The Best Memory Care Communities in Lee County, FL

Lee County is on the western coast of the Florida panhandle, with a county seat of Ft. Myers. The county has a population of 739,224, including 28 percent, or 26,000 residents, who are age 65 or older and in the primary age bracket for Alzheimer's disease.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration licenses and regulates assisted living facilities that support seniors with cognitive impairments as an Extended Congregate Care facility or ECC. Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Bonita Springs house the majority of the 20 ECCs in Lee County.

• Crime is rated on a scale with one being the safest area and 100 representing the most dangerous. The national average for violent crime is 31.1, and Lee County's ranking is nearly 16 points higher at 47.4. Property crime in the U.S. averages 38.1 as compared to 51.3 in Lee County. Seniors with dementia can benefit from the extra security an ECC provides.
  
• Florida is one of the few states that does not have a state income tax, and other tax laws favor seniors, especially those on a fixed income. The money that families might have used for taxes can be spent instead on daily living expenses and care for seniors in an ECC.
  
• Cost of living estimates are based on a national median of 100. Lee County's overall cost of living is 114, and healthcare, in particular, is 120. Families should keep that in mind when searching for an ECC in Lee County.
  
• Lee County receives 56 inches of rainfall annually, compared to the national average of 39 inches, and the southern location means it never gets snow. An average U.S. city has 205 sunny days per year, while Lee County has 266 sunny days annually. Seniors with joint pain or respiratory problems enjoy the mild climate, where winter lows only drop to 52 degrees, and summer highs stretch to 91. Lee County earned 82 out of 100 in Sperling's Comfort Index.

Memory Care costs in Lee County start around $5,798 per month on average, while the nationwide average cost of memory care is $5,694 per month.

It’s important to note that memory care rates in Lee County and the surrounding suburbs can vary widely based on factors such as location, the level of care needed, apartment size and the types of amenities offered at each community.

Learn more about these programs, plus who’s eligible, on our Memory Care in Florida page.

While many families use their own funds or personal assets to pay for memory care, there are plenty of additional options to cover these costs. Some additional ways to finance memory care costs include:

• Veterans Benefits
• Life Insurance Policy
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Reverse Mortgage

For more information about different ways to finance memory care, visit our Memory Care in Florida page.

Lee County-area memory care communities must adhere to the comprehensive set of state laws and regulations that all memory care communities in Florida are required to follow. Visit our Memory Care in Florida page for more information about these laws.