Free Consultation - Call: 239-590-0861
Free Consultation - Call: 239-590-0861
Proudly serving families in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, and surrounding Southwest Florida communities.
Lee County 211 is a free, confidential helpline run by United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades that connects you with local health and human services: food, rent and utility help, transportation, Medicaid and long-term care programs, caregiver support, and more. Dial 2-1-1 from any local phone, or call 239-433-3900 if 2-1-1 does not connect. It answers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in English and Spanish, and it is for non-emergency needs. For a medical emergency, call 911.
Families in Fort Myers and Cape Coral call our office every week with questions that 211 is built to answer, so this page explains what 211 does, what it does not do, and where a private caregiver fits when a referral is not enough. When you call any of the programs below, let them know Abby Services referred you.
You will speak with a trained Community Resource Specialist who asks about your situation and gives you the names, numbers, and eligibility basics for the programs that fit. You can call on behalf of a parent or neighbor.
211 keeps the county’s most complete directory of assistance programs. The requests we hear most often from older adults and their families:
211 covers everyone. For programs built specifically for people over 60, the other number to know is the Elder Helpline at 866-413-5337, run by the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida. This is the intake point for Florida’s Medicaid long-term care waiver screening, SHINE Medicare counseling, home and community-based care programs, and caregiver support in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, Glades, DeSoto, and Sarasota Counties. If your question is “how do we get help paying for care at home,” call 211 first for the full picture, then the Elder Helpline for the aging-specific programs.
211 is an information and referral line, not a service provider. Knowing its limits saves families a frustrating week:
Most of the families who call us have already called 211 or the Elder Helpline. They got good referrals, and then they hit the gap: the waiver waitlist, an income just over the limit, a program that covers three hours a week when the need is thirty, or a discharge date that will not wait for an application to process. That gap is where a private caregiver comes in.
Abby Services is a nurse-owned, state-licensed nurse registry in Fort Myers. Since 1997 we have matched Southwest Florida families with screened, credentialed private caregivers who are independently employed and directed by the family. Because there is no program to qualify for, care can usually start within days. Families pay privately, and some use long-term care insurance or VA Aid and Attendance to help. If a Medicaid waiver slot comes through later, a private caregiver can bridge the wait or supplement the hours the program covers. Our guide to the cost of in-home care in Fort Myers lays out what to expect.
If you are not sure which way to go, call our office at 239-590-0861. Our RN can help you sort out which public programs are worth applying for and what a private caregiver would cost in the meantime. If a public program is the right answer for your family, we will tell you so and point you back to 211. And when you call 211, the Elder Helpline, or any agency they refer you to, let them know Abby Services referred you.
211 is a free, confidential, 24/7 helpline run by United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades. Trained specialists connect callers with local health and human services such as food, housing and utility assistance, transportation, Medicaid and long-term care programs, caregiver support, and mental health resources. It is for non-emergency needs.
Dial 2-1-1 from any local phone. If that does not connect, or you are calling from a cell phone or from outside Lee, Hendry, and Glades Counties, call 239-433-3900. You can also search the directory online at unitedwaylee.communityos.org.
211 can point you to programs that may help, mainly Florida’s Medicaid long-term care waiver (screened through the Elder Helpline at 866-413-5337) and VA benefits for veterans. It does not fund care itself, and waiver programs often have waiting lists. Families who need care sooner usually pay privately, sometimes with long-term care insurance or VA Aid and Attendance.
211 covers all human services for everyone in Lee, Hendry, and Glades Counties. The Elder Helpline (866-413-5337), run by the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida, handles programs specifically for adults 60 and older, including Medicaid long-term care waiver screening and SHINE Medicare counseling. For a senior’s care needs, it is worth calling both.
Yes. Family members, neighbors, and caregivers call 211 on behalf of others every day. Have the person’s address, a general description of their situation, and any income or insurance details you know so the specialist can match programs accurately.
