Home care marketing in La Jolla:
a direct mail plan for senior care
By Best Direct Mail, San Marcos · Numbers from USPS and the US Census Bureau
La Jolla is part of the City of San Diego, but it has its own ZIP Code, 92037, and many residents who have lived here for decades. Long-time owners fill the single-story homes of La Jolla Shores, retirees live in the condos around the Village, and the hillside estates on Mount Soledad hold some of the highest incomes in the county. Families in Bird Rock are often the grown children who help.
Families here compare care carefully, and a card has to look as good as the service it promises. Below we start with the public numbers for 92037, then go neighborhood by neighborhood: who lives there, what to offer and how to mail it. After that come home care versus assisted living, a year of mailings and what every senior care postcard in California should include.
La Jolla by ZIP Code
| ZIP Code | Residents 65 or older | Residents 75 or older | Seniors living alone | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92037 All of La Jolla, from Bird Rock to La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Farms | 25% | 13% | about 2,100 | $147,230 |
What the columns tell you:
- Residents 65 and 75 or older: where older adults make up the biggest share of the neighborhood, and so where EDDM® wastes the fewest cards. The need for daily help grows with age.
- Seniors living alone: households of one person 65 or older. They are the people most likely to need help at home, and the ones whose families worry most.
- Median household income: higher incomes point to private-pay, live-in and full-service care. Lower incomes point to clear hourly rates, short visits and the benefits you accept.
These figures cover whole ZIP Codes, and single routes inside them can be quite different. Our EDDM® route planner shows income, age and household size for every route before you choose.
Residents 65 and 75 or older, seniors living alone and income are US Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates for the ZIP Code area. Seniors living alone are one-person households of someone 65 or older.
What a mailing costs: $2,682 for 5,000 homes with our recommended 8.5 × 11 EDDM® postcard, including printing and postage. See our EDDM® prices for other quantities.
What to mail in each neighborhood
La Jolla Shores (92037)
Between Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Village, La Jolla Shores has single-story homes from the 1950s and 60s on flat streets near the beach. Many owners have lived here for decades and want to stay in the house they know.
- What to offer: help that keeps people at home: meals, errands, housework, rides to appointments and more care after a hospital stay. A free in-home assessment is an easy first step.
- How to mail: EDDM® on the routes of houses, every month or so. The flat, compact streets make this one of the easiest home care areas in La Jolla to cover.
The Village and the Barber Tract (92037)
Around Prospect Street, Girard Avenue and the Cove, condo buildings and older cottages house many retirees and part-time residents. Just south, the Barber Tract has quieter streets near Windansea. Many older residents here live alone and walk to the shops.
- What to offer: a few hours a week of help, companionship, rides and a care plan that changes as needs grow.
- How to mail: a mailing list filtered by age, rather than whole routes. Many condos are rented or used only part of the year.
Mount Soledad, the Muirlands and La Jolla Farms (92037)
Above the Village, custom homes and estates with ocean views climb Mount Soledad and fill the Muirlands. On the bluffs by UC San Diego, La Jolla Farms is a small enclave of large estates. Incomes are high, and many owners have been in their homes for a long time.
- What to offer: full-service home care, live-in or around-the-clock care, memory care at home and a care manager the family can call. Discretion and a calm, personal tone matter here.
- How to mail: a mailing list filtered by age and length of residence, on heavier stock. Fewer, better cards fit these streets better than a large EDDM® drop.
Bird Rock (92037)
At La Jolla's southern end, next to Pacific Beach, Bird Rock is a neighborhood of families. Few residents need care themselves, but many are the grown children who arrange care for a parent elsewhere in La Jolla or nearby.
- What to offer: peace of mind: updates after every visit, respite care so the family caregiver can take a break, and for assisted living, a tour the whole family can join.
- Timing: before Thanksgiving, when families get together, and in January.
- How to mail: EDDM® on the routes that are mostly houses. Bird Rock is compact, so a few routes cover it.
Home care or assisted living: who to mail in La Jolla
- Home care agencies can mail every home on the routes they serve with EDDM®, or use a mailing list to reach households by age and how long they have lived in the home. In La Jolla, EDDM® fits the Shores and Bird Rock, and a list fits the Village condos and the hillside estates. The table above shows the share of older residents and seniors living alone in 92037.
- Assisted living and memory care communities do best mailing every home within a few miles, since families want a parent close by. Pick the routes around your community in our EDDM® route planner and keep the card about the community itself.
