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Free Help for Family Caregivers in San Antonio (2026): Respite, Training & Support

Free Help for Family Caregivers in San Antonio (2026): Respite, Training & Support

If you are caring for a parent, a partner, or another loved one in San Antonio, you are doing a full-time job most people never see. Cooking, rides to appointments, medicines, bills, bathing, watching through the night — it adds up, and it wears you down.

You do not have to do it alone, and you do not have to pay for the first help. San Antonio has free programs built for family caregivers: a break through respite care, support groups with people who understand, training that makes hard tasks safer, and a specialist who will listen and make a plan with you.

This guide explains what each program does, who it is for, and exactly who to call. Help, applying, and guidance are free. Respite and other services depend on availability and a short assessment — nothing here is automatic, and this site does not submit government applications for you.

Start here: Bexar Area Agency on Aging caregiver support

The Bexar Area Agency on Aging, run by the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG), is the main front door for caregivers in Bexar County.

Its services are available to seniors age 60 and older and to family caregivers who support someone 60 or older. Older relative caregivers who are 55 or older and raising grandchildren or other kin can also get assistance. Through AACOG’s Aging and Disability Resource Center, known as Alamo Service Connection, support is also extended to adults with disabilities of any age and the family and friends who assist them — regardless of income, according to AACOG.

AACOG says plainly: “Services are provided at no charge.”

For caregivers, that includes:

  • Family caregiver support groups
  • Respite for family caregivers — a short-term break so you can rest, work, or handle your own appointments
  • Caregiver Support assessment — staff assess your needs as a caregiver and coordinate the support services that fit
  • Care coordination for the person you care for, including help after a major illness, health crisis, or hospitalization
  • Information, referral, and assistance to find the right local program instead of calling around blind
  • Benefits counseling on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, plus legal assistance
  • Grandparents raising grandchildren support groups
  • Hot lunches and home-delivered meals for seniors, health and wellness classes, and transportation coordination

Call Bexar County: 210-477-3275, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Outside Bexar in the Alamo region, call 866-231-4922. The statewide Aging and Disability Resource Center line is 855-937-2372. AACOG is at 2700 NE Loop 410, Suite 101, San Antonio, TX 78217.

When you call, say: “I am a family caregiver. I need a caregiver assessment, respite, and a support group.” Using those words helps the call center route you to the caregiver program, not just general senior services.

Respite: a real break, not just advice

Respite means someone trusted steps in for a short time so you can step out. It can happen in the home or outside the home, and it can cover supervision, meals, help with personal care, and social or recreational activities while you are unavailable or simply need a break.

That break matters. Caregivers who never rest get sick, miss their own doctor visits, and burn out — and then the person they love loses their main support. Respite through the Area Agency on Aging is meant to prevent that, not wait for a crisis.

Availability and amounts vary by program and funding, so ask AACOG what is open right now, whether there is a wait, and what happens if you need help again in a few months. If AACOG respite is full, ask them to refer you to Texas Lifespan Respite and to 2-1-1 for other local options — do not stop at the first “not right now.”

Caregiver SOS and the Stress-Busting Program

Caregiver SOS, from the WellMed Charitable Foundation in San Antonio, provides education, information, and support to family members and friends caring for an older person. Call 1-866-390-6491.

Its Stress-Busting Program for Family Caregivers is an evidence-based program for caregivers of a person with dementia or a chronic illness. WellMed says the program is proven to improve quality of life for family caregivers and help them manage stress and cope better. In the sessions you will:

  • Learn about stress and its effects
  • Practice stress management techniques
  • Develop problem-solving skills

If stress, sleep, or your own health is the urgent problem — not just hours of care — start with Caregiver SOS alongside your AACOG call. The two programs are different doors to different kinds of help, and many caregivers use both.

UT Health San Antonio: Caring for the Caregiver

If your loved one has Alzheimer’s or another dementia, Caring for the Caregiver at UT Health San Antonio was built for you.

The UT Health School of Nursing describes it this way: it provides opportunities for social engagement, education classes, and hands-on skills training for managing care challenges for caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. All resources are offered at no cost to the family caregiver.

UT Health also runs free, monthly caregiver skills workshops open to the public, coordinated by the School of Nursing. Past workshop topics have included speech and communication, occupational therapy, nursing care, nutrition, dental hygiene, audiology, physical therapy, difficult behaviors, and bladder and bowel care — the practical tasks families are usually left to figure out alone.

