Most Orange County families find out about senior services one emergency at a time: a fall, a hospital discharge, a parent who suddenly can’t drive. On Tuesday, October 13, there is a chance to do it the other way around. The Orange County Aging Services Collaborative is hosting a free Older Adults Resource Fair at the Delhi Center in Santa Ana, and it lands two days before Medicare’s annual open enrollment begins. A little preparation turns a pleasant morning of booths and brochures into a real head start on the year ahead.
A resource fair works best when you arrive knowing which questions you want answered.
The Essentials: Date, Place, and How to Register
Here is what the organizers have published. The fair runs on Tuesday, October 13, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Delhi Center, 505 E. Central Ave., Santa Ana, CA 92707. Admission is free, and the event listing notes free parking. In the organizers’ words, it is open to “older adults, as well as family members and caregivers,” which matters: an adult child who handles a parent’s paperwork is just as welcome as the parent.
Registration is free and takes a minute through the OCASC Eventbrite page, which the collaborative links from its own website. The listing describes the morning as a chance to connect with local organizations, learn about available services, and take part in education sessions and opportunity drawings.
Who Is Behind the Fair
The Orange County Aging Services Collaborative (OCASC) is not a single agency. It formed in 2009, when Alzheimer’s Orange County brought key community partners together as a forum for organizations serving seniors, and it now counts more than 40 member organizations. Its stated mission is to “create and maintain an integrated network of services that address the needs of older adults and their caregivers in Orange County.”
That structure is the real value of the day. In ordinary life, each of those organizations has its own phone tree, its own intake form, and its own waiting list. A fair puts them in one room for four hours, which means you can ask the follow-up question in person instead of leaving a voicemail and waiting a week.
Why the Timing Matters: Two Days Before Medicare Open Enrollment
Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period runs every year from October 15 through December 7, and any change you make takes effect January 1. The fair falls on October 13, so it is a natural place to start thinking about 2027 coverage before the window opens.
The ground is shifting this fall. Plans mailed their Annual Notice of Change letters by September 30, and some Medicare Advantage plans have sent non-renewal notices to members whose plan won’t return. CMS’s 2027 state fact sheet counts 394 Medicare Advantage plans in California next year, down from 402 in 2026. That is a statewide number, not an Orange County one, but it is a good reason to read your own plan’s letter carefully. If you haven’t opened it yet, our guides to reading your ANOC letter and to what to do if your Medicare Advantage plan isn’t renewing are good homework before October 13.
For free, unbiased one-on-one Medicare counseling, California’s HICAP program is available at 1-800-434-0222. HICAP counselors don’t sell insurance. Booking an appointment now, before the enrollment rush, is one of the most useful things you can do this week whether or not you attend the fair.
Bring the person who helps with the paperwork. The fair is open to family members and caregivers too.
Match Your Situation to the Right Questions
A resource fair can be overwhelming if you walk in without a plan. The easiest fix is to decide in advance which of these situations describes your family, then spend most of your morning on the matching row.
| If your family is dealing with… | Questions worth asking at the fair |
|---|---|
| A parent living alone who is starting to struggle with meals, bathing, or medications | What in-home help is available, how is eligibility decided, and what is the wait right now? Does Medi-Cal’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) apply, and how does an application start? |
| A new or suspected dementia diagnosis | Is there a caregiver support group or education series nearby? What does respite look like for a family caregiver who needs a break? |
| Medicare plan confusion for 2027 | Can I book a HICAP appointment? What should I bring to compare plans before December 7? |
| Money is tight | Which food, utility, or transportation programs have income limits, and what are they? Who can help with a Medi-Cal application or renewal? |
| A parent who has stopped driving | What senior transportation options serve our city, and how far ahead must rides be booked? |
| A caregiver who is burning out | Who offers respite, counseling, or adult day programs, and does any of it come at no cost? |
Before You Go: How to Prepare
Preparation separates the families who leave with three solid leads from the families who leave with a tote bag of pamphlets. A few things are worth doing before October 13.
Write down your top three questions
Not ten, three. If you’re attending for a parent, ask them what worries them most. The answer is often different from what the family assumes. One parent worries most about falling; another worries about being a burden. The question you bring should reflect the person you’re caring for.
Bring a short information sheet, not original documents
Agencies can usually give a quick “you probably qualify” or “you probably don’t” if you know a few basics: age, city of residence, whether the person has Medicare, Medi-Cal, or both, and a rough sense of monthly income. Write those on an index card. Leave Social Security cards, Medicare cards, and bank statements at home. A public event is not the place to hand over sensitive originals, and no legitimate agency needs them at a booth.
