FREED offers services to assist a consumer as they transition from an institution into the community setting of their choice. This could include a move from a hospital, licensed skilled nursing facility, intermediate care facility for the developmentally disabled, state hospital for the mentally ill, developmental center, emergency shelter, temporary housing, or a California veterans home.

The program offers navigation to resources for financial support, case management, and assistive technology items to ensure a safe transition home.


Web pages

• Home - https://freed.org/
• Hospital transition and patient navigation - https://freed.org/services/transition-services/transition-home-from-hospital/
• Transition home from nursing home - https://freed.org/services/transition-services/nursing-home/
• Contact - https://freed.org/contact/

This resource is eligible for electronic referral.

FREED provides support for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to reintegrate into the community, attend a weekly support group, receive supported living services, vocational services, or other independent living services.


Web pages

• Home - https://freed.org/
• Traumatic Brain Injury program - https://freed.org/services/independent-living/traumatic-brain-injury/
• Contact - https://freed.org/contact/

This resource is eligible for electronic referral.

The FREED Telephone Reassurance program provides socialization for anyone feeling lonely or isolated in Nevada County. A phone bank of volunteers makes phone calls Monday - Friday to check-in and chat. Individuals who would like to receive telephone calls can choose to receive calls from one day a week up to 5 days a week.

The FREED Friendly Visitor program matches Friendly Visitor participants to volunteers—who then get together to see movies, hang out, have conversations, play cards, go for a walk, or just talk. Volunteers can also meet by phone.

Due to factors such as a lack of transportation or community inaccessibility, many seniors and people with disabilities go through prolonged periods of social isolation and loneliness. People who have disabilities identify numerous obstacles to community inclusion. In rural areas, especially, people are at risk for experiencing isolation which is a risk factor leading to many poor health outcomes.


Web pages

• Phone Reassurance - https://free…

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Connecting Point's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) maintains a registry of independent home care providers.

It also:

• Refers home care providers to seniors and people with disabilities who qualify for In-Home Supportive Services and need assistance with domestic tasks and personal care.
• Refers home care providers to consumers who do not qualify for IHSS through a private pay registry.
• Assists care providers in completing the steps to register as an IHSS provider, including orientation, paperwork, and Live Scan fingerprinting.
• Assists IHSS providers with timesheets and payroll. Provides health benefits to eligible IHSS providers.
• Offers online and in-person training to care providers, consumers, or anyone interested in improving their skills.

People interested in receiving IHSS have to start the process with Nevada County Adult Services. If approved they are referred to Connecting Point for caregiver enrollment, orientation, etc.

People interested in becoming IHSS caregivers can contact…

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Golden Crossroads Care Management offers a client-centered approach to caring for aging adults facing ongoing health challenges.

Working with families and health provider professionals, they provide support to ensure the quality of care and an optimal life for the loved one through assessment, monitoring, care planning, problem-solving, education, advocacy, family caregiver coaching, and facilitating family harmony.

Web pages

• Home - https://goldencrossroads.org/

Tahoe Ability Program practices Person-Centered Planning strategies to ensure each participant is in control of their desired curriculum, programs, and activities.

Tahoe Ability Program offers a variety of programs to encourage self-advancement and assistance in reaching individualized goals.

Programs can be located here.

Web pages

• ​Home - https://www.tahoeability.org/
• Programs - https://www.tahoeability.org/programs

Canine Companions provides service dogs to adults, children, and veterans with disabilities, and facility dogs to professionals working in healthcare, criminal justice, and educational settings. Dogs and all follow-up services are provided at no cost to clients.

Students must pay for their transportation to and from the training center for their two weeks of training. They must also pay for their meals during training, and depending on the training center in your regional area, the cost of staying in a hotel.

Web pages

• Home - https://canine.org/

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects people with disabilities from discrimination.  See below for info about service animals and emotional support animals. There is no official registry for service animals or emotional support animals, but some businesses, etc may request a letter explaining why an emotional support animal is needed.

California law allows persons with disabilities to bring trained service dogs and psychiatric service dogs, but not emotional support animals, to all public places.

Service Animals are:

• Dogs
• Any breed and any size of dog
• Trained to perform a task directly related to a person’s disability

Service animals are not:

• Required to be certified or go through a professional training program
• Required to wear a vest or other ID that indicates they’re a service dog
• Emotional support or comfort dogs, because providing emotional support or comfort is not a task related to a person’s disability

A public place can ask only two questions to determine if a p… [read more]