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Portland is a charming, vibrant city for seniors to spend their retirement years. A Place for Mom partners with 80 memory care facilities in the Portland Metropolitan Area, giving your loved one a perfect place to receive specialized care amid all that the city has to offer. If your loved one needs a dementia-trained caregiver, you’ll find all this and more at one of our partnering memory care facilities in Portland.
In this guide, we explore our in-network memory care communities within a 10-mile radius of downtown Portland. We detail what to expect in these local communities, sharing proprietary data and reviews from real residents. We go over baseline and common additional costs, along with how people might cover these expenses. We also share local and state-specific regulations for memory care facilities, senior resources in Portland, and Portland attractions favored by local seniors.
Types of care available in Portland, OR
Memory Care
My mother really likes being at Clearwater Springs Assisted Living community. She has friends that she dines with and the staff are caring and friendly. However, I do think cleaning of halls could be better.
So far Cornell Estates has been great. It's a very welcoming and upbeat place. The other residents seem happy to be there and are friendly. And there is a variety of activities offered.
Amazingly kind and friendly staff, great communication and openness to services. Great care given to each resident. I would highly recommend this facility to others.
319 NE Russet St, Portland, OR 97211
This place is in a lovely residential neighborhood and has recently been remodeled. It's clean and upbeat and the staff all seem to really enjoy working there. The residents seem happy.
2545 SW Terwilliger Blvd, Portland, OR 97201
We lead a double life of cosmopolitan urbanity and rugged naturalism. Terwilliger Plaza is simultaneously located in the heart of one of the most visionary cities in North America and cradled by the natural beauty of some of the nation’s most breathtaking countryside. Sweeping views of the...
420 NE Mason St, Portland, OR 97211
Irvington Village is far more than a stand-alone assisted livingresidence. Aware of the needs of seniors in its neighborhood, adjacentIrvington Covenant Church partnered with Covenant Retirement Communitiesto develop a culturally responsive residence where retirees could enjoya community of their...
420 Ne Mason, Portland, OR 97212
3060 Southeast Stark Street, Portland, OR 97214
Welcome to Laurelhurst Village. Step into the elegance of the past at Laurelhurst Village a classically inspired Senior Care Community. Nestled in the Laurelhurst neighborhood, Laurelhurst Village represents a tradition of caring for you or a loved one that needs supportive care. We offer...
1337 SW Washington St, Portland, OR 97205
An historical building in downtown Portland, The Taft Home is more than just apartments. This Residential Care Facility opens its doors to individuals with special needs who are physically, mentally, intellectually, socially, or emotionally impaired, resulting in the inability to live...
1234 North State Street, Bellingham, WA 98225
1234 North State Street, Bellingham, WA 98225
15 SE 55th Ave, Portland, OR 97215
Laurelhurst House is an assisted living community with 38 studio apartment units averaging about 350 square feet each. We are located in the Mt. Tabor/Laurelhurst neighborhoods and are close to shopping and other conveniences. Each apartment contains a large handicapped accessible bathroom and...
800 NW 25th Ave, Portland, OR 97210
Arbor Senior Living in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon is a quiet memory care community with a country-like feel to it. Thanks to its bright, sunny setting, beautiful landscaping, majestic trees, and enticing courtyard, the community is one that offers all of the privacy and independence of a...
3102 SE Holgate Blvd, Portland, OR 97202-3459
1325 SW Gibbs Street, Portland, OR 97239
3560 SE 79th, Portland, OR 97206
10801 NE Weidler, Portland, OR 97220
2566 Se 109th Avenue, Portland, OR 97266
9121 North Burr Avenue, Portland, OR 97203
13007 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97230
8014 SE Lambert St., Portland, OR 97206
12221 SE Kelly St, Portland, OR 97236
500 Main St, Vancouver, WA 98660
Located in historic downtown Vancouver, The Evergreen Inn was built in 1928 to serve as an elegant lodging and entertainment center. Still a proud landmark and just minutes from shopping, medical services and cultural events, it's now a lively assisted living community for people...
