Safe at Home Senior Care is getting ready to celebrate 20 years of helping older adults stay in their homes, while the company is also launching a new service it says will make care more affordable and easier to access for Santa Cruz County residents.
The company, which started in 2006, will mark its anniversary June 12 at its new location on Soquel Drive in Santa Cruz County. The event will include food, drinks, and information about services for seniors and their families.
2026 Safe at Home Senior Care Team
Safe at Home is also part of a new program called “HōttoCare,” which owner Ryan Colligan says is designed to help more people get in-home care, especially those who may not have been able to afford it before. HōttoCare is a Medicare-certified, specialized dementia care program designed to support patients and caregivers with in-home care. It is 100% covered by Medicare, but providers must meet specific standards of proficiency and professionalism.
“HōttoCare allows us to be more inclusive and provide services to people in the community that otherwise couldn’t afford it,” Colligan said.
Safe at Home Senior Care provides non-medical in-home care for older adults. Caregivers help people with daily living tasks so they can remain living safely at home instead of moving into assisted living facilities or nursing homes. Services include help with bathing, dressing, getting in and out of bed, meal preparation, transportation, grocery shopping, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and companionship. Caregivers also help reduce fall risks and support people with memory problems or dementia.
The company creates care plans after meeting with families in person, either at home or in a hospital. These plans can change over time as a person’s needs change.
Colligan said the main goal of both the company’s traditional services and the new HottoCare program is to help seniors stay in their homes as long as possible.
“One of our goals is to allow our clients who are living in their homes to remain in them as long as possible,” he said.
He explained that HōttoCare is not a completely new kind of care, but a way to expand access to the same services the company already provides. He said eligible clients can receive up to 76 hours of care per year at no cost, depending on qualifications.
“We have a number of clients that would not have access otherwise,” Colligan said.
He said the program is especially important because in-home care can be expensive, and many families struggle to pay for it on their own. HōttoCare is meant to help fill that gap.
“Historically, these services have been for more affluent families. It’s not cheap,” Colligan said. “So this makes our service more inclusive.”
Safe at Home Senior Care has grown a lot since it first started. Colligan said the company has added more caregivers, served more families, and become more involved in the local community over the years. Even with that growth, he said the company has stayed focused on Santa Cruz County.
“We started in Santa Cruz, we are based here, we only provide services here,” he said.
The company has also joined local organizations and causes. It is a supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association in Santa Cruz County and supports the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. It is also involved with the Senior Roundtable of Santa Cruz County.
Colligan said one of the biggest changes over the past 20 years has been how much more organized and modern the company has become. He said they now use advanced scheduling software to better manage caregivers and client needs.
Another major change is the company’s new building. After renting office space in Capitola for 18 years, Safe at Home recently bought and moved into a new 6,000-square-foot space on Soquel Drive. The building includes office space and a large community room where events, staff trainings and meetings are held.
The biggest event in that space will be the 20th anniversary celebration on June 12. Colligan said the event will honor clients, caregivers, and staff, while also giving the community a chance to learn more about what the company does.
Caregivers play a central role in the company’s success, Colligan said. He described them as the most important part of the organization because they work directly with clients every day.
“The caregivers are really the heart and soul of the company,” he said.
He added that the company works hard to match each caregiver with the right client. That includes making sure their personalities work well together and that the caregiver has the right skills for each person’s needs.
Colligan said many caregivers stay with the same clients for years, building strong relationships over time. He said this is one reason the company has been successful and has earned trust in the community.
“What’s great about our caregivers is that they are quality individuals who are in it to help people,” he said. “They build personal relationships with our clients.”
As the population in Santa Cruz County gets older, demand for in-home care has continued to grow. Colligan said more people want to stay in their homes as they age, especially in a community like Santa Cruz where many people have strong ties to their homes and neighborhoods.
“People love being in Santa Cruz and want to stay living in their home as long as possible,” he said.
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The company’s anniversary event on June 12 will be open to the public at its Soquel Drive location, 3335 Soquel Drive Unit B. To RSVP, email [email protected]