Start at utcaregivers.org for workshops and events. For dementia care and support through the Glenn Biggs Institute, call 210-450-9960.

Dementia-specific help, day or night

The Alzheimer’s Association runs a 24-hour helpline where you can speak with an expert: 1-800-272-3900. The San Antonio & South Texas Chapter is at alz.org/sanantonio. Use it when a behavior, safety, or wandering question cannot wait until morning — that is what the line is for.

Caregivers of veterans should also ask AACOG and 2-1-1 about VA caregiver support when they call. One call that checks every door is better than five calls that each check one.

Parents caring for a child with a disability

Caregiver help in San Antonio is not only for people caring for seniors.

Respite Care of San Antonio runs community respite programs for children with disabilities, from 6 weeks old up to a child’s 12th birthday. Non-disabled siblings can also be enrolled. Its weekend programs run Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the H-E-B House, 327 W Craig Pl, San Antonio, TX 78212, and at Baptist Temple Church, 901 E Drexel, San Antonio, TX 78210. The organization says the programs are free, thanks to competitive grants from the state.

Call 210-737-1212 (extension 1203 for the Family Support Services Coordinator) to check whether your child qualifies. Qualifying diagnoses include autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, intellectual or developmental disabilities, speech/motor/cognitive delays, seizure disorder, spina bifida, traumatic brain injury, and other conditions listed on its site.

Grandparents raising grandchildren

If you are 55 or older and raising a grandchild or another young relative, you count as a caregiver in Bexar County’s system too. AACOG runs grandparents-raising-grandchildren support groups and can connect you to benefits counseling and other help for the child in your care. Call 210-477-3275 and say you are a grandparent raising grandchildren — that phrase opens the right program.

Other help that lightens the load

  • Food for the person you care for: Our guide to free meals for seniors in San Antonio covers city senior center lunches for 60+ and home-delivered meals — one less meal you have to cook every weekday.
  • Your own health: A break is also time to move. See how the YMCA Open Doors program can lower or cover membership costs based on income.
  • Coverage questions: If Medicaid might help pay for care at home, our step-by-step guide to how to apply for Medicaid in Texas from San Antonio walks through the application in plain words.
  • Care in the home: Ask AACOG about care coordination, personal assistance with daily tasks, minor home repairs, and emergency response systems for the person you care for — those services support you by supporting them.

Not sure what else you may qualify for?

Caring for someone often changes what a whole household may qualify for — food help, coverage, utility help, and more. Our free Apply for Me review looks at your situation and points you to potential matches. We do not submit government applications or complete paperwork for you — we help you see what you may qualify for and where to apply.

Start the free Apply for Me review →

Helpful links & phone numbers

Frequently asked questions

Is caregiver help in San Antonio really free?

The main programs in this guide charge nothing for their core help. AACOG states its Area Agency on Aging services are provided at no charge, UT Health says all Caring for the Caregiver resources are offered at no cost to the family caregiver, and Respite Care of San Antonio says its community respite is free thanks to state grants. Respite hours and some services still depend on an assessment and on funding being available — free to ask and free to apply does not mean every service is guaranteed.

Who qualifies for Bexar Area Agency on Aging caregiver support?

Family caregivers who support someone age 60 or older in Bexar County, and older relative caregivers age 55 or older who are raising grandchildren or other kin. Through the Aging and Disability Resource Center, adults with disabilities of any age and the people who assist them can also get help, regardless of income. Call 210-477-3275 for a caregiver assessment.

How do I actually get a respite break?

Call AACOG at 210-477-3275 and ask for a caregiver assessment and respite for family caregivers. Staff will assess your needs and coordinate available support. If respite is full or not available right away, ask about Take Time Texas, Caregiver SOS, and a 2-1-1 referral so you leave the call with a next step, not just a wait.

What if I care for a child with a disability, not a senior?

You still have options. Respite Care of San Antonio offers free weekend community respite for children with disabilities from 6 weeks to age 12 (siblings accepted) — call 210-737-1212. AACOG’s Aging and Disability Resource Center also supports adults with disabilities of any age and their families at 210-477-3275, and 2-1-1 can refer you to additional disability caregiver programs.

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