In-Home Dementia Care in Tampa

This local guide covers dementia care in Tampa and the wider bay area: who to call, what help at home costs, and where to find respite.

Tampa Bay’s older adults: two very different counties

We serve Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, Brandon, Temple Terrace and New Tampa, and nearby Pinellas County, home to St. Petersburg and Clearwater. The two counties sit across the bay from each other, but their age profiles are quite different.

That difference shapes who does the caregiving. Hillsborough’s younger population means many caregivers are working adult children balancing jobs and kids. In Pinellas, with its older population, the caregiver is more likely to be a spouse who is getting older too.

Where to turn in Hillsborough and Pinellas

Area Agencies on Aging

Each county has its own agency, and each acts as the local Aging and Disability Resource Center:

• Hillsborough: Senior Connection Center, the Elder Helpline, 1-800-963-5337. It also serves Manatee, Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties.
• Pinellas: Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas, (727) 570-9696.

Either agency can screen your loved one for state programs, including Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative respite, caregiver training and support groups.

Two Memory Disorder Clinics

Hillsborough’s state-designated Memory Disorder Clinic is at the University of South Florida in Tampa, (813) 974-3100. USF also runs the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute. Pinellas and Pasco are served by the Madonna Ptak Center for Memory Disorders at Morton Plant in Clearwater, (727) 298-6025. Both help with diagnosis, family education and research.

Hospitals and the Alzheimer’s Association

The region’s major systems include Tampa General Hospital, BayCare (St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa and Morton Plant in Clearwater, among others) and AdventHealth. Veterans can use the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa or Bay Pines VA in Pinellas; see our page on dementia care for veterans and VA benefits. The Alzheimer’s Association Florida Gulf Coast Chapter is headquartered in Clearwater, (727) 578-2558, and its Helpline is 800-272-3900.

Local resources at a glance

Bay-area realities for dementia caregivers

Storm surge around the bay. Low-lying parts of South Tampa, the Pinellas beaches and much of the shoreline around Tampa Bay are in evacuation zones. Check your loved one’s address with Know Your Zone, and if they need help with daily living, add them to the state’s Special Needs Registry and contact Hillsborough County or Pinellas County Emergency Management about special needs shelters. Plan to stay with your loved one; shelters provide basic monitoring and backup power, not medical care. Our hurricane guide covers the rest.

The bridges. Many families have one parent in Pinellas and the kids in Hillsborough, or the reverse. The Howard Frankland, Gandy and Courtney Campbell can make a quick check-in a long trip at rush hour. A companion who lives on the right side of the bay can make a schedule realistic.

Heat and the afternoon storm cycle. Plan walks and errands for the morning. People with dementia may not notice they’re thirsty or overheated, so steady reminders to drink matter all summer.

Language. If your loved one is most comfortable in Spanish or another language, tell us when you call and use the caregiver video profiles to hear each candidate before you choose.

How Tampa Bay families use Dementia Companions

• Weekday coverage in Hillsborough. Working adult children in Brandon or New Tampa book set weekday blocks so a parent has company, lunch and engagement at home.
• Relief for Pinellas spouses. A husband or wife in Clearwater or St. Petersburg uses regular respite to rest and see their own doctors.
• Appointment escort. A companion can go along to visits at USF, Morton Plant or Tampa General and help you keep track of the plan.
• Pairing with clinical care. Companions do not provide nursing, so families often combine us with home health or hospice. See companion care vs. home health.

The rate is $35 an hour for 40+ hours a week on both sides of the bay, with no contract. Read the Florida cost guide, paying for care and our in-home vs. memory care comparison to plan ahead.

Planning dementia care in Tampa: sample weeks and costs

Most Tampa families do not start with full-time care. They start with the hours that are hardest to cover, then adjust after the first monthly review. Sample plans are below; monthly figures are weekly cost × 52 ÷ 12. Our rate is $35/hour for 40+ hours a week; call us about shorter schedules.

For context, CareScout’s 2025 survey puts Florida’s median for a non-medical caregiver at about $73,216 a year, based on 44 hours a week. At our rate, 44 hours a week would be $80,080 a year, so full-time help at home is not cheap anywhere.

For comparison, Florida medians were about $67,320 for assisted living and $124,100 for a semi-private nursing home room. Florida’s median for adult day health care was about $19,500 a year. See the cost calculator to try your own hours.

Respite options for Tampa Bay caregivers

Respite means planned time off for the person doing most of the care. Around the bay, it can come from several places, and many families combine them:

• State ADI respite. Florida’s Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative funds respite for adults 18 and older with probable Alzheimer’s or a related dementia, including in-home, facility-based and emergency respite and extended stays of up to 30 days. Ask Senior Connection Center in Hillsborough or the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas about eligibility and waiting lists.
• Caregiver coaching. Senior Connection Center offers TCARE, a caregiver support program for people caring for someone 60 or older.
• Adult day in Pinellas. Neighborly Care Network runs adult day centers with activities, caregiver support and curb-to-curb transportation, (727) 573-9444.
• Medicare GUIDE. Under the GUIDE dementia care model that began in July 2024, participating Medicare providers can cover up to $2,500 a year in respite for eligible patients. Ask your loved one’s doctor whether their practice takes part.
• In-home respite from us. A companion for a few set hours a week. See dementia respite care.

Questions to ask any home care provider in Tampa

1. Will the same person come every visit, and who lives on our side of the bay?
2. What background screening do caregivers pass? In Florida, ask specifically about AHCA Level 2 screening.
3. What dementia training do caregivers have, and how do they handle late-day restlessness or refusals?
4. Is there a minimum number of hours, a contract, or a fee for weekends?
5. How will we hear what happened during each visit?
6. What can the caregiver do with medications? Companions give reminders only; a nurse is needed to administer them.
7. What happens during a hurricane watch, and will the caregiver help with our evacuation plan?

Our answers: one consistent companion screened for dementia care experience, video interviews you can watch before you decide, a short note after every visit, monthly plan reviews, $35 an hour for 40+ hours a week with no contract, and a free rematch if the fit is wrong. Our guide to choosing a dementia caregiver in Florida has more questions.

Neighborhoods we serve

• South Tampa
• New Tampa
• Temple Terrace
• Brandon
• St. Petersburg
• Clearwater
• 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.

Tamia, Miami11 minute interviewTanja, Naples11 minute interviewZion, Miami9 minute interview

Watch all our caregiver interviews