Nursing homes and assisted living in Minnesota

Looking for a care setting for your mom or dad in Minnesota is easier when you understand the names the state uses. Here we explain the basics so you can compare options at your own pace.

What care settings are called here

• Assisted Living Facility: what we usually call assisted living, or a retirement home with help. The person lives in their own room or apartment and gets support with bathing, dressing, meals, and medications.
• Assisted Living Facility with Dementia Care: assisted living with a special license for people with Alzheimer's or another dementia, also known as memory care.
• Nursing home: provides 24-hour nursing care for people who need constant medical care.
• Adult Foster Care: a licensed family home where a few adults live and get personal care.
• Adult Day Services: day centers where your loved one spends the day with others and comes home to sleep.

Since August 2021, assisted living has needed a license from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), which also oversees nursing homes. Adult foster care homes and adult day centers are licensed by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS).

How Medicaid helps in Minnesota

In Minnesota, Medicaid is called Medical Assistance (MA). It covers nursing home care for people who meet the medical and financial requirements.

For people 65 or older who would rather not move to a nursing home, there is the Elderly Waiver (EW). A waiver is a Medicaid program that pays for services outside a nursing home. The EW can pay for customized living, which means care services inside a participating assisted living facility. It can also pay for adult day care, help at home, home-delivered meals, and respite care for the caregiver. In general, Medicaid pays for care but not for rent or meals.

To apply, you submit the Medical Assistance application for long-term care to your county agency or your tribal nation. If you have questions, the Minnesota Aging Pathways line (formerly the Senior LinkAge Line) offers free guidance.

How much care costs in Minnesota

According to the CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 (tables published on March 2, 2026), the median costs in Minnesota are:

• Assisted living (private one-bedroom unit): $6,573 a month.
• Nursing home, semi-private room: $350 a day (about $10,646 a month).
• Nursing home, private room: $456 a day (about $13,870 a month).
• Home caregiver (non-medical): $44 an hour.
• Adult day care: $120 a day.

These are medians. Each place sets its price based on the room, the city, and the services.

Who to call

• Minnesota Aging Pathways (formerly the Senior LinkAge Line): 1-800-333-2433. Free information about services, Medicaid, and care options.
• Office of Ombudsman for Long-Term Care: 1-800-657-3591 or 651-431-2555. The ombudsman is a free advocate for residents who helps answer questions and solve problems with care.
• MDH assisted living unit: 651-201-4200, for questions about licenses.
• Eldercare Locator (national): 1-800-677-1116.

Tips for your family

• Check the license with the MDH provider search. For adult foster care and adult day centers, use the DHS Licensing Lookup.
• If there is memory loss, ask whether the place has the with Dementia Care license. That license shows the staff are prepared for this kind of care.
• Review the inspection results the MDH publishes. They are a normal tool to learn how each place works and to ask good questions when you visit.
• Ask whether the place accepts the Elderly Waiver before you sign. Not all assisted living facilities take part.
• Don't hesitate to ask for an interpreter at the county agency or when you visit a place, so you understand each step.

This page is for information only and does not replace medical or legal advice. Confirm the requirements with the right agency. On hogaresparamayores.com, you can see the directory of places in Minnesota below.