Montana Assisted Living: How to Find the Right Community

What assisted living means in Montana

Assisted living is designed for adults who want to keep as much independence as possible while getting reliable help with everyday tasks. That usually includes meals, housekeeping, medication reminders or assistance, help with bathing or dressing, and a staffed setting where someone can respond if a resident needs support. It sits between living fully independently at home and needing a skilled nursing facility for round-the-clock clinical care.

Families in Montana often start searching after a fall, a hospital discharge, progressive memory changes, or when caregivers at home are exhausted. The right community should match the person’s care needs, personality, budget, and preferred town—not just the first place with an open bed.

Montana Assisted Living is an independent referral service. We are not a care provider and we do not operate facilities. We maintain a statewide list of licensed communities, help you clarify needs, check availability by phone, and support tours and move-in planning. Families do not pay us for this help.

How Montana licenses assisted living

Licensing matters because it sets the rules for staffing, resident rights, medication practices, and the kinds of care a home may offer. In Montana, the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), through its Licensure Bureau, licenses Assisted Living Facilities under the Administrative Rules of Montana, Title 37, chapter 106, subchapter 28.

Older Montana statutes also referred to personal-care facilities with Category A and Category B designations. Today’s assisted living rules organize facilities into Categories A, B, C, and D, reflecting different levels of resident need:

• Category A — Typical assisted living for residents who need personal care but generally do not require ongoing skilled nursing, restraints, or full medication administration by staff beyond allowed assistance.
• Category B — Allows care for residents with higher medical needs (within the scope of the license), including situations that may involve skilled nursing or medication assistance beyond Category A limits, subject to DPHHS rules and facility policies.
• Category C — Intended for residents with severe cognitive impairment who need a secure or specialized memory-care setting, with additional requirements for that level of care.
• Category D — A newer intensive assisted living category aimed at more complex behavioral and neurocognitive needs that fall between standard assisted living and inpatient psychiatric care.

When you tour, ask which category beds the community is licensed for, how they assess new residents, and what would trigger a move to a higher level of care. You can also review licensing information through DPHHS. License status and surveys change, so confirm details before you decide.

Related reading: our overview of Montana care facilities compares assisted living with personal care homes, memory care, and skilled nursing.

Typical costs of assisted living in Montana

Cost is one of the first questions families ask, and the honest answer is that rates vary widely by community, room type, and care level. A useful statewide benchmark comes from the CareScout Cost of Care Survey (CareScout publishes the long-term care cost data formerly associated with Genworth).

In the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care data for Montana, the median annual cost for an assisted living community is about $72,900, which is roughly $6,075 per month. For context, the 2024 Genworth/CareScout Montana median was about $73,605 per year (around $6,134 per month). National medians move each year as well, so treat these figures as planning anchors, not quotes.

What usually changes the monthly bill:

• Private studio or one-bedroom versus a shared room
• Memory care or higher care tiers
• Medication management, incontinence care, or two-person assists
• Community location (resort and growing metro areas often price higher)
• Second-person fees if a couple moves in together

Ask for a written rate sheet, a list of what is included, and how care-level increases are billed. Compare total expected monthly cost, not only the base rent.

Medicaid and the Big Sky Waiver

Private pay and long-term care insurance cover many Montana assisted living stays. Some families also explore Medicaid. Montana’s primary pathway for Medicaid support in community residential settings is the Big Sky Waiver (BSW), a Home and Community-Based Services waiver administered through DPHHS Senior and Long-Term Care.

In broad terms, Big Sky Waiver eligibility typically requires financial eligibility for Medicaid, age 65+ or meeting Social Security Administration disability criteria, a need that can be met through waiver services, and a nursing-facility level of care determination. The program helps people who would otherwise need institutional care remain in community settings when appropriate.

Important limits families should know:

• Medicaid generally covers approved care services, not room and board.
• The Big Sky Waiver often has a waiting list.
• The facility must be appropriately licensed for the member’s needs.
• Application and level-of-care steps involve Mountain Pacific Quality Health and the Office of Public Assistance.

We help Medicaid and Big Sky Waiver families at no cost. For eligibility questions, also contact your local Area Agency on Aging or the resources listed on the DPHHS Big Sky Waiver page.

How to choose an assisted living community

A good search is structured. Rushing after a hospital discharge is common, but a short checklist still protects your family.