- Both should mail the same homes again and again. Families often take months to decide, and the card on the counter when they are ready is the one they call.
Mail also works well beyond homes. Doctors' offices, discharge planners at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla and senior centers refer families every week, and a card or letter to them a few times a year keeps your name in mind. Ask us about a mailing to referral partners in La Jolla and nearby neighborhoods.
A year of senior care mailings in La Jolla
| When | Who gets it | What the card says |
|---|---|---|
| Every 4 to 6 weeks | The same routes around your office or community | Who you are, what you help with and one low-pressure next step |
| January to February | Neighborhoods with many older residents and the family neighborhoods nearby | After the holiday visits: a free in-home care assessment or a tour |
| Spring | Neighborhoods with many people living alone | Help around the house, rides to appointments and a friendly visit each week |
| Summer | Family neighborhoods | Respite care while the family caregiver takes a vacation |
| September to October | The routes around your community | An open house, a lunch or a talk for family caregivers, mailed 2 to 3 weeks ahead |
| November | Family neighborhoods and the routes closest to you | Coming home for the holidays? What to look for when you visit, and how to reach you |
You don't need every mailing. Most La Jolla agencies and communities start by mailing the same nearby routes every month or so, then add the seasonal cards. Our senior care direct mail guide has more ideas for each one.
What every La Jolla senior care postcard should include
- Your license number. Home care organizations and assisted living communities (Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly, or RCFEs) in California are licensed by the Department of Social Services. Showing the number tells families you are legitimate.
- Who pays, said plainly. Medicare generally does not pay for ongoing non-medical help at home or for assisted living. Don't suggest that it does. Say whether you accept long-term care insurance or veterans benefits, if you do.
- Offers spelled out: what a free assessment or a move-in special includes and when it ends.
- For assisted living, describe the community, not the residents you want. Rooms, care, meals, activities and your location. Communities are housing, and fair housing rules apply to their advertising.
- Large type and a phone number a person answers. Many readers are older, and many callers want to talk to someone right away.
- Where you are in La Jolla, with a landmark people know and the areas you serve.
These are general points, not legal advice. Your licensing office or an attorney can confirm the exact wording, and we adjust any design to match.
Senior Care postcard designs
Start from one of our ready-made senior care postcards. We add your logo, offer, license number and photos, send you a proof, then print and mail it. Need a custom design, or have your own? Just let us know.
Senior Care marketing plans in other cities
- SanMarcos
- Carlsbad
- ChulaVista
- Clairemont
- Coronado
- DelMar
- ElCajon
- Encinitas
- Escondido
- ImperialBeach
- LaMesa
- LemonGrove
- NationalCity
- NorthPark
- Oceanside
- PointLoma
- Poway
- RanchoBernardo
- Santee
- ScrippsRanch
- SolanaBeach
- Vista
La Jolla at a glance
- Best areas
- Older residents: La Jolla Shores and the Village. Full-service and live-in care: Mount Soledad, the Muirlands and La Jolla Farms. Adult children: Bird Rock.
- What it costs
- $2,682 to mail 5,000 homes by EDDM®
- Where to start
- EDDM® to the Shores every month, plus a mailing list by age for the Village and the hills.
Frequently asked questions
Where do most older residents live in La Jolla?
La Jolla Shores has many long-time homeowners, the condos around the Village have many retirees, and the hillside estates on Mount Soledad have owners who have stayed for decades. The table above shows the share of residents 65 and 75 or older and the number of seniors living alone in 92037.
Should a home care agency use EDDM® or a mailing list in La Jolla?
EDDM® is the cheapest way to cover La Jolla Shores and Bird Rock, where most homes are houses. A mailing list filtered by age and length of residence works better for the Village condos, where many units are part-time, and for the large estates in the hills.
What should a La Jolla senior care postcard look like?
Clean and calm, with real photos, large type and a phone number a person answers. Families here compare carefully, so a well-printed card on heavier stock says a lot about the care behind it.
How often should senior care postcards be mailed?
Every four to six weeks to the same homes. Families often take months to choose care, so being there again and again matters more than reaching a big area once.
Do you mail in La Jolla?
Yes. Our print shop is in San Marcos, and we mail EDDM® across San Diego County, so we print your postcards and take them to the Post Offices that deliver your La Jolla routes.
Get a quote for your La Jolla mailing
Tell us which neighborhoods and services you want to focus on. We'll reply with a price for printing and mailing, and the routes or list we recommend.