies, social work, chaplain support, volunteers, and bereavement care for the family afterward. Medi-Cal coverage is similar, and most private plans include a hospice benefit.
Medicare may still leave a small copayment for outpatient prescriptions and a share of the cost of inpatient respite care, and we verify your coverage and tell you what applies before care begins. Treatment for conditions unrelated to the hospice diagnosis stays with regular Medicare or your other insurance. We never require a financial contribution from your family, and we never turn anyone away for inability to pay. Avila Beach is the smallest and most rural of the Five Cities, so we do not ask you to come to Carmen Lane. We run the benefits check by phone, and a social worker brings the paperwork to the kitchen table on Avila Beach Drive or up See Canyon on the first visit — the team is already on this coast for the Five Cities loop.
Full coverage detail lives on the eligibility and coverage page.
How fast care starts
Call at any hour and a real person on our team answers, nights and weekends included. A physician has to certify eligibility before care begins, and we help arrange that with your loved one's doctor. From there, admission is typically organized within 24 to 48 hours of the referral, and we usually deliver medications, a hospital bed, and other supplies within 24 hours of admission.
Avila Beach is about 35 minutes north of Santa Maria, just west of the 101, tucked in the hills above San Luis Bay. See Canyon and Avila Beach Drive are on the same coastal loop we already run for the Five Cities. Hospice care is intermittent rather than live-in: your nurse sets a visit schedule with your family based on the care plan, and revisits it as needs change. Between visits, our on-call nurse is reachable by phone 24 hours a day, and we can send a nurse to the home for urgent support.
Our certification and quality record is public on Medicare Care Compare.
What Avila Beach families receive
The full hospice benefit travels with us: the same team and the same services every family receives, plus medications, equipment, and supplies related to the hospice diagnosis, delivered to the home.
Where we provide care in Avila Beach
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Private homes
Most of our Avila Beach patients receive care in their own home, supported by family caregivers and our visiting team.
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Assisted living
We partner with residential and assisted living communities, adding hospice support on top of the care they already provide.
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Skilled nursing facilities
Our team coordinates directly with facility staff so hospice care fits into the daily routine already in place.
Wondering if it's time? Read about hospice eligibility or browse our frequently asked questions.
What Avila Beach families ask
Is there hospice care in Avila Beach?
Yes. Care happens wherever home is — a house in the village, on Avila Beach Drive, or up See Canyon, an assisted living community, or a skilled nursing facility. Avila Beach is the smallest of the Five Cities, about 35 minutes north of Santa Maria and just west of the 101, and our team is already on this coast for that loop.
How much will this cost our family?
For most patients covered by Medicare Part A, nothing for the hospice services themselves. We verify your benefits and explain what is covered before care begins.
How quickly can care start?
Typically 24 to 48 hours from the referral. Avila Beach is about 35 minutes north of Santa Maria, just west of the 101, and See Canyon and Avila Beach Drive sit on the same coastal loop we already run for the Five Cities. Call any hour and a real person answers; medications, a hospital bed, and other supplies usually arrive within 24 hours of admission.
Do we need a doctor to call first?
No. An Avila Beach family can call from the village, from See Canyon, or from a gated house in the hills above San Luis Bay — give us the code and a landmark on that first call. Anyone can refer. A physician does have to certify eligibility before care begins, and we help arrange that with your loved one's own doctor.
Can hospice come to assisted living or a nursing home?
Yes. If home is an assisted living community or a skilled nursing facility near the bay rather than a house on Avila Beach Drive or up See Canyon, we add hospice on top of the care already in place and coordinate directly with facility staff so nothing is duplicated or missed.
Is care available in Spanish?
Yes. Say so on your first call and we will match you with a team member who can speak with you in Spanish.
Is hospice only for cancer?
No. We care for people with heart disease, lung disease including COPD, dementia and Alzheimer's, stroke, kidney or liver disease, ALS and other neurologic illness, Parkinson's disease, and general decline with advanced age.
Will a nurse live in the house?
No. Even in a small rural town, hospice care is intermittent rather than live-in. Your nurse sets a visit schedule with your family based on the care plan, and revisits it as needs change. Between visits, the on-call nurse is reachable by phone 24 hours a day and can make an urgent home visit — the team is already on this coast loop anyway.
If your question is not here, call and we will answer it on the phone.
View all questionsReady to talk about care in Avila Beach?
No obligation, no pressure, just answers. Call anytime, day or night, and a real person on our team will pick up.