12032 SE Holgate, Portland, OR 97266
12711 SE Holgate Blvd, Portland, OR 97236
Golden Acres Retirement Center, located in Dallas, Texas is a one-of-a-kind rehabilitation and living center for the elderly. We offer in-house, state of the art therapy, and a caring, dedicated staff. Our services assist the elderly in nurses, doctors, rehabilitation therapists and facilities...
410 W 13th St, Vancouver, WA 98660
5732 SE 122nd Ave, Portland, OR 97236
Our philosophy of care forms the foundation of Clarendon Court Alzheimer's residence. We believe that: Each resident deserves to be accepted just as he or she is, with no expectation placed on the resident to behave or perform in a certain manner. - Daily activity opportunities must be...
6921 N Roberts Ave, Portland, OR 97203
Harvest Homes is located on 2 ½ acres in the historic St. Johns area of North Portland. We offer three different living situations for older adults: Assisted Living Apartments, Residential Care, and a Special Care Unit for those with Alzheimer ’s disease or other dementias. These different...
From 2022-2023, partnering memory care communities in Portland cost an average of $5,593 per month.[01] Memory care can be more expensive than assisted living due to the specialized care services. Note that the above figure represents what real families at our partner memory care communities actually paid, including additional care and service fees. These additional fees might include the following common expenses:[01]
Compared to the national average, costs of living in Portland are 24% higher. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the following is true of aged 60+ retirees in Portland:
It helps to retire into a memory care facility understanding how your state taxes Social Security and retirement income. Retired seniors benefit from the fact that neither Oregon nor Washington tax a person’s Social Security benefits.
Many seniors and their families choose to live in the Portland suburb of Vancouver, which has many memory care facilities, excellent tax benefits for retirees, and a lower cost of living by comparison. In fact, Vancouver housing is 2% lower than the national average housing cost.[04]
Tax differences for seniors in Oregon and Washington include the following:[05,06]
Below, you’ll find figures that represent average baseline costs of memory care communities in Portland. Remember that unlike our partner cost figures, these baselines do not include additional fees that real families paid. We include the figures below to offer an area overview of baseline costs, so you can compare them to the all-inclusive costs of our memory care community partner network in Portland.
13.82 miles from you
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11.79 miles from you
Families have several options to pay for assisted living and memory care. In some situations, families can use both private and public funds to cover the cost of memory care in Portland.
Explore options below that seniors or their families might use to pay for a memory care community. We also outline several public resources, such as Medicaid, Medicare, and VA benefits, that could be available to help cover some memory care services.
Families use multiple private pay options to cover the cost of memory care in Portland, Oregon. Such options include income like Social Security benefits, pensions, savings, and investment returns. Depending on the family’s resources, the following options may also be available:
In Oregon, memory care facilities serving six or more residents are licensed and regulated by the state’s Office of Safety, Oversight, and Quality. Note that Portland also offers memory care facilities known as adult family homes, serving fewer than five seniors.
Also known as care homes, adult family homes are regulated by the same governing body. You can learn more about the stringent regulations for adult care homes in Multnomah County on their website.
Oregon has an essential layer of qualifications that any residential, assisted living, or nursing facility serving six or more residents must meet before they can offer memory care. These facilities must submit to an initial on-site inspection to become endorsed memory care communities by the Department of Human Services, Aging, and People with Disabilities Program.
To be endorsed, communities must meet design standards backed by research to improve the lives of residents with dementia. Follow-up endorsement inspections and renewals take place as the facility’s business license gets renewed.
In Washington, memory care and assisted living facilities are licensed and regulated by the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration office (ALTSA), specifically its Residential Services branch. This branch regulates care for facilities serving seven or more residents.
At minimum, facilities offering memory care in both Oregon and Washington must provide services such as the following:
Additionally, facilities in both states must adhere to outdoor and indoor regulations, such as the following:
Sample requirements from Oregon-endorsed memory care facilities include the following:
In addition to these memory care specific requirements, memory care and assisted living facilities must give residents a homelike dwelling with a private bathroom and a kitchenette. Portland memory care facilities must also be equipped to coordinate a range of supportive services, including a calendar of social events and help with activities of daily living (ADLs). Staff must also be available to residents on a 24-hour basis.
Washington requires memory care facilities to assume general responsibility for the safety and proper care of their residents. They may offer the following services:
For more information on Washington memory care regulations, visit our informative guide.
