For The Villages families, board & care homes comes down to a handful of practical questions — who's licensed nearby, what it costs in 2026, and how fast a spot can open. We answer those here. We currently track 2 licensed adult family care homes serving The Villages from Florida AHCA records.
What's below: the licensed providers, 2026 The Villages cost ranges, the local hospital and neighborhood context, what to ask on a tour, and how to act fast if a hospital discharge is looming. Prefer to talk it through? Get matched with a free local advisor — no fees, ever.
What board & care homes means — and who it's for
Board and care suits a senior who prefers a small, homelike setting with a handful of residents and a higher caregiver-to-resident ratio over a large community.
How Florida regulates it: Small "board and care" homes in Florida are typically AHCA-licensed assisted living facilities with a handful of beds, or Adult Family Care Homes (AFCH) under Chapter 429, Part II, F.S. — a private home licensed for up to five residents. They trade amenities for a homelike, lower-cost setting.
In The Villages specifically, that means weighing the licensed options against The Villages's cost range and your family's timeline. The right choice balances care level, budget, location near UF Health The Villages Hospital, and how quickly you need a spot.
The Villages board & care homes: by the numbers
2 licensed adult family care homes on file in The Villages; about 10 total licensed beds; averaging 5 beds per community; the largest at 5 beds. These counts come from current Florida AHCA licensing data, not estimates.
Licensed board & care homes providers in The Villages
Selected by licensed bed capacity. From the state's FloridaHealthFinder / AHCA records (2026). Always confirm the current license and bed count at quality.healthfinder.fl.gov first.
| Provider | City | Licensed beds | AHCA license # |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cearley, Amy | Fruitland Pk | 5 beds | 6907157 |
| Thomas, Betty | Fruitland Pk | 5 beds | 6906673 |
Senior care in The Villages, Sumter County
The Villages is one of the largest age-restricted retirement communities in the United States — a self-contained, golf-cart-friendly metropolis of more than 140,000 residents spanning Sumter, Lake, and Marion counties, where the overwhelming majority of residents are over 55. It sits roughly an hour northwest of downtown Orlando. This is Central Florida's retiree mega-anchor: a purpose-built town with its own UF Health hospital, three town squares, and the deepest concentration of independent-living-to-skilled-nursing continuum in the region. Distance from Orlando proper (about 60–75 minutes) makes The Villages a distinct, self-sufficient senior-care market rather than a suburb.
Nearby hospitals: UF Health The Villages Hospital, AdventHealth Waterman (Tavares, nearby), UF Health Leesburg Hospital (nearby). Being near a hospital helps with post-rehab follow-up, sudden memory-care needs, and routine specialist care, so The Villages families weigh drive time to these closely.
Areas families ask about: Spanish Springs, Lake Sumter Landing, Brownwood, Lady Lake, Wildwood.
What board & care homes costs in The Villages (2026)
The Villages pricing runs $2,800–$4,800/month, near the metro average for Central Florida — a reflection of local real-estate and the mix of small residential homes versus larger communities.
- Assisted living (standard): $3,400–$5,400/month
- Memory care: $4,700–$6,900/month
- In-home care: $26–$38/hour
What lowers the bill in The Villages: a shared room (often $700–$1,200/mo less), a small board-and-care home over a large community, right-sizing the care level, and VA Aid & Attendance or Florida's SMMC Long-Term Care Medicaid waiver for those who qualify.
How we vet The Villages providers
- Verified active AHCA licensure and disciplinary status
- Recent survey and complaint history reviewed
- Candid references from families who live it daily
- Itemized monthly cost shared before any tour
- In-person walkthrough notes from our local team
Questions to ask on a tour
- How fast can staff respond to a call button at night?
- What would trigger a move to a higher care level?
- What's the true all-in monthly cost for our parent's needs?
- How are falls and med changes communicated to family?
- How long have caregivers worked here on average?
What's included — and what costs extra
Usually included: a homelike room, all meals, 24/7 caregivers, and personal-care help in a small setting. Typically extra: higher-acuity care and specialized services a small home may not staff for. Ask any The Villages provider for an itemized rate sheet so you can compare apples to apples.
How fast you can move in The Villages
Most The Villages moves come together in 7–14 days once the health assessment, finances, and a physician's order are in hand; a hospital discharge can compress that to 24–72 hours when a bed is open. A free local advisor can tell you which The Villages communities have current openings.
One more The Villages-specific note: availability shifts week to week, and the community that's full today may have an opening next month. A local advisor tracks current The Villages openings so you're never relying on a stale online listing — particularly important for board & care homes, where the right secured or higher-acuity bed can be scarce.