Iowa has approximately 430,000 senior which is 15% of the population. This ranks them sixth in the country for the highest percentage of seniors. The number of seniors is large enough to support a wide variety of both corporate and independent assisted living facilities, nursing homes other senior living options. This is good news for the residents of Iowa. Iowa ranks favorably as the 13th cheapest state to live in the country. With a total cost of living index of 93, Iowa has very affordable housing (84), Food (90) and Health Care (94). This means that Iowa is a very cost effective state for retirement. The quality and level of assisted living facilities varies widely across the state. Larger cities like Des Moines offer a wider selection of facilities and may also have a larger facilities with more extensive amenities. 

Iowa Assisted Living Facility Reviews And Complaints

The Iowa Health Facilities Division of the Department of Inspections and Appeals inspects assisted living facilities every other year so some inspection reports may be out of date. This information is available online at www.dia-hfd.state.ia.us under "report cards". The site also includes lists of complaints for specific assisted living facilities. The site allow users to search their database in several different ways. The records that I found were tragically out of date (over 6 years old) but this can still be a very valuable resource and selecting an assisted living facility. You may also contact them at 515-281-4115. The Iowa government site list over 220 licensed assisted living facilities in the state of Iowa. You may also contact your Iowa state Ombudsman for help with assisted living facility service:

• Deanna Clingan-Fischer (deanna.clingan(at)iowa.gov) , State Long Term Care Ombudsman
• Iowa Department on Aging
• 510 E. 12th Street, Jessie M. Parker Bldg, Ste. 2, Des Moines, IA 50319
• Phone: 515-725-3333
• www.IowaAging.gov

Note: Assisted Living Facilities are sometimes called boarding homes or residential-care facilities in Iowa. If you need help, your State Long Term Ombudsman is there to help you.

This directory includes 846assisted living options for Iowa. Use the "Advance Search" to find the nearest 40 senior services based on your desired location or select a city and then choose a tab to see different types of senior care including nursing homes, Alzheimer's care centers, CCRCs, independent living, in-home and hospice care.

Selection An Iowa Assisted Living Facility

Since most seniors enter an assisted living facility from a hospital or nursing home, that decision usually must be made in haste. The most important factors when selecting assisted-living facility are usually proximity to friends and family, proximity to health care services, cost, amenities and overall environment. Many seniors get disoriented when moving into an assisted living facility after living in an area for a long time. This can be minimized by staying in a facility near their home where there is still many recognizable places. This factor must be balanced with the fact that a larger metropolitan areas often offer better health care services including cancer treatment and rehabilitation services. Try to visit as many assisted-living facilities as possible and talked to the staff and residents. The residents will give you the best and put on the environment at the specific facility. Try to avoid an assisted living facility where the residents watch a lot of TV. This can indicate a lack of amenities and indicate an overall low standard of life.