Know what you already have
If your family is already working with a county program, a health plan care manager, or a home care provider, write that down too. It saves time and keeps you from being steered toward a program you’re already enrolled in. If you’re unsure whether your parent’s savings still allow Medi-Cal eligibility, read our explainer on the return of Medi-Cal’s asset limit before you go, because it changes which booths are worth your time.
Three written questions will get you further than a bag full of brochures.
At the Fair: Make Every Conversation Count
Four hours goes quickly. A few habits help:
- Go early. Booth staff have more time for real conversation before the midday crowd arrives, and an older adult has more energy for it too.
- Ask for a name, not just a brochure. A direct contact person turns a pamphlet into a phone call that actually gets returned. Write the name on the brochure itself.
- Ask about waitlists. Many senior programs have a real wait. Knowing it is three weeks or three months changes your plan.
- Ask what the program does not cover. It is the fastest way to find the gap you’ll still need to fill.
- Take notes on the spot. A phone photo of each brochure with a one-line note (“call Thursday, ask for Maria”) is easier to follow than memory.
After the Fair: The Follow-Up Week
The fair is the start, not the finish. The families who get the most from these events block out time the following week to make calls. If you collected five contacts, call all five by Friday, October 16. Medicare open enrollment will be under way by then, so put any HICAP appointment at the top of the list.
If nobody can attend on a Tuesday morning, the county’s front door is still open. The OC Office on Aging Information & Assistance line, (714) 480-6450, is the general starting point for older adults and caregivers with any question. It won’t replace a face-to-face conversation, but it will route you to the right program.
Registration takes about a minute online, and following up the week after is where the real value shows up.
Where Home Care Fits
Many families leave a resource fair with a clearer picture of public programs and a nagging sense that the gaps are bigger than they thought. Programs tend to have eligibility rules, limited hours, and waiting lists. Everyday life does not wait. That is often where private in-home care comes in: covering the morning routine, the evening hours a program doesn’t reach, or the weeks between applying for a benefit and actually receiving it. If you are weighing that, our honest pricing guide to home care in Orange County lays out what families typically pay.
Your Resource Fair Checklist
Click each step as you finish it.
- Register for free through the OCASC Eventbrite page
- Decide who is going: the older adult, a family member, a caregiver, or all three
- Write down your top three questions, ideally in your parent’s own words
- Fill out an index card with age, city, Medicare/Medi-Cal status, and rough monthly income
- Leave original documents (Social Security card, Medicare card, bank statements) at home
- Open your 2027 Annual Notice of Change letter and note what is changing
- Plan to arrive near 9 AM, and bring water, a pen, and a bag for materials
- At each useful booth, get a contact name and ask about waitlists
- Book a HICAP Medicare counseling appointment (1-800-434-0222)
- Make every follow-up call by Friday, October 16
Test Your Knowledge
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Admission and registration are free, and the event listing notes free parking at the Delhi Center, 505 E. Central Ave., Santa Ana.
The organizers ask attendees to register for free through the OCASC Eventbrite page. It takes about a minute and helps them plan for attendance.
Yes. The fair is open to family members and caregivers as well as older adults. Bring the information card described above so agencies can give you useful answers about your parent’s situation.
The published listing doesn’t name exhibitors or specific on-site services, so we can’t promise either. For Medicare questions, call HICAP at 1-800-434-0222 for a free appointment. If one service is the main reason you’re going, contact the organizer through the event page first.
Call the OC Office on Aging Information & Assistance line at (714) 480-6450. It is the county’s general starting point for older adults and caregivers and can direct you to the right program.
No. Event coverage describes it as open to older adults, family members, and caregivers throughout Orange County. It is hosted in Santa Ana but isn’t limited to one city.
Left the Fair With More Questions Than Answers?
At Home VA Staffing helps Orange County families fill the gaps public programs leave, from a few hours of help each week to daily support at home. Call us before or after October 13 and we’ll help you sort out what your family actually needs.
Talk to Our Team: (213) 326-7452Proudly Serving Orange County Communities
This article is for general informational purposes. Event details reflect what the Orange County Aging Services Collaborative and its Eventbrite listing published as of October 2, 2026. At Home VA Staffing is not affiliated with the event or its organizers, and details may change, so confirm with the organizer before attending. Medicare enrollment dates are set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Related reading: Medicare Part D changes for 2027 and SB 1088 and California’s new POLST rules.
