Live-In Caregivers in Fort Meade, FL: 24-Hour Home Care

Local figures

Live-In Caregivers in Fort Meade, FL: the local picture

249

residents 85 or older (4.8% of all residents)

751

households headed by someone 65+ own their home (84%)

57%

of Fort Meade homes have 3 or more bedrooms (63% in Polk County)

$15.00

Florida minimum wage per hour

About 249 Fort Meade residents are 85 or older. Live-in care is most often arranged for this age group, when help is needed through the day and someone should be close at night.

A live-in caregiver needs a private room. 57% of homes in Fort Meade have three or more bedrooms (63% in Polk County), while 7.3% have one bedroom or none, where live-in care rarely works; the median home has 5.3 rooms.

Of Fort Meade households headed by someone 65 or older, 751 own their home and 148 rent; among householders 85 and older it is 203 owners and 15 renters. Renters should check that the lease allows another adult to live in before anyone moves in.

Fort Meade compared with Polk County and Florida

Census figure	Fort Meade	Polk County	Florida
Residents 85 or older	4.8%	2.1%	2.6%
Residents 65+ in households who live alone	35%	24%	25%
Residents 65+ with a disability	44%	32%	31%
Residents 65+ below the poverty line (approx.)	18%	12%	12%
Residents 65 or older	25%	20%	21%
Residents 5+ who speak a language other than English at home	26%	28%	31%
Median income, households headed by someone 65+	$32,736	$50,939	—

Older residents in towns around Fort Meade

Town	Distance	Residents 65+	Residents 85+
Bartow, FL	8.4 mi	3,376	576
Alturas, FL	9.2 mi	851	9
Crooked Lake Park, FL	14 mi	352	26
Wahneta, FL	14 mi	384	0
Highland City, FL	14 mi	1,941	56
Eagle Lake, FL	15 mi	217	15

Emergency hospitals near Fort Meade

Hospital with an emergency department	Town	Distance	CMS overall rating	Phone
Bartow Regional Medical Center	Bartow, FL	9.0 mi	3 of 5	(863) 533-8111
Adventhealth Wauchula	Wauchula, FL	15 mi	not rated	(863) 773-3101
Adventhealth Lake Wales	Lake Wales, FL	16 mi	2 of 5	(863) 676-1433

Straight-line miles from the center of Fort Meade. Medicare (CMS) data, October 2026; call ahead to confirm. We are not affiliated with these providers.

What it covers

What a live-in caregiver can help with

Help across the day: meals, housekeeping, personal care
Someone in the home overnight if help is needed
Medication reminders and appointment rides
Companionship and a steady routine

Cost

What live-in care costs in Fort Meade

Live-in pay is often agreed by the day or week, but every hour worked counts toward minimum wage. At $16.25 an hour (the Florida median aide wage), a live-in caregiver paid for 50 hours a week costs about $3,521 a month (129% of the $2,728 monthly median income of Fort Meade households headed by someone 65+). Round-the-clock shift care, 168 paid hours a week across two or three caregivers, comes to about $11,830 a month (434% of the $2,728 monthly median income of Fort Meade households headed by someone 65+). Private rates are agreed with the caregiver, and overtime rules can add to both. Florida's minimum wage rose to $15.00 an hour on September 30, 2026, under Article X, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution.

Hiring directly, you agree the rate with the caregiver and usually become the household employer (U.S. Department of Labor rules). Some families qualify for programs that pay for care at home; see How to get paid to take care of a family member in Florida: SMMC LTC and the PDO.

Before you hire

What to know before hiring a live-in caregiver

Put the arrangement in writing: hours on duty, sleep time, days off, the room and pay (federal rules: DOL Fact Sheet 79B).

Questions worth asking: Have you lived in with a client before, and for how long? What days off and sleep time do you need? How do you handle being woken at night? More in our live-in caregivers guide.

CaregiverConnect does not run background checks. Check identity, references and any certification yourself before anyone starts. The Safety Center explains how.

Questions

Live-In Caregivers in Fort Meade: common questions

Where is the nearest emergency hospital to Fort Meade?

Bartow Regional Medical Center in Bartow, about 9.0 mi in a straight line from the center of Fort Meade (Medicare hospital file). Its listed phone number is (863) 533-8111. In an emergency, call 911.

How much does live-in care cost in Fort Meade?

Live-in pay is often agreed by the day or week, but every hour worked counts toward minimum wage. At $16.25 an hour (the Florida median aide wage), a live-in caregiver paid for 50 hours a week costs about $3,521 a month (129% of the $2,728 monthly median income of Fort Meade households headed by someone 65+). Round-the-clock shift care, 168 paid hours a week across two or three caregivers, comes to about $11,830 a month (434% of the $2,728 monthly median income of Fort Meade households headed by someone 65+). Private rates are agreed with the caregiver, and overtime rules can add to both. Florida's minimum wage rose to $15.00 an hour on September 30, 2026, under Article X, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution.

Live-in or 24-hour care in Fort Meade?

A live-in caregiver sleeps in the home and has protected sleep and break time. 24-hour care uses two or three caregivers in shifts so someone is always awake; in Fort Meade it costs more than three times as much a month (see the cost section above). Choose shifts if help is needed several times a night.

More near Fort Meade

More senior care near Fort Meade

Live-In Caregivers in nearby cities

Other care in Fort Meade

More for Fort Meade families

Sources

Census ACS 2020–2024 5-year; CMS provider data (October 25, 2026); U.S. DOL state minimum wages (July 1, 2026); BLS OEWS May 2025 aide wages, which cover employed aides rather than private rates.

Live-In Caregivers in Fort Meade, FL