Lakeland Senior AdvisorWhich kinds of senior care can Polk County families choose from?
Eight, broadly: assisted living, memory care (inside assisted living), the small adult family care homes, nursing homes, care at home from agencies or hired caregivers, adult day centers, hospice, and independent or 55+ housing, which in Polk includes two life plan communities in Lakeland.
Each guide below explains what the license allows, what it costs at Florida's 2025 medians, and how many licenses AHCA lists in Polk County.
How do we choose the right type of care?
Match the care to the problem you are trying to solve: help every day suggests assisted living; wandering or unsafe confusion, memory care; nursing needed at all hours, a nursing home; a few uncovered weekday hours, adult day care; and planning ahead while still healthy, a life plan community.
Our comparisons put two options side by side, and the situation guides begin from what just happened.
Which care types require an AHCA license?
Anything that delivers care does: ALFs, adult family care homes, adult day centers, nursing homes, home health agencies, nurse registries and hospices are all AHCA-licensed, while housing alone (independent living, 55+ parks) is not, and a life plan community's contracts sit under an OIR certificate.
Any of these licenses can be checked on AHCA's FloridaHealthFinder locator.
Which care types will Medicare or Florida Medicaid pay for?
Medicare pays for medical episodes: rehab after a qualifying hospital stay, part-time skilled home health and hospice; Florida Medicaid's long-term care program pays for ongoing care, in nursing homes or through home and community-based services that include assisted living services (never the rent and meals).
OSS can help low-income ALF and adult family care home residents with room and board, and VA pension with Aid and Attendance can help eligible veterans and survivors with any of these costs.
All care types guides
Assisted living in Polk County
What an AHCA-licensed assisted living facility provides in Polk County, who it serves, and what it costs at Florida's 2025 median.
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Memory care in Polk County
Memory care inside Florida assisted living, the s. 429.178 standard, the new memory care services license, and how to evaluate a Polk County unit.
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Nursing homes in Polk County
What Florida nursing homes provide, how CMS rates the ones in Polk County, what Medicare and Medicaid pay, and Florida's 2025 cost medians.
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In-home care in Polk County
Medicare home health, private-duty and companion care, how Florida licenses home care providers, and the 2025 Florida hourly median, for Polk County families.
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Hospice care in Polk County
Who qualifies for hospice, what Medicare covers, hospice inside assisted living under s. 429.26, and the AHCA-licensed hospices based in Polk County.
Open the guide →Adult day care in Polk County
What AHCA-licensed adult day care centers provide, Florida's 2025 median of about $75 a day, and the adult day care centers licensed in Polk County.
Open the guide →Independent living and 55+ communities
How independent living, 55+ communities and life plan communities differ under Florida law, why none need an AHCA license, and where care comes from later, for Polk County retirees.
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