Institute On Aging

We had an awesome trio of caregivers who consistently stayed with us over a 10 week period. These women not only carried out all the tasks involved, they all coached, cajoled, and cheered my husband to slowly move toward more independence. He looked forward to their visits and they became an essential part of our daily life. His recovery would not have moved along had it not been for their competence and concern. Through it all, the IOA Care Coordinator kept in regular contact, and I knew she «had our back».
Having run a private care organization in my career, I know how challenging it is to do it well and match clients with compatible caregivers. IOA «nailed» it, not by happenstance, but by intentional leadership and selecting outstanding caregivers. Our caregivers, and others like them, are the unsung heroes of our field and IOA’s ability to recognize that is the key to your success. I know firsthand that IOA does an outstanding job, but this experience surpassed even my expectations.
Beyond being impressed, we are deeply grateful for IOA’s role in lightening our caregiving journey and supporting my husband’s recovery. Bay Area families are blessed to have a resource like IOA in our community.
Joanne H.

As I lamented the commercial corruption of the holiday season, the Institute on Aging Cable Car Caroling event brought the true spirit of Christmas back to life for me. On one almost magical, heartwarming afternoon, our group of friends rode cable cars in a light San Francisco rain to the homes of seniors who don’t get too many visitors, where we sang carols and gave out small gifts. Reaching out made me reflect on the meaning of life and the importance of community. At our return we all ate and drank together, a fitting end to a day of human connection.
I had the tacos al pastor and con carnitas from the taco truck and they were awesome. I also tried some of the chicken and tortilla dish in the ample buffet and it was delicious.
I highly recommend this event, a holiday gem and a great new tradition for me!

Very untrustworthy. They never return calls and slow to respond. They don’t listen and ignore immediate family members and requests. All the while charging the senior high fee’s. Just don’t, if you have a choice!

I attended IOA’s cable car Christmas Caroling event on December 6^th and truly enjoyed it. The event embodies the spirit of the holidays; we traveled to seniors’ homes and surprised them with small gifts and Christmas carols. There were teary eyed moments as we cheered up folks who really deserve a friendly face. The event ended with food, laughter, wine and a great raffle.

Hi– I recently joined IOA at a Christmas Event with my 3 yr old (we took cable cars to various retirement homes and sang christmas carols). The event was fantastic. But what even more fantastic was the IOA staff– they were incredibly warm and friendly; and what stood out the most was that they all loved their jobs (and most of them had been there for 10+ years). The programs/​services they offer seem incredible, and I can say the staff they hire are very passionate and genuine about wanting to provide the BEST care and resources for the aging and their families.

Update, Dec 18, 2015.
Since I wrote the review below, things got even worse with IOA. They sent a caregiver who received threatening phone calls from an acquaintance during his shift and ultimately walked off the job leaving our dad high and dry. IOA tried to make excuses for this guy, but clearly their background checking process is seriously flawed!
In early November, we ended our contract with Institute on Aging. We sent them a multi-​page letter detailing our issues and have not heard one word from anyone! IOA and its staff do not appear to be the least bit professional or caring. The only detail then have never missed is billing. In all other respects, they are asleep at the switch and have no business sending caregivers into people’s homes.
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Original review (still holds):
We have had 24 hour caregivers from IOA for the past 18 months. We have had a couple of superstars, but we are currently assigned a caregiver who is is a nightmare – skilled on paper, but does not listen, has poor organizational skills, does not learn from experience with the specific client, and is a busybody trying to reorganize our household.
The communication from IOA’s San Francisco and Los Altos offices has been virtually non-​existent over the past 4 months. They had some staffing changes they never informed us about, and, at one point, we ended up with both caregivers on vacation at the same time because no one (not even the caregiver!) bothered to tell us. If we call IOA, they appear to listen, but there is no follow through and no proactivity on their part. We are so very disappointed. frustrated, stressed out right now because of IOA caregiver issues. And this is on top of having a declining loved who needs the service in the first place.

I recently visited the Geary center and I found a lot of good information on service and classes. If you are looking for information for yourself or family member you should consider IOA.

This program may be just fine for 99% of families who use it. Unfortunately, this program turned into a surreal, nightmarish experience after my mother went missing from this center for 18 hours in 2012.
I dropped her off at IOA at 9 am one day in December 2012, only to return around 3 pm and learn that she had just been discovered missing. Surveillance cameras show she simply walked out of the center (a receptionist let her out) at 10 am and no one at the center noticed for 5 hours.
She was found wandering on California Street at 4:15 a.m. the next morning by police.
For me, this was one of the worst experiences I have ever gone through — and one I should have never had to go through.
I contacted state regulators to complain — only to be told that the total fines for 3 separate violations by IOA related to this case would total about $ 150 (roughly half of what it costs me to be in a carpool lane illegally).
I did not come to the decision to write a review on Unilocal lightly. It took months of consideration on my part and in the end, I felt that airing my grievance publicly would be the best way to ensure this never happens again to another family…

Many wonderful services here for older adults and their families. A great resources to have in SF.

If you’re looking for information about senior servies at IOA or generally in SF, be sure to call the IOA Senior Information Line at IOA: 415−750−4111. We’ll help you figure it out.

The Institute on Aging is a prime resource for geropsychology nerds like myself. I don’t work here (hrmpf, they never replied to my application!), but have utilized them in my current job, and they are extremely topnotch.
Great conferences, free case studies, and they run an excellent Adult and Alzheimer’s Daycare, in case any of the beloved geriatrics in your life are in need of services.