1. Define care needs. Mobility, memory, medications, night-time needs, and behaviors matter more than décor.
2. Set a realistic budget. Include care fees and what happens if needs increase.
3. Pick geography. Being near adult children or a familiar clinic often outweighs a longer drive to a prettier campus.
4. Confirm license and specialty. Ask about Category A/B/C/D beds and memory-care capability.
5. Tour more than once if you can. Visit at a meal time. Watch how staff speak to residents.
6. Ask about openings in real time. Online directories go stale; we call communities to confirm.
7. Read the resident agreement. Look at discharge criteria, rate increases, and refund policies.
8. Talk with current families when the community allows it.

If you want a second set of hands, tell us what you need and we will shortlist options that fit.

Assisted living by major Montana city

Below is a static snapshot of licensed communities in Montana’s largest cities from our statewide directory of more than 200 facilities. Names and bed counts come from licensing and public listing data we maintain; availability changes and must be confirmed. For the full searchable list, open the Montana assisted living directory.

Missoula (17 communities)

• At Home Also (20 beds · Medicaid waiver)
• At Home Assisted Living (20 beds · Medicaid waiver)
• Edgewood Missoula Senior Living LLC (25 beds · Memory care · Medicaid waiver)
• Flor-Haven Home (PC) (Medicaid waiver)
• Missoula ALF Operations, LLC
• Missoula Valley Senior Living (120 beds)
• NorthCare Missoula A (34 beds · Memory care · Medicaid waiver)
• NorthCare Missoula B (34 beds · Memory care · Medicaid waiver)
• Quality Assisted Care Inc, Bee Hive Homes of Missoula #1 (73 beds · Memory care · Medicaid waiver)
• Quality Assisted Care Inc, Bee Hive Homes of Missoula #4 (73 beds · Memory care · Medicaid waiver)
• Quality Assisted Care Inc. Bee Hive Homes of Missoula #5 (73 beds · Memory care · Medicaid waiver)
• Quality Assisted Care Inc., Bee Hive Homes of Missoula #2 (73 beds · Memory care · Medicaid waiver)
• Quality Assisted Care Inc., Bee Hive Homes of Missoula #3 (73 beds · Memory care · Medicaid waiver)
• Senescence Care Inc. (8 beds · Medicaid waiver)
• Senescence Care The Vista's House (8 beds · Medicaid waiver)
• Springs at Missoula (79 beds · Memory care)
• The Village Senior Residence (112 beds · Memory care)

Billings (41 communities)

• Aspen Meadows ALF Operations, LLC
• Autumn Care Center Personal Care (Medicaid waiver)
• Autumn Springs Assisted Living (Medicaid waiver)
• Butterfly Homes
• Butterfly Homes II
• Canyon Creek Memory Care Community (Memory care)
• Cashmur Assisted Living (Medicaid waiver)
• Constant Care of Montana
• Edgewood Billings Senior Living, LLC
• Gallaghers Assisted Living (Medicaid waiver)
• Gallaghers Assisted Living II (Medicaid waiver)
• Gallaghers Assisted Living III (Medicaid waiver)
• Good Day Assisted Living (Medicaid waiver)
• Highgate Billings LP (Memory care)
• Langemo Cottage at St Johns (Memory care)
• Liggett Cottage (Medicaid waiver)
• Moorberg Cottage at St Johns (Memory care)
• Morning Star of Billings - ALF
• Nefzger Cottage (Medicaid waiver)
• Right Heart Assisted Living Facility (Memory care)
• Right Heart Memory Care (Memory care)
• SkyRidge Cottage 1 (Medicaid waiver)
• SkyRidge Cottage 2 (Medicaid waiver)
• Tendernest 1B
• Tendernest 6B
• Tendernest 7B
• Tendernest LLC 2B
• Tendernest LLC 3B
• Tendernest LLC 4B
• Tendernest LLC 5B
• The Legacy Assisted Living (Medicaid waiver)
• The Springs at Grand Park
• TLC Assisted Living (Medicaid waiver)
• Tree Of Life Care Group LLC (Medicaid waiver)
• TSMM Management, LLC DBA Primrose of Billings
• Villa at River Ridge
• Vista at Mission Ridge (Medicaid waiver)
• Westpark Village
• Wyndstone (Medicaid waiver)
• Your Home Away from Home Assisted Living (Medicaid waiver)
• Your Home Away From Home II (Medicaid waiver)

