Fort Myers Senior AdvisorWhat kinds of senior care can Lee County families choose from?
Families here choose among assisted living in AHCA-licensed ALFs, memory care inside ALFs, adult family care homes, nursing homes, in-home care from licensed agencies or private caregivers, adult day care, hospice, and life plan communities for those planning ahead.
Each guide below explains what the license allows, what it costs at Florida's 2025 medians, and where AHCA's licenses are in the county.
How do I choose the right type of care?
Start with needs: daily personal care points to assisted living, wandering or unsafe confusion to memory care, round-the-clock nursing to a nursing home, weekday gaps to adult day care, and planning ahead while healthy to a life plan community.
Our comparisons set two options side by side, and the situation guides start from what just happened.
Which care types need a Florida license?
ALFs, adult family care homes, adult day care centers, nursing homes, home health agencies, nurse registries and hospices all need AHCA licenses; independent living and 55-plus housing do not, and life plan communities need an OIR certificate for their contracts.
Every license can be checked on AHCA's FloridaHealthFinder locator.
Which care types do Medicare and Florida Medicaid pay for?
Medicare pays for short skilled nursing stays after a qualifying hospitalization, intermittent home health and hospice; Florida Medicaid's long-term care program pays for nursing home care and for home and community-based services, including assisted living services but not room and board.
OSS can help very low-income ALF and adult family care home residents with room and board, Hope PACE covers everything for its members, and VA pension with Aid and Attendance helps eligible veterans and survivors.
All care types pages
Assisted living in Lee County
What assisted living is under Florida law, the license categories, Lee County's licensed ALFs from Cape Coral to Bonita Springs, costs at Florida's 2025 median and how to choose.
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Memory care in Lee County
Memory care for Alzheimer's and dementia in Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Lee County: how Florida regulates it now and under the 2027 license, what to look for, and the ALFs AHCA flags.
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Nursing homes in Lee County
Nursing homes in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs and Lee County: Florida's staffing minimum, CMS star ratings, Medicare rehab and Medicaid long-term stays, and how to compare homes.
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In-home care in Lee County
Home health versus home care, Florida's agency and nurse registry licenses, what Medicare pays, hourly costs at the 2025 Florida median, and Lee County's licensed home health agencies.
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Hospice care in Lee County
How hospice works in Fort Myers and Lee County homes, ALFs and nursing homes, who qualifies, what Medicare covers, and the hospices AHCA licenses in Lee County.
Open the guide →Adult day care in Lee County
Adult day care in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres and Lee County: Florida's license under Part III of Chapter 429, the 2025 Florida median cost, who it helps and how to pay.
Open the guide →Adult family care homes in Lee County
Adult family care homes in Lee County: what Florida's AFCH license allows, how it differs from a small ALF, who it suits and how to pay, with the AFCHs AHCA lists in the county.
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