Local Ties Senior Advisors · Tom McCahan · Call or text (971) 610-0047 · localtiespdx.com
Paying for care in Oregon.
Most families pay with their own money first. When that runs low, Oregon Medicaid can pay for care at home, in an adult foster home, or in assisted living. Veterans and their spouses may get help from the VA too.
Updated October 2026 · Tom McCahan, registered Oregon long-term care referral agent #2443
A typical month in Portland.
| Type of care | Typical month | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Adult foster home | about $7,000most $5,500–$8,500 | Up to five people in a real house, with caregivers there day and night |
| Assisted living | about $6,900most $5,000–$8,000 | Your own apartment, with help with daily care and medications |
| Memory care | about $8,650most $7,000–$9,500 | A secure setting for dementia, with staff trained for it |
Prices are private pay in the Portland metro, last reviewed October 2026. They are my estimate from the state's own surveys, run by Portland State University for the Oregon Department of Human Services, brought up to date with current industry price data and the rates I've been quoted on my own tours. Survey figures are from 2024 and say so. Every place sets its own prices, so ask me for the real numbers near you.
Your own money, first.
Savings, income, the sale of a house, and long-term care insurance if there's a policy. Most families start here.
Two things worth knowing early. Prices go up every year, so ask each place how much they went up the last few years. And if there's a long-term care policy, find it now and read what it pays for. Some pay for an adult foster home, and some don't.
It pays for care, not just doctors.
Oregon Medicaid can pay for long-term care for someone with low income and few assets who needs help with daily care. It can pay for care at home, in an adult foster home, in assisted living or residential care, in memory care, or in a nursing home.
In a care setting, Medicaid pays for the care. Your family member pays for room and board out of their own income, at an amount the state sets.
Oregon looks back five years at money that was given away or moved. A spouse who stays at home keeps some protections for income and savings. The limits change every year, so get this year's numbers from your local office or an elder law attorney before you move any money.
The private-pay-first trap.
A lot of places say they take Medicaid, but they mean after one or two years of private pay. If the money runs out before then, your family member may have to move.
Ask every place the straight question: will you keep my family member if they go on Medicaid, and after how long? Get the answer in writing. I ask it every time.
Applying for Medicaid takes time, often weeks. Some places will take someone whose application is in. Many won't. That's worth knowing before a hospital discharge, not after.
Where Medicaid goes furthest.
In the state's 2024 surveys, 83% of adult foster homes and 77% of assisted living buildings said they take Medicaid.
Oregon's Medicaid rates for adult foster homes are close to what private-pay families pay, so Medicaid beds in foster homes are easier to find. Memory care in an assisted living building is the hardest to find on Medicaid, because the state's rate there is furthest below private pay.
Oregon Project Independence.
Oregon Project Independence pays for some help at home for people who need it but aren't on regular Medicaid: personal care, help around the house, and some equipment. It's for people 60 and older, and some younger adults with disabilities. You apply through your local Area Agency on Aging.
VA Aid and Attendance.
Wartime veterans, and their surviving spouses, who need help with daily care may get a monthly VA pension with Aid and Attendance on top. It can help pay for care at home, an adult foster home or assisted living.
Apply with a VA-accredited representative. Your county veterans service officer helps for free. Don't pay anyone to apply for you.
Use the free help. It's good.
- Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon: 1-855-673-2372 (1-855-ORE-ADRC). They'll connect you to your local office.
- Your local Aging and People with Disabilities office or Area Agency on Aging: help with Medicaid and Oregon Project Independence applications, at no cost.
- Your county veterans service officer: free help with VA benefits.
Where I come in is the rest of it: what each option means for your family, which places will really take Medicaid, and what to do in what order. I'm not a lawyer. For moving money or protecting a house, I'll send you to an elder law attorney.
Not sure where your family fits?
Call or text. We'll work out which of these could apply, and who can help with each one for free.