Fort Myers Senior AdvisorWhich senior care comparisons matter most in Lee County?
In Lee County the comparisons that change decisions are a small residential home versus a large community, assisted living versus memory care under Florida's new license, Hope PACE versus Medicaid long-term care, and which side of the river to choose.
Those follow Florida law and the county's own mix of care, which is why we compare by license, contract and payer rather than by brochure category.
Which comparison should I read first?
Read assisted living versus nursing home if a hospital stay or fall started your search, assisted living versus memory care if dementia did, home care versus assisted living if your parent wants to stay put, and the life plan comparison if you are planning while healthy.
The home care comparison includes an hours table that shows where paid help at home starts to cost more than assisted living.
How do I use these comparisons with the directory?
Settle the license type and payment path first, then use the directory to see which Lee County facilities hold that license, and only then compare buildings on cost, staffing and inspection history.
The assisted living roster can be filtered by city and license type and sorted by beds or citations.
All comparisons pages
Assisted living or memory care?
How assisted living and memory care differ under Florida law, in staffing, building design, price and the new s. 429.076 license, and how Lee County families decide between them.
Open the guide →Assisted living or a nursing home?
Assisted living and nursing homes compared for Fort Myers families: who each can serve under Florida rules, staffing, CMS ratings, Medicare and Medicaid coverage and cost at 2025 Florida medians.
Open the guide →Stay home with help, or move to assisted living?
When paid home care costs more than assisted living at Florida's 2025 medians, what each option covers, and how Cape Coral and Fort Myers families decide whether a parent can stay home.
Open the guide →Life plan community or month-to-month assisted living?
Comparing an entrance-fee continuing care retirement community such as Shell Point or Cypress Cove with month-to-month assisted living: contracts, refunds, health requirements and when each fits.
Open the guide →A six-bed home or a hundred-apartment community?
Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres have dozens of five- to sixteen-bed homes; Fort Myers has larger communities. How they compare on staffing, activities, price, inspections and fit.
Open the guide →Medicaid long-term care or PACE?
How Florida's SMMC long-term care program and the PACE program run by Hope PACE differ in eligibility, waitlists, doctors, care settings and what they pay for Lee County seniors.
Open the guide →Fort Myers or Cape Coral for senior care?
Licensed assisted living, nursing homes, hospitals and life plan communities in Fort Myers and Cape Coral compared from AHCA, CMS and OIR records, for families choosing a side of the river.
Open the guide →