Hospice care in Solvang
Dignified end-of-life care for Solvang and Santa Ynez Valley families.
Care that comes to you
Solvang families often want to keep their loved ones at home in the Valley, surrounded by the people and places they know. Our team makes that possible with regular nursing visits, personal care support, and a phone line a family member can call at any hour.
We serve patients throughout Solvang and the surrounding Santa Ynez Valley — in private homes off Alisal and Mission Drive, and in local assisted living and skilled nursing communities.
If your family is in Solvang proper or on a nearby ranch road, we still come to you. Tell us the address and we will confirm the visit plan on the first call.
About 40 minutes from Santa Maria via Highway 101 and 246.
Questions about care in Solvang? 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 Solvang — off Mission Drive or Alisal Road, or in the neighborhoods behind the Danish district — care comes to the home, and family caregivers are trained and supported.
- An assisted living or senior community in Solvang — 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
Solvang is the largest town we serve in the Valley, and for most families here 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.
Carmen Lane is about forty minutes from Solvang, so we start the benefits check by phone rather than asking the family to drive in. We verify your coverage and tell you what applies before care begins, including a small copayment for outpatient prescriptions and a share of the cost of inpatient respite care. 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.
Full coverage detail lives on the eligibility and coverage page.
How fast care starts
A real person on our team picks up at any hour, including nights and weekends. Before care can start, a physician has to certify eligibility, and we help arrange that with your loved one's own doctor. Admission is typically organized within 24 to 48 hours of the referral. Medications, a hospital bed, and other supplies usually arrive within 24 hours of admission.
The drive from Carmen Lane is about forty minutes via Highway 101 and 246, and our Valley team already travels Mission Drive and Alisal Road. Behind the Danish tourist streets are the neighborhoods where most of the people we care for actually live. 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 Solvang 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 Solvang
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Private homes
Most of our Solvang 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 Solvang families ask
Is there hospice care in Solvang?
Yes. Care comes to houses off Mission Drive and Alisal Road, and to the older neighborhoods behind the Danish tourist streets — not only the walkable village. Home can also be an assisted living community or a skilled nursing facility in town.
How much will this cost our family?
For most Solvang families on Medicare Part A, the hospice services themselves do not come with a bill. We verify coverage first and tell you what applies — including any small copayment that might still apply — before care starts.
How quickly can care start?
Typically 24 to 48 hours from the referral. Solvang is about forty minutes via Highway 101 and 246. Call any hour — a real person answers — and once your loved one is on service a nurse is reachable by phone 24/7.
Do we need a doctor to call first?
No. A family member can make the first call. A physician does have to certify eligibility before care begins, and we help arrange that with your loved one's doctor.
Can hospice come to assisted living or a nursing home?
Yes. We add hospice on top of the care a Solvang assisted living or skilled nursing community already provides, and we coordinate directly with facility staff so the two plans do not collide.
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, whether you live in town or on a ranch road outside Solvang.
Is hospice only for cancer?
No. Cancer is only one of the illnesses that qualify. Hospice in Solvang is also for 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. 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, a 24/7 on-call nurse is a phone call away, and we can send a nurse to the house if a crisis arises.
If your question is not here, call and we will answer it on the phone.
View all questionsReady to talk about care in Solvang?
No obligation, no pressure, just answers. Call anytime, day or night, and a real person on our team will pick up.