Get paid to care for family in Sanders County
Most of the 4,700 people in Sanders County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Montana Medicaid can pay you for that work.
Sanders County at a glance
- Aged 65+
- 4,700
- Aged 85+
- 403
- Rank in MT
- 11th
- Median age
- 54.2
34% of residents
when daily help usually starts
of 56 counties, by residents 65+
older than the country
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Sanders County is one of the most rural counties in the country (Rural-Urban Continuum Code 8).
- 50 + DC
- states covered
- 3,144
- counties with local data
- $0
- it is always free to apply
- 2 min
- to see if you qualify
Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Rules from each state's published Medicaid program
Care in Sanders
What being a paid caregiver looks like here
About 4,700 people in Sanders County are 65 or older — 34% of everyone who lives here. That is an older county than Montana overall, so more families here are already doing this work. Roughly 403 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Out here, hiring an outside agency often is not realistic at all. Being paid to do the care yourself is not a workaround — it is how these programs were designed to work.
Statewide, 239,400 people in Montana are 65 or older — 21% of the state, across 56 counties.
What Montana pays family caregivers
Rates vary — check with the program.
Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Source: Montana Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
Montana's programs at a glance
- Big Sky Waiver (self-directed)
- Community First Choice & PCS
- Spouse paid?
- Sometimes
- Parent paid for a child?
- Sometimes
- Waitlist
- Some programs have no waitlist.
These rules are set by the state, so they are the same in every county. Read the full Montana guide →
Towns and cities in Sanders County
Montana sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Thompson Falls and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Sanders County:
- Thompson Falls1,526
- Plains1,244
- Hot Springs623
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Sanders apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Sanders County start with Montana's program:
Apply for Montana Medicaid at apply.mt.gov or a local Office of Public Assistance (helpline 888-706-1535); Mountain Pacific Quality Health does the functional assessment (800-219-7035).
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Montana program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →Sanders questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Sanders County?
Yes. Montana runs real Medicaid programs — like Big Sky Waiver (self-directed) — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Sanders County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Sanders County?
Montana doesn't publish one flat rate. The program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Where do families in Sanders County apply?
Families in Sanders County start with the state, not the county. Apply for Montana Medicaid at apply.mt.gov or a local Office of Public Assistance (helpline 888-706-1535); Mountain Pacific Quality Health does the functional assessment (800-219-7035).
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Sanders County?
Sometimes — it depends on the program. The fine print for Montana: limited — yes under Big Sky Waiver self-directed option; prohibited under CFCS/PCS (spouses and parents of minors excluded there)
How many people in Sanders County might need this?
4,700 residents of Sanders County are 65 or older and about 403 are 85 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 population estimates. Most of them are cared for at home by a relative rather than in a facility. Montana's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in Sanders do you cover?
All of Sanders County — including Thompson Falls, Plains and Hot Springs. Eligibility is set by Montana, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from Montana's published Medicaid program rules · Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Updated September 2026. Rules change — always confirm with the program.
Guides
For families in Sanders County
Start with the Montana caregiver program, then read how the pieces fit together.
Nearby
Counties next to Sanders
The counties Sanders touches, by Census boundaries — a few of those borders run across water. Ones marked with a state abbreviation are across the line, and their rules are their state's, not this one's.
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