Boise Senior Advisor
What does Boise Senior Advisor do?
Boise Senior Advisor is a free referral and advisory service that helps families find assisted living, memory care, nursing homes and home care in Boise and the surrounding Treasure Valley counties of Ada, Canyon, Gem, Boise and Owyhee.
We publish what Idaho's rules require, what the published cost data really shows, and every licensed assisted living facility with its state survey history. Then a local advisor helps you narrow the list. Communities pay us a referral fee when a family we introduced moves in; that is why you pay nothing, and we would rather you hear it from us first.
How many older adults and licensed care options does the Treasure Valley have?
The five counties counted about 152,571 residents aged 65 and older on July 1, 2025 in Census Bureau estimates, and IDHW licenses 93 senior-serving residential assisted living facilities there, alongside 24 CMS-certified nursing homes.
| County | Age 65+ | Share 65+ | Senior RALFs | With secured beds | Nursing homes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ada County | 98,764 | 18.1% | 65 | 38 | 14 |
| Canyon County | 43,140 | 15.7% | 25 | 15 | 7 |
| Gem County | 5,462 | 25.1% | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Boise County | 2,660 | 31.1% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Owyhee County | 2,545 | 20.1% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 county population estimates by age (July 1, 2025). Licenses: IDHW RALF search retrieved November 6, 2026; CMS Care Compare.
How is assisted living and memory care licensed in Idaho?
Assisted living is a residential assisted living facility (RALF) licensed by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare under IDAPA 16.03.22, and memory care is a set of secured beds inside a licensed RALF rather than a license of its own.
Idaho sets no numeric staffing ratio but requires awake overnight staff, a nurse visit at least every 90 days and 16 hours of training before a caregiver works alone. Read how the license works and how to read a survey record.
What does senior care cost in Idaho?
CareScout's 2025 Idaho medians run about $5,175 a month for assisted living and $10,494 for a semi-private nursing home room, with home care at $38 an hour; there is no published Boise figure and no memory care figure.
Idaho Medicaid can pay for care in assisted living that accepts it, but not room and board. See costs and payment help.
Where should a Boise family begin?
Begin with what just happened, not with a care type: a hospital discharge, a fall, a dementia diagnosis, a worn-out caregiver or shrinking savings each lead to different first steps, and our situation guides take them one at a time.
What we are, and what we are not
| Boise Senior Advisor is | Boise Senior Advisor is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free to families; communities pay a referral fee | Billed to you now or later |
| Data | IDHW license and survey records and CMS Care Compare | Paid placements or scraped listings |
| Ratings | CMS stars and IDHW awards, labelled as theirs | Scores we made up |
| Affiliation | An independent referral service | A government office or the Area Agency on Aging |
