In-Home Dementia Care in Fort Myers

This page gathers what Lee County families need for dementia care in Fort Myers: the local network, storm lessons, costs and day programs.

Lee County’s older adults

Lee County has grown fast, to roughly 876,000 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimates. About 29% of them are 65 or older, which works out to more than 250,000 people. The Alzheimer’s Association’s 2023 county-level estimates put Alzheimer’s prevalence in Lee at about 11.4% of residents 65 and up.

Many of those older residents are retirees who moved here from other states, so their closest family often lives a plane ride away. Others are long-time residents in Fort Myers, North Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres whose children work full time nearby. Both situations shape the kind of help families look for.

Lee County’s dementia care network

Lee Health is home to the region’s Memory Disorder Clinic

Lee Health’s memory care program in Fort Myers is the state-designated Memory Disorder Clinic for Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. Call (239) 343-9220. The clinic evaluates memory problems, helps confirm a diagnosis and offers education for caregivers. A referral from your loved one’s primary care doctor usually starts the process.

Lee Health is also the county’s main hospital system, with Lee Memorial Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center and HealthPark Medical Center in Fort Myers and Cape Coral Hospital across the river. A hospital stay can trigger sudden confusion in someone with dementia; learn the warning signs in our guide to delirium and infections.

Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida

This is the Area Agency on Aging and Aging and Disability Resource Center for Lee and six neighboring counties. Call (239) 652-6900 or (866) 413-5337 to ask about Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative respite, caregiver training, and screening for other state programs. State-funded services often have waitlists, so it pays to get on the list early.

Alzheimer’s Association Florida Gulf Coast Chapter

The chapter covers the Gulf Coast from Naples up to Tampa and Lakeland, including Lee County. Its free Helpline, 800-272-3900, can point you to nearby support groups and education programs and connect you with a care consultant.

Local resources at a glance

Lessons Lee County families learned from Ian

Hurricane Ian made landfall in Lee County, near Cayo Costa, as a Category 4 storm in September 2022, with forecasters warning of storm surge up to 18 feet in Lee and Charlotte counties. For families caring for someone with dementia, the hard lessons were practical ones:

• Know the zone before the season. Cape Coral’s canals, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Pine Island and the river neighborhoods are all exposed to surge. Look up your loved one’s address with Know Your Zone.
• Register early. If your loved one needs help with daily living or relies on powered medical equipment, add them to the state’s Special Needs Registry and talk with Lee County Emergency Management about special needs shelters. Those shelters provide basic monitoring and backup power, and a caregiver should plan to stay.
• Pack for confusion, not just weather. A labeled bag with medications, a medication list, a familiar blanket or photo, and contact numbers makes a shelter or a relative’s guest room less frightening. Our hurricane guide has a full checklist.

The rest of the year brings its own planning. Summer heat and afternoon storms make midday outings risky, while winter traffic on US-41, I-75 and the bridges to Cape Coral can double a short drive. Scheduling a companion close to home cuts down on that stress.

How Lee County families use Dementia Companions

These are the patterns we see most often in the Fort Myers area:

• Weekday coverage for working families. A son in Cape Coral books four weekday mornings so Dad has company, lunch and a walk while everyone is at work.
• Peace of mind from far away. Children living in Ohio or New England rely on the visit notes and monthly care-plan reviews. See caring from a distance.
• A break for the spouse. Regular respite care so a husband or wife can rest without worry.
• Getting to appointments. A companion can escort your loved one to Lee Health visits and help you keep track of what the doctor said. Companions do not give medical care, so many families pair us with home health when nursing is needed.

We charge $35 an hour for 40+ hours a week in every part of Lee County, with no contract and no hidden fees. Use our cost guide, the paying for care overview and our in-home vs. memory care comparison to plan ahead.

Budgeting for dementia care in Fort Myers

In Lee County, the person asking us about cost is often a retired spouse on a fixed income, or an adult child splitting the bill with siblings up north. A few realistic patterns are below. Our rate is $35/hour for 40+ hours a week; call us about shorter schedules.

The two-afternoon plan gives a caregiving spouse two predictable breaks a week. Weekday mornings fit a parent who lives with an adult child commuting across the river. The six-day plan is for someone who should no longer be alone during the day, with family taking evenings and Sundays.

For perspective, CareScout’s 2025 survey put Florida’s median for a non-medical caregiver at about $73,216 a year for 44 hours a week, and the median for assisted living at about $67,320 a year. Families who need full-day coverage often add an adult day program, which had a Florida median of about $19,500 a year.

Adult day programs and caregiver support in Lee County

The nonprofit Senior Friendship Centers lists adult day services and caregiver support among its programs, with locations in Fort Myers, North Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs and Lehigh Acres. Its main number is (941) 955-2122. A day program a few days a week, plus a companion on the other days, is a common Lee County combination.

Two more options worth a call: the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida’s Elder HELPLINE at (866) 413-5337 for state-funded respite screening, and your loved one’s doctor, to ask whether the practice joined Medicare’s GUIDE dementia model, which can include up to $2,500 a year in respite for eligible patients. Our adult day vs. in-home respite comparison helps you weigh the two.

Questions to ask a Fort Myers home care provider

1. Which side of the river does the caregiver live on? The Caloosahatchee bridges can add a lot of time in season.
2. Can visits pause for summer if we spend it up north, without a cancellation fee?
3. What is the plan if a storm is coming and we need help packing or getting to a shelter?
4. Does every caregiver have dementia care experience, and can we see them on video before we decide?
5. Will we get a written update after each visit?
6. Can the caregiver drive our loved one to Lee Health appointments and stay with them?

Our answers: we match companions who live nearby, there is no contract, you get a note after every visit, and companions escort to appointments but do not give medication or nursing care.

Communities we serve around Fort Myers

• Cape Coral
• Bonita Springs
• Naples
• Cost of dementia care in Florida
• Paying for dementia care
• In-home care vs. memory care
• Dementia respite care

Watch a caregiver before you choose

Families watch video interviews like these and choose their companion. No one is sent to your parent's home until you have watched them and said yes.

Zion, Miami9 minute interviewYesica, Naples9 minute interviewKimberly, Miami10 minute interview

Watch all our caregiver interviews