Facilities providing memory care in Oregon and Washington must accommodate people with disabilities, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). By design, reasonable accommodations and modifications are to help provide equitable opportunities for people with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations may include the following:
In situations of disability law advocacy while a loved one is in memory care, you can contact Fair Housing Center of Washington in Clark County or the Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) in Multnomah County. Additionally, you can look up reports on Portland area assisted living and memory care facilities using the following sites:
North Mall Office Building
725 Summer St. NE, Suite B
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-986-2000
Email: hcs_housing.info@hcs.oregon.gov
Phone: 360-236-4501
Find an office near you
Facilities in Oregon are required to take COVID-19 precautions, such as posting notices at entrances and exits if a staff member or memory care resident has a suspected or reported case of COVID-19. Indoor visitation is allowed in Oregon and Washington, so long as visitors and residents follow precautionary steps, such as social distancing and masking.
Portland seniors and staff are encouraged to get vaccinated and boosted.
Masks may be required in most health care facilities. Some memory care facilities may have additional requirements.
Communities should be sanitized at regular intervals to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In Washington, social distancing is recommended to reduce the spread of COVID-19. To support this effort, residents can enable WA Notify, which tracks reported exposures. By enabling WA Notify, you can get notifications if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19. This can help residents clarify whether they need to social distance to reduce the spread of infection.
Number of in-network assisted living facilities in market
In many cases, memory care in Portland is offered through a couple different types of facilities:
Portland is home to many memory care facilities that qualify as both an assisted living facility and a residential care facility. Should you encounter one or the other in your search for Portland memory care, the main differences between the two, while not mutually exclusive, are listed below:
A major benefit to assisted or residential care facilities is that residents in memory care have ready access to explore many more spaces. Exploration and freedom to wander is particularly helpful for people with dementia. Because of this, many of our memory care partners in Portland put an emphasis on calming colors, lots of natural light, and easily navigable walking environments, both indoors and outdoors.
For added convenience and reduced hassle, larger facilities also often have on-site amenities, such as snack shops, beauty or barber shops, and postal services. These amenities bring a sense of positive, familiar errand-running for residents but without the fuss of having to leave the assisted living environment.
In reviews of Portland facilities, residents’ loved ones consistently praise our memory care partners for how safe they make residents feel. Some communities are able to offer licensed nursing and oversight, while the vast majority of facilities offer 24-hour emergency availability from team members trained in dementia care.
Staff give family members proactive and consistent communication about how their loved one in memory care is faring; the attentive, respectful care that memory care staff give to seniors makes families feel secure in the knowledge that their loved one is in good hands.
Adult care homes make up a substantial number of Portland’s senior living facilities with memory care. These communities are good options for seniors who prefer to live in smaller, more intimate settings that remind them of home. While they generally offer the same level of care as larger memory care communities, they tend to be cheaper.
Most care home residents share rooms with another senior. They take three meals a day in a traditional dining room and can enjoy common areas and outdoor yards similar to a private residential home. Though activity offerings aren’t as robust as those offered at larger memory care facilities, residents in these homes gain immediate access to live-in caregivers.
Number of seniors over the age of 65 currently living in Portland{{citation:19}}
Percentage of seniors 65 and older within the Portland population[03]
Median annual income for Portland seniors 65 and older{{citation:19}}
In Portland, seniors with memory care needs have access to a number of excellent health care options. Explore some of the best hospital systems in the Portland metro below.
Oregon Health & Science University (OSHU) Hospital
OHSU hospital is nationally recognized in several adult specialties and is ranked No. 1 in Portland. The hospital is high-performing in senior health procedures such as pulmonology, orthopedics, and heart conditions.
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center is high-performing in many cancer procedures and in neurology. The hospital is ranked No. 2 in the Portland metro area.
Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center
Ranked No. 3 in Portland hospitals, Kaiser Permanente earned excellent ratings in gastroenterology and procedures related to diabetes.[20]
In partnering Portland metro memory care facilities, our data indicates that 48% offer complimentary transportation around the city. Our data indicates that 45% of facilities also offer transportation at cost. As it’s unsafe for memory care patients to travel or navigate the city alone, drivers employed by these memory care communities may be charged with keeping residents safe. Caregiver escorts are commonly sent with memory care patients when errands are necessary.
