Lakeland Senior AdvisorLake Wales, about 18,650 residents in the 2025 estimates, sits on the Lake Wales Ridge in southeast Polk County, home to Bok Tower Gardens and a downtown built in the 1920s. AdventHealth Lake Wales, on South 11th Street, is the local hospital.
Lake Wales anchors senior care for the southern Ridge, including Babson Park, Highland Park and Frostproof, and has its own nursing homes and a few assisted living facilities. Many retirees here live in 55+ manufactured-home communities along US 27, where help at home is the first need.
How much licensed senior care does Lake Wales, Florida have?
Lake Wales had about 18,650 residents in the Census Bureau's July 1, 2025 estimates, and AHCA's records show 3 licensed assisted living facilities, 2 nursing homes and 3 home health or hospice offices at local addresses.
| Found in Lake Wales | Missing in Lake Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed here (AHCA records) | Assisted living facilities: 3, Nursing homes: 2, Home health agencies: 3, Adult family care homes: 2 | — |
| Not licensed here | — | Hospices, Adult day care centers |
| ALFs reporting memory care | 2 | — |
Which assisted living facilities hold AHCA licenses in Lake Wales?
3 licensed assisted living facilities have Lake Wales addresses on AHCA's records, with 118 beds; 2 report memory care, 2 hold a specialty license, and the largest is Water's Edge of Lake Wales at 60 beds.
| Facility | License | Licensed beds | Last standard survey | Cites at that survey | AHCA fines on profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water's Edge of Lake Wales 10 W Grove Ave, 33853 | Standard + LNS | 60 | 12/08/2025 | 0 | $0 |
| The Club at Lake Wales 12 East Grove Avenue, 33853 | Standard only | 52 | 08/18/2026 | 1 | $5,625 |
| Ami Home Health L.L.C 4477 Big Tank Rd, 33898 | Standard + LMH | 6 | Not posted | — | $0 |
Specialty licenses among them: 1 LNS, 1 LMH.
Which nursing homes are in Lake Wales, and what are their CMS ratings?
Lake Wales has 2 licensed nursing homes with 220 beds in all; 0 of the 1 that CMS rates overall hold four or five stars.
| Facility | CMS overall | Licensed beds | Last CMS inspection | CMS deficiencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groves Center 512 S 11Th St, 33853 | Not rated by CMS | 120 | July 22, 2026 | 20 |
| Lake Wales Care Center 730 N Scenic Hwy, 33853 | 1 of 5 | 100 | June 24, 2024 | 10 |
Do any home health agencies or hospices have offices in Lake Wales?
Yes: 3 licensed home health agencies and 0 licensed hospices list an office in Lake Wales, though agencies routinely serve clients far beyond the office ZIP code.
- L & E Helping Hands LLC — home health agency, AHCA license #299995579
- Schelmety Care Provider Corp — home health agency, AHCA license #299995644
- Visiting Angels Lakeland — home health agency, AHCA license #299996843
Does Lake Wales have adult day care or adult family care homes?
Yes: AHCA lists 0 adult day care centers and 2 adult family care homes in Lake Wales.
- Brody, Merrick James & Voong, Danh Ca (adult family care home, licensed for 3)
- Watts, Felicia A. (adult family care home, licensed for 5)
Has AHCA fined any facility in Lake Wales?
Yes: fines appear on the AHCA profiles of 3 licensed facilities in Lake Wales; the newest was initiated February 29, 2024 against Groves Center.
Every sanction, with date and amount, is on the facility's own page. A fine from years back is not the same as a current problem, so ask what changed after it.
Which hospitals are nearest to Lake Wales?
From the center of Lake Wales's licensed facilities, the nearest acute-care hospitals in CMS's data are AdventHealth Lake Wales (roughly 0.5 miles) and Winter Haven Hospital (roughly 12.3 miles).
Bartow Regional Medical Center is roughly 14.1 miles away. All are straight-line distances, good for comparing but not for estimating drive time.
Where can Lake Wales families get free help for an older relative?
Lake Wales is served by Senior Connection Center, Polk County's Aging and Disability Resource Center (toll-free 1-800-336-2226), which screens for Medicaid long-term care and connects families with meals, respite and in-home services.
Licensing complaints go to AHCA at 1-888-419-3456, suspected abuse to the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873, and facility residents can call the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program at 1-888-831-0404.