Bozeman (8 communities)

• Birchwood at Hillcrest
• Bozeman Lodge
• Brookdale Springmeadows
• High Country Care (Medicaid waiver)
• Highgate Senior Living (Memory care)
• HSRE Springs VII LLC DBA Springs at Bozeman
• Hyalite Care (Medicaid waiver)
• Spring Creek Inn Memory Care Community (Memory care)

Kalispell (10 communities)

• Echoview Assisted Living, LLC
• Edgewood Kalispell Senior Living LLC
• Friendship House Inc. (Medicaid waiver)
• Immanuel Living d/b/a The Terraces at Buffalo Hill
• Kalispell Community Healthcare LLC
• Renaissance Senior Care - Liberty (Medicaid waiver)
• Tenderheart Senior Living Inc dba Bee Hive Homes of Kalispell 2 (Memory care)
• Tenderheart Senior Living Inc dba Bee Hive Homes of Kalispell 3 (Memory care)
• Tenderheart Senior Living Inc. dba Bee Hive Homes of Kalispell (Memory care)
• WEL-Life at Kalispell

Great Falls (25 communities)

• Azalea Place Adult Family Home Inc.
• BeeHive Homes of Great Falls II Clover Home
• BeeHive Homes of Great Falls II Fireweed Home
• BeeHive Homes of Great Falls II Huckleberry Home
• BeeHive Homes of Great Falls II Linden Home
• BeeHive Homes of Great Falls II Maple Home
• BeeHive Homes of Great Falls II Mesquite Home
• BeeHive Homes of Great Falls II Pine Tree Home
• BeeHive Homes of Great Falls II Sage Home
• Bluebird Assisted Living (Medicaid waiver)
• Goldstone (Medicaid waiver)
• Great Falls Plaza dba Golden Eagle Plaza (Medicaid waiver)
• Headwaters Assisted Living, LLC (Medicaid waiver)
• Highgate Great Falls
• Hosanna Assisted Living Home (Medicaid waiver)
• Lodge Senior Living Community
• Meadowlark Assisted Living (Medicaid waiver)
• MT Gems Inc. dba Ruby House (Medicaid waiver)
• MT Gems Inc. dba Sapphire House
• Park View Assisted Living (Medicaid waiver)
• Rainbow Senior Living of Great Falls (Medicaid waiver)
• Renaissance Senior Care - Clark (Medicaid waiver)
• Renaissance Senior Care - Lewis (Medicaid waiver)
• Rivers Edge Assisted Living (Medicaid waiver)
• The Timbers and Reflections at The Grandview at Benefis (Memory care)

Helena (16 communities)

• Caslen Living Centers Inc. dba Son Heaven Assisted Living I (Medicaid waiver)
• Caslen Living Centers Inc. dba Son Heaven Assisted Living II (Medicaid waiver)
• Edgewood Helena Senior Living LLC
• Masonic Home of Montana (Medicaid waiver)
• Quality Senior Care LLC DBA Bee Hive Homes of Helena #11
• Quality Senior Care LLC DBA Bee Hive Homes of Helena #13
• Quality Senior Care LLC DBA Bee Hive Homes of Helena #16
• Quality Senior Care LLC DBA Bee Hive Homes of Helena #18
• Quality Senior Care LLC DBA Bee Hive Homes of Helena #9 (Medicaid waiver)
• Quality Senior Care LLC dba Bee Hive Homes of Helena (North)
• Renaissance Senior Care - Helena (Medicaid waiver)
• Renaissance Senior Care - Stone Meadow (Medicaid waiver)
• Renaissance Senior Care Wildwood North (Medicaid waiver)
• Renaissance Senior Care Wildwood South (Medicaid waiver)
• Sharon's Sunshine Care LLC (Medicaid waiver)
• Touchmark on Saddle Drive

Butte (6 communities)

• Bee Hive Homes of Butte, Inc
• Bee Hive Homes of Butte, Inc.
• Bee Hive Homes of Butte, Inc.
• Big Sky Senior Living
• Big Sky Senior Living
• Springs at Butte

This list is not exhaustive of every town in Montana. Browse all counties or ask us to check openings near a specific address.

Frequently asked questions