Idaho Residential Alzheimer’s Care (Memory Care): Laws, Costs & Financial Help

Legal Definition of Assisted Living / Memory Care in Idaho

In Idaho, assisted living residences are called residential care facilities. They provide room and board, meals, and assistance with activities of daily living to residents who are elderly or have special care needs. Additional support services include laundry, emergency medical care, first aid and medication management.

Assisted living for people with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia, is often called memory care. For residences to be able to provide memory care, they must have additional safety measures in place. There are training requirements for staff who work with dementia patients.

Idaho’s residential care facilities, as well as its board and care homes, are run by the state’s Department of Health and Welfare. Board and care homes provide the same services as assisted living (including memory care) in a smaller, more home-like setting.

How Much Does Memory Care Cost in Idaho?

The cost of residential care facilities (assisted living) and memory care can vary depending on where in Idaho the residence is located. The table below lists the median monthly cost of both assisted living and memory care facilities in different areas of the state as of 2025. Individuals who are in the early to mid stages of dementia may be best suited for assisted living facilities, which are less expensive than memory care, while those with more severe symptoms or who are in the late stages of dementia will likely need memory care.

For context, the median cost of assisted living across the country in 2025 was $6,200/month, while it was $5,175/month in Idaho in 2025.

Idaho Assisted Living Laws & Regulations

Admissions Process & Requirements

Perspective residents looking at an assisted living facility in Idaho are given the following information in writing:

• List of available services and their purposes
• Any restrictions based on philosophy or religion
• Limitations on delivery of care by staff who are the opposite gender
• Notice of any registered sexual offenders in the residence
• A detailed list of all costs, including basic rates and additional services, supplies, or equipment
• Contact information for the Ombudsman for the Elderly
• Staff guidelines and their qualifications

A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or dementia is not required to move into memory care in Idaho. Dementia can be difficult to diagnose as symptoms change. Treating the symptoms and needs are more important than a diagnosis and will ensure the comfort of your loved one.

Every resident must be assessed before moving into an assisted living facility to determine their unique care needs. Normally these are conducted by a medical professional who works at the residence. The assessment enables the facility to create a personalized plan for care and support. The plan includes:

• Ability to perform activities of daily living and if support is needed
• Health services needed
• Medication assistance needed
• Behavioral symptoms

Each residence is different in terms of covering the evaluation in the base rate or charging a one time fee, called a community fee. These fees cover up-front costs of becoming a resident. This includes the assessment, creation of a care plan, and details like painting and deep cleaning the living unit to get it ready for a new occupant.

As of 2024 in Idaho, you can not be admitted or continue living in a facility who can not meet your needs. Because dementia is a progressive disease, meaning it gets worse as it advances from early to late stages, the residence must anticipate the change of your loved one’s needs.
Additionally, someone with the following health issues may not be admitted into assisted living:

• Requires 24-hour skilled nursing care
• Needs feeding tubes or a catheter
• Requires physical restraints, including bed rails
• Is comatose
• Is on a mechanical breathing system
• Tracheotomy
• Open wounds in need of continuous draining
• Stage III or IV pressure ulcers

Facility

Private living units must be at least 100 square feet, and rooms for two residents must be at least 160 square feet. Two is the maximum number of people allowed in a room. One toilet is required for every six residents and a tub or shower is required for every eight.

Assisted living residences with memory care, must provide communal living areas both inside and outside that are secure. This is for the safety of residents who may be prone to wandering. Look for other design features that benefit people with dementia. They might be using soft paint colors on the walls or circular hallways that do not run into dead ends. Look at the facility’s dementia friendliness to see if your loved one will be comfortable in the spaces before agreeing to move in.

Staff & Training

Staff in assisted living residences who treat memory care patients must complete the following training:

• Dementia symptoms and behaviors
• Communication for people with dementia
• Adjusting residents to new living situations
• Managing behavior
• Assisting with activities of daily living
• Stress reduction

Every residence must have at least one state-licensed administrator who is responsible for organization and administration. This person must be reachable at all times. Additionally, an employee with training in first aid and CPR must be awake and on-duty 24 hours per day. There is no staff-to-resident ratio. Administrators are required to have adequate education and experience to receive a license. This includes at least 200 hours of experience working in assisted living. Twelve hours of continuing education are required annually for administrators. Staff must complete 16 hours of orientation before they may work alone with residents. At least eight hours of training are required annually, and if an assisted living residence serves people with particular health needs, staff must be trained in meeting those needs.

Evictions Rules

In Idaho, 30 days notice is required to evict a resident from assisted living, except in an emergency situation. The reasons a person can be given notice and asked to leave are:

• Physical or mental condition has gotten so bad that care needs can no longer be met there
• Nonpayment of fees

Other possible reasons for eviction may be established in the contract at the time of admission, and it’s important to be familiar with these. Homes can make their own rules about this, but those rules must be written down and agreed upon. Be sure to ask for the specific reasons a person can be evicted before agreeing to a move-in contract. Keep it on file, because unfair evictions can be a problem in assisted living. For information on the next steps to take if your loved one receives an eviction notice, click here.

Financial Assistance for Residential Alzheimer’s Memory Care

Aged and Disabled Waiver

Idaho Medicaid’s Aged and Disabled Waiver (A&D Waiver) will pay for long-term care services and supports for qualified individuals, including dementia patients, who reside in a residential care facility or memory care, as well as their own home or the home of a loved one. Benefits are based on the needs of the individual and they can include adult day health care, skilled nursing, specialized medical equipment, Personal Emergency Response Systems, respite care and personal care assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing, eating, toileting). The A&D Waiver will not pay for room and board expenses.

