Serving Southwest Florida

Senior Care Resources helps families in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota, DeSoto, Glades and Hendry counties qualify for and obtain Florida long-term care Medicaid. Our home region — the only one where we meet families in person, and home to some of the highest private-pay nursing home rates in the state. This is our home region, and we meet families here in person as well as by phone and video.

Where we serve in Southwest Florida

Counties: Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota, DeSoto, Glades and Hendry.

Communities include: Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Estero, Marco Island, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, Venice, North Port, Lehigh Acres, Arcadia, LaBelle.

What is different about Southwest Florida

This is our home region. Our office is in Bonita Springs, in Lee County on the Collier County line, and we meet Southwest Florida families in person as well as by phone and video. Lee and Collier have some of the highest private-pay nursing home rates in the state, which makes the timing of a Medicaid application here unusually expensive to get wrong. If your parent is in rehab under Medicare now, read when Medicare stops paying .

More about Southwest Florida

Lee and Collier counties carry some of Florida's most established senior-living communities, including large continuing-care retirement communities in Fort Myers and Naples that offer independent living through skilled nursing on one campus. That range of local options is unusual; most Florida regions have to send a family further afield for the higher levels of care.

Coastal home values in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, and Sarasota counties have risen sharply, which matters for Medicaid eligibility even though a primary residence is generally an exempt asset up to Florida's home equity limit. A homestead with a large, Save-Our-Homes-protected equity cushion is worth reviewing early, both for the equity cap itself and for what it means for estate recovery later. Homestead exemption status is filed separately with each county's property appraiser (Lee County Property Appraiser, Collier County Property Appraiser, Sarasota County Property Appraiser).

The region also has a large seasonal population, and Glades, Hendry, and DeSoto counties are officially designated rural under Florida law, with far fewer nursing homes and assisted living facilities than Lee or Collier. Families in those counties often end up looking toward Fort Myers or Sarasota for a broader range of care.

Local agencies a family here will deal with

Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida (AAASWFL) : the Aging and Disability Resource Center for Southwest Florida — 2830 Winkler Avenue, Suite 112, Fort Myers, FL 33916, (239) 652-6900 (or the toll-free helpline, 1-866-413-5337), aaaswfl.org/ . It screens applicants for the assisted living and home care wait list.
Department of Elder Affairs, CARES program : makes the medical level-of-care determination. The CARES program — the Department of Elder Affairs' medical-necessity assessment for long-term care Medicaid — is administered separately from the Area Agency on Aging, through its own regional field office. Call the agency below or the Department of Elder Affairs at 850-414-2000 to be connected to the CARES office serving this region.
Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) (ACCESS Florida, 1-866-762-2237): takes the financial application. We handle the filing and stay on the case with all three agencies through approval.

The 2026 Florida figures

The income cap is $2,982 a month, the countable asset limit is $2,000 for a single applicant, and a spouse at home keeps up to $162,660 in assets. These figures are the same everywhere in Florida, including in Fort Myers — see the full Florida Medicaid limits guide for the rest of them and how each one works.

How we work with families here

A free screening tells us the applicant's income, assets, and care setting, and we give you a written summary before anything is filed: where the applicant stands against Florida's limits, what the application will require, and which questions need an attorney. From there we gather the documents, file with DCF, coordinate the CARES assessment, and stay on the case until there is a decision. See how the process works and what to expect from the application for the full walkthrough.

Frequently asked questions

Which agency handles the intake for lee, collier, charlotte, sarasota, desoto, glades, and hendry counties?

The Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida (AAASWFL), based in Fort Myers, is the Aging and Disability Resource Center for all seven counties in this region. Reach them at (239) 652-6900 or the toll-free Elder Helpline, 1-866-413-5337.

Can we actually meet with someone in person, or is everything remote?

In person, if you want it. Our office is in Bonita Springs, in Lee County on the Collier County line, so families in Fort Myers, Naples, Port Charlotte, and Sarasota can sit down with us directly. We still work by phone and video with anyone who prefers that, or who lives further out in the region.

Is charlotte county handled the same way as lee county?

Yes. Charlotte, along with Sarasota, DeSoto, Glades, and Hendry, is served by the same regional agency and goes through the same DCF ACCESS application process as Lee and Collier.

What long-term care options exist near fort myers and naples?

A wider range than most of the state: large continuing-care communities in both cities, plus numerous assisted living facilities and nursing homes throughout Lee and Collier. Glades, Hendry, and DeSoto have far fewer facilities, so families there often look toward Fort Myers or Sarasota.

How long is the wait for a Medicaid waiver slot here?

We can't give you a number that would still be accurate by the time you read it — Florida doesn't publish a static wait-list length, and it changes with funding and enrollment. Nursing home Medicaid itself has no wait list; it's the assisted living and at-home program that can. Call AAASWFL or us directly for where a specific case actually stands.

Florida guides

Neighboring regions

Free Medicaid assessment

Find out where your family stands in Southwest Florida

We'll email you a short two-page intake form about your family member's care, income, and savings. Once you send it back, a member of our staff reviews it personally and calls you to talk through where things stand and what comes next. Families anywhere in Florida. No cost, no obligation.

Call (239) 977-5175

This page is general information about Florida Medicaid, not legal advice, and nothing here creates an attorney-client relationship. Medicaid rules change and every family’s facts are different.

Senior Care Resources is a separate company from Zacharia Frey PLLC. Its Medicaid application services are not legal services, and no attorney-client protection applies to them. When an attorney becomes involved, that is a separate legal representation with the law firm.