Three generations · One family business
The Abby Services Story
A family-owned nurse registry in Fort Myers, helping Southwest Florida families find private caregivers since 1997. Get to know the local team behind every referral.
Every referral is handled by our real Fort Myers office and team—not a call center.
Our story
Family-owned in Fort Myers since 1997
Abby Services is a family-owned nurse registry licensed by Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). We help families find screened, credentialed private caregivers so their loved ones can stay safe and comfortable at home.
Tom Strachan founded Abby Services in 1997 after seeing how hard it was for local families to find dependable, affordable help at home. Today his son, Scott Strachan, RN, BSN, leads the company, and Scott’s son Tate helps with our outreach, making Abby Services a three-generation family business. It’s still run the way Tom started it: honestly, personally, and from a real office in Fort Myers.
Florida nurse registry license NR30211206
Why a yellow rose?
Our name came from a happy mistake. While writing his business plan, Tom was listening to the Beatles’ Abbey Road and misheard the title as “Abby Rose.” A yellow rose symbolizes friendship, so it felt like the perfect symbol for a caregiver referral service. The rest is history.
Our consumer-directed model
We believe families who privately pay for care have the right to decide what help they need, who provides it, and how, when and where it happens.
Our job is to make those decisions easier.
How Abby Services works
Think of us like a realtor for caregivers
A realtor doesn’t build or own the houses they show you. They know the market and help you find the right one. Abby Services works the same way, like a trusted matchmaker for in-home care.
We know the local caregiver market: who’s available, whose experience fits your needs, and what care typically costs in Southwest Florida. Every caregiver we refer meets Florida’s screening and credentialing requirements. You tell us what you need, and we work to find the right match.
- 1
Tell us what you need
Call us or send the consultation form. We’ll ask about the kind of help you’re looking for, your schedule, location and preferences.
- 2
We find a match
We identify an available caregiver whose experience fits your request and share the support you’re looking for, so they can decide if they’re a good fit too.
- 3
Care begins at home
The first visit is your chance to get to know each other. You and your caregiver can talk through how you’d like help provided.
What if it’s not the right fit?
You don’t marry the first person you go on a date with, and the same can be true with caregivers. If your caregiver isn’t working out, let us know and we’ll work to find a better match. You can always request a different caregiver.
We suggest finishing the current visit first, so you both get a fair chance. Sharing your expectations up front is the best way to get a great match from the start.
Short-term or long-term
Some families need help for a day, a week or a month, often after a hospital stay. Others have worked with Abby Services and the caregivers we’ve referred for years.
Whatever you need, we’ll help you find a private caregiver so you or your loved one can stay independent at home.
Our team
The local people behind every referral
When you call Abby Services, you reach our Fort Myers office, not a call center.
Scott Strachan, RN, BSN
Owner & AdministratorScott started with Abby Services as a caregiver and CNA, became a registered nurse working in hospitals across Florida, then came back to lead the family business. That hands-on experience as a caregiver, a nurse and now a business owner still shapes how he approaches every referral.
Scott is serving his second term as Vice President of the Private Care Association of Florida and hosts The Nurse Registry Podcast. He’s also an Eagle Scout, and his son Tate earned his Eagle with Troop 761 at Messiah Lutheran Church in Cape Coral.
More about Scott →Colleen Meyers
Referral CoordinatorColleen is often the friendly voice you hear when you call Abby Services. Since joining the team in 2023, she has helped keep clients, families and caregivers organized, informed and connected.
Originally from New Jersey, just outside Philadelphia, Colleen enjoys helping seniors from all over the country who now call Southwest Florida home. Outside work, she’s a proud grandmother of four.
In memory of our founder
A legacy of care: Tom Strachan
John “Tom” Strachan started Abby Services in 1997 with a simple goal: make it easier for families to find dependable, compassionate caregivers. He built the company on honesty, fairness and real human connection, and he made time for everyone, whether you were a client, a family member or a caregiver.
Tom passed away in 2024 after a long journey with Parkinson’s and dementia. During those years, our own family relied on a caregiver referred through Abby Services for respite, so we know firsthand what families go through. Abby Services is still family-owned and grounded in Tom’s mission: connecting people to care they can count on.
To every client and caregiver who continues this path with us, thank you. You’re part of Tom’s legacy.
Why families choose us
Great caregivers. Great service.
Local since 1997
Nearly 30 years helping families across Lee, Collier and Charlotte Counties. We know the area because we live here.
Screened and credentialed
Before any referral, we verify caregiver credentials and Florida Level 2 background screening.
Led by a nurse
Our owner started as a caregiver and CNA before becoming a registered nurse.
You stay in control
You decide what help you need, and you can request a different caregiver at any time.