To qualify for the A&D Waiver, applicants must meet two financial requirements – an asset limit ($2,000 for an individual in 2026) and an income limit ($3,002/month for an individual in 2026) – as well as the medical requirement of needing a Nursing Facility Level of Care (NFLOC). It should be noted that a dementia diagnosis does not guarantee a NFLOC designation. This program has a limited number of enrollment spots (15,095 per year as of 2026) and once those spots are full additional applicants will be placed on a waitlist.

Personal Care Services Program

Idaho Medicaid’s Personal Care Services program will also pay for long-term care for qualified individuals, including dementia patients, who live in a residential care facility, as long as they are paying room and board privately and are not enrolled in any other Medicaid program. Benefits are based on the needs of the individual and they can include medication management, transportation to medical appointments, meal prep, light shopping and personal care assistance with the Activities of Daily Living. The program will not pay for room and board.

To qualify for the Personal Care Services program, applicants must meet two financial requirements – an asset limit ($2,000 for an individual in 2026) and an income limit ($1,047/month for an individual in 2026) – as well as the medical requirement of needing the long-term care provided by the program. The Personal Care Services program is part of Idaho’s state Medicaid program for seniors, also known as Aged, Blind and Disabled (ABD) Medicaid, and all eligible applicants are guaranteed coverage without wait.

Veterans Affairs (VA)

Qualified Idaho veterans (or their surviving spouses) with dementia can also receive financial assistance through a Veterans Affairs (VA) Pension that they could use to pay for assisted living or memory care.

There are three levels of VA Pensions – Basic, Aid & Attendance (A&A) and Housebound. To qualify for any of them, veterans or their surviving spouses need to meet a net worth limit of $163,699 (effective Dec. 1, 2025 – Nov. 30, 2026), which is calculated by adding the total of their assets to their annual income. Some assets are exempt, like a primary home, primary vehicle and household furniture and appliances. VA Pension applicants also have to meet an income limit to be eligible – their income must be less than the VA Pension they are applying for in order for them to qualify. And veterans must meet a military service requirement, which includes not having received a dishonorable discharge.

To qualify for A&A, veterans or their surviving spouses must also meet a medical requirement, which is one of the following must be true:

• They need help to perform the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing/grooming, eating, toileting) OR
• They have to stay in bed for at least a large portion of the day due to illness OR
• They are in a nursing home due to loss of mental or physical abilities OR
• Their eyesight is extremely limited (5/200 or less in both eyes even with glasses or contacts; or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or fewer)

To qualify for Housebound, veterans must spend most of their time in their home due to a permanent disability.

There is no medical requirement for VA Basic Pensions.

Qualified veterans or their surviving spouses are entitled to their Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) minus their annual income. The following MAPRs are effective from Dec. 1, 2025 to Nov. 30, 2026:

VA Basic Pension MAPRs

• Veterans without spouses or children: $17,441
• Veterans with dependent spouses or children: $22,839
• Surviving spouses without dependent children: $11,699
• Surviving spouses with dependent children: $15,311
• Two veterans married to each other: $22,839

VA Aid & Attendance MAPRs

• Veterans without spouses or children: $29,093
• Veterans with dependent spouses or children: $34,488
• Surviving spouses without dependent children a maximum of $18,697
• Surviving spouses with dependent children: $22,304
• Two veterans married to each other and one qualifies for A&A: $33,548
• Two veterans married to each other and one qualifies for A&A and one for Housebound: $38,350
• Two veterans married to each other and both qualify for A&A: $46,143

VA Housebound MAPRs

• Veterans without spouses or children: $21,313
• Veterans with dependent spouses or children: $26,710
• Surviving spouses without dependent children: $14,298
• Surviving spouses with dependent children: $17,902
• Two veterans married to each other and one qualifies for Housebound: $26,710
• Two veterans married to each other and both qualify for Housebound: $30,580
• Two veterans married to each other and one qualifies Housebound and the other for A&A: $38,350

Veterans Homes

There are three veterans’ homes in Idaho, which are facilities providing long-term residential care for veterans. They are in Boise, Lewiston, and Pocatello (in the southeast region of the state). In addition to nursing home care, assisted living and memory care may be provided. Neighboring states also have veterans’ homes. Your loved one might consider looking there for more options as there are no requirements that one must live in the state. For example, Utah has four veterans’ homes statewide. Additionally, Montana has three facilities and Nevada has two. More info.

Supplemental Security Income

Dementia patients age 65 and over with limited income and assets may qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). These funds can be used to pay for the cost of assisted living or memory care. As of 2026, the maximum SSI benefit for an individual is $994/month and for a married couple it’s $1,491/month.

To qualify for SSI, applicants must be age 65 and over or have a significant disability, and they must meet an income limit and an asset limit. As of 2026, individuals may meet the SSI income limit if they earn less than $2,073/month OR they get less than $1,014/month from non-work sources, like Social Security benefits or pension payments. They may meet the SSI asset limit if they have $2,000 or less in countable assets. For couples, the income limit is $3,067/month in work income or $1,511/month in non-work income, and the asset limit is $3,000.

Other Options

1) Elder care loans exist for families to cover the costs of moving into memory care while waiting for other financial resources to become available. For example, if one is waiting for a VA pension to be approved or waiting to sell a home. More on bridge loans for memory care.

2) Some tax credits and deductions can provide financial relief for seniors with dementia and their families. Seniors with limited financial resources can claim the Credit for the Elderly and/or the Disabled, as long as no one can claim them as a dependent. If someone (like an adult child) can claim the senior as a dependent, they can utilize the Child and Dependent Care Credit, and they can deduct any medical or dental expenses they paid for the senior.

3) A reverse mortgage loan can be a viable option for some senior homeowners who are in need of extra income to help pay dementia care. However, reverse mortgages are not recommended for every senior homeowner who needs extra income, so it’s important to consult with a professional before taking out one of these loans.