Memory Care in Montana

Montana, or “Big Sky Country” as it’s often called, is an ideal retirement destination for seniors looking for a relatively quiet lifestyle paired with truly breathtaking scenery and plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities. Eastern Montana is part of the Great Plains and has a distinctive mixed landscape of vast prairies, buttes, and bluffs, which is also captured by the area known as the “Missouri Breaks” in the north central part of the state. However, it’s western Montana — with several subranges of the Rocky Mountains — that draws most of the state’s tourists. Its two national parks, Glacier in the northwest and Yellowstone in the southwest, feature some of the country’s best opportunities for sightseeing and hiking. Montana is also home to charming, quaint cities like Missoula, home of the University of Montana, and Bozeman, a top destination for fans of skiing and outdoor recreation.

Currently, A Place for Mom partners with more than 10 senior living communities in Montana that provide memory care.

The median monthly cost of memory care in Montana is about $5,600.

Memory care in Montana is provided in an assisted living facility (ALF) designated as a category C facility. Facilities categorized as a C facility are certified to provide specialty care to residents with dementia or cognitive impairments.^[01]

Regulations specific to category C facilities include the following:^[02]

• An administrator of a category C facility must have three years of experience working with disabled geriatric residents or have the equivalent education and training.
• Staff must be trained in techniques to minimize wandering and working with individuals who experience hallucinations, and impairment of senses.
• Staff must be trained in therapeutic programming to support resident functioning.
• Staff must be ready to provide supervision and care 24 hours a day.
• Facilities must identify and alleviate risks specific to behaviors of individuals living with dementia.
• Facilities with a separate, locked unit for individuals with dementia or cognitive impairments must provide dining and activities areas for that unit.

All assisted living facilities are licensed and regulated by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS). This means that category C facilities in Montana must also adhere to the rules and regulations that govern non-dementia category A and B facilities. Examples of these guidelines include the following:^[03]

• Personal care assistance must be provided according to a resident’s needs and care plan.
• No more than four residents may reside in a single room.
• A resident who uses a wheelchair must be provided a room that is on the first floor.
• Facilities must provide laundry services.
• Temperatures in a resident’s room must never be below 68 degrees.

Our Overview of assisted living in Montana provides additional information about assisted living regulations.

Montana memory care violations and licensing information

All categories of assisted living facilities in Montana are required to have a license to operate. Licenses are regulated by the DHHS who conducts surveys every one to three years depending on a facility’s renewal date.

To review a facility’s licensing status and violation history, use the DHHS reports tool. The following tips can help you find information on specific facilities:

• Enter facility name, address, or city to narrow search.
• Choose “Assisted Living Facility” from the “License Type” drop down box.
• Click “search” in upper right corner.
• From the list, choose the facility you wish to review.
• Click the “view” icon to review facility survey results.

Montana Department of Health and Human Services contact information

Montana Department of Health and Human Services
111 North Sanders
Helena, Montana 59601
Phone: 404-444-5622

Resources for seniors in Montana

Montana Long-Term Care Ombudsman
1100 N. Last Chance Gulch, 4th Floor
Helena, Montana 59601
Phone: 866-485-9393