For visiting friends and family, 61% of partner memory care communities are also close to Portland’s plentiful public transit options. Explore some of the best ways to navigate the city below:
Seniors in our partnering Portland memory care communities have ample opportunity to enjoy fabulous senior-friendly activities and events, both on-site and off-site. Explore some typical on-site happenings at our partner memory care communities and some favored off-site trips, from museums and gardens to dining and social events.
Memory care facilities in Portland routinely offer a full schedule of fun and sociable activities for residents. Most days include events centered on games, exercise, music, or movies. Recent activities on Portland area memory care community calendars have included the following:
On-location activities also include thorough wellness programs and brain training exercises. Many facilities offer gentle fitness, community libraries, and cooking classes to engage the mind. Classic movies are shown in community theaters, encouraging reminiscence and simple enjoyment. Some facilities even bring in local orchestras or bands and have weekly concerts for residents to enjoy.
Additionally, many facilities have dedicated transportation to shuttle seniors to off-campus events and activities. Favorite off-site activities hosted by partnering memory care communities have recently included the following:
Portland is a vibrant place with a thriving arts and culture scene, rich with downtown attractions. Nearby Pittock Mansion is a delight for history enthusiasts looking to either learn more about the area or reminisce over days past. Seniors inclined toward the dramatic arts can enjoy musical performances and classic theater performances at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall or at Roseland Theater.
Portland has plenty to do for any age, so visiting family members will always have something to do with their loved one. For example, animal lovers are sure to enjoy the nearby Oregon Zoo. Featuring numerous exhibits animals from all over the world, the Oregon Zoo brings out the inner child in us all. Conveniently, the zoo is located in Portland’s beautiful Washington Park. This park is an attraction in itself, as it houses the Hoyt Arboretum and the Portland Japanese Garden. The park is a peaceful natural retreat for local seniors.
Additionally, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) offers a fabulous afternoon that many seniors can enjoy. The museum regularly features accessible, curiosity-inspiring events for all ages, focusing on the wonders of the natural sciences.
Trustwell Living at Kent Place, Canfield Place and Brookdale Oswego Springs Portland are the top-rated Memory Care facilities near Portland, OR. These Memory Care facilities received the highest rankings based on verified family reviews. See full list of communities.
The average cost of Memory Care in Portland is 4,794 per month. This cost may vary based on location, amenities, floorplan, level of care and other factors.
A Place for Mom. (2023). A Place for Mom proprietary data.
Payscale. (2023). Cost of Living in Portland, Oregon.
United States Census Bureau. (2023). Population 60 years and over in the United States: Portland city, Oregon (S0102). [Data set]. American Community Survey.
Payscale. (2023). Cost of Living in Vancouver, Washington.
SmartAsset. (2023). Oregon Retirement Tax Friendliness.
SmartAsset. (2023). Washington Retirement Tax Friendliness.
United States Census Bureau. (2023). Veteran status: Portland city, Oregon (S2101). [Data set]. American Community Survey.
Oregon Health Authority. (2023). Oregon Health Plan (OHP) Benefits.
Washington State Health Care Authority. (2023). What are my basic covered services?
Department of Human Services Aging and People with Disabilities. (2022). Residential care and assisted living facilities.
Washington State Legislature. (2022). Assisted living facility licensing rules.
Department of Human Services, Aging and People with Disabilities. (2020). Endorsed Memory Care Communities.
Aging and Long-Term Support Administration. (2023). Assisted living facility services packages.
Oregon Department of Human Services. (2023). Medicare Savings Programs.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2023). Reasonable Accommodations and Modifications.
Safety, Oversight and Quality Unit Aging and People with Disabilities. (2019). Compliance Framework Guide.
Oregon Department of Human Services. (2023). COVID-19 Information for Long-Term Care Facilities.
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services: Aging and Long-Term Support Administration. (2023). COVID-19 Information for Providers and Long-Term Care Professionals.
United States Census Bureau. (2023). Population 65 years and over in the United States: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metro Area. [Data set]. American Community Survey.
U.S. News and World Report. (2023). Best hospitals in Oregon.
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