Senior placement in Chandler and Sun Lakes

The City of Chandler is home to an estimated 278,748 people, and just 13.6% are 65 or older — among the youngest populations of the seven places we serve, driven in part by major employers like Intel. But sitting directly on Chandler’s southeastern border is Sun Lakes, a census-designated place with a Chandler mailing address that is not part of the city at all — and where 78.9% of the roughly 14,868 residents are 65 or older, with just 0.2% under 18. We say “Chandler and Sun Lakes” on purpose. Folding them together would miss the whole point.

Two very different places, side by side

Hospital and rehab care for both communities

Dignity Health Chandler Regional Medical Center, 1955 W. Frye Rd, is the major hospital serving the area: 465 beds and a Level 1 trauma center, with stroke care, orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, brain and spine neurology and neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, oncology, and robotic surgery. Banner Ocotillo Medical Center, 1405 S. Alma School Rd, is Banner’s newest hospital — 124 beds, with emergency care, cardiology and cardiac catheterization, an ICU, neurology, endoscopy, imaging, and robotic surgery.

Dignity Health East Valley Rehabilitation Hospital, 1515 W. Chandler Blvd (with a second location in Gilbert), treats neurological conditions, spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, amputation, orthopedic recovery, wound care, and respiratory conditions. For skilled nursing, Chandler Post Acute and Rehabilitation, North Chandler Place, and Santé of Chandler all serve the area.

Life in Sun Lakes, and life for a Chandler senior

SunBird Golf Resort, 6250 S. SunBird Blvd, offers golf, horseshoe pits, shuffleboard, bocce, fitness and dance classes, and dining in the Horizon Room — listing sites describe it as 55-plus, though the HOA’s own materials don’t state an age floor. Beyond Sun Lakes and SunBird, families choosing to stay inside Chandler proper typically look at licensed adult care homes in ordinary residential neighbourhoods — often the most attentive and best-value option, especially when a resident wants to stay close to family already living in the city.

The Chandler Senior Center and AZCEND

The Chandler Senior Center, 202 E. Boston St, serves active adults 55 and older, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. — (480) 782-2720 — with a hot lunch or cold salad daily at 11:30, Wednesday Workshops, Chandler Flex / Dial-A-Ride coordination, home-delivered and congregate meals, peer counseling, and veterans’ benefits assistance. Over 90% of its classes are free. Programming is delivered by AZCEND, a nonprofit with 60 years in the community that also runs the Gilbert Senior Center. Last year, AZCEND served nearly 23,000 on-site meals and delivered more than 29,000 meals to homebound residents, performing wellness checks during delivery — a suggested contribution of $4.50 (2026) applies for those 60 and older.

ALTCS across Chandler and Sun Lakes

With Sun Lakes carrying such a concentrated senior population, and Chandler proper handling a steady stream of hospital and rehab discharges, we work ALTCS and low-income placements across both regularly. Read our ALTCS and Medicaid guide for how the programme works, and if a discharge date at Chandler Regional, Banner Ocotillo, or the East Valley Rehabilitation Hospital is moving faster than planned, our urgent placement service is built for exactly that. Discharge planners and case managers can find what we need on our page for healthcare professionals.