Page 13 of Best Assisted Living in Iowa

Tucked away within the serene setting of Clinton, IA, Addington Place of Clinton is a blissful senior living community, offering assisted living and memory care services. The community offers residents with various apartment options, including one-bedroom, two bedroom apartments, and suite floor plans for a comfortable living experience. Ensuring residents live balanced, active, and happy lives, the community provides them with extensive support and care services provided by trained healthcare professionals.

The community also offers respite care services to residents dealing with illnesses or recovering from hospitalization or surgery, ensuring they have the care and support they need to get back on their feet. Residents also enjoy a full calendar of social events and activities to enrich their daily life. With its comprehensive services, vibrant programming, and nurturing environment, the community guarantees a comfortable retirement experience.

Administered by Brooke Essington, Trustwell Living at Eagle Pointe Place is a senior living community in the West End District of Dubuque, Iowa. It offers assisted living, independent living, and respite care. The three-story community has 198 beds. It has been operating for 11 years, making it one of the larger senior living communities in the area.

Residents can choose from studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom floor plans, providing options for different space and privacy preferences. The community currently has an occupancy rate of about 45%. Availability is generally greater than at communities operating closer to full capacity.

Residents are welcome to bring their pets, allowing them to keep a companion animal after moving in. Transportation services and fitness and recreation programs are part of daily life, so residents can stay active and travel to appointments or errands outside the community. The car-dependent area has a Walk Score of 11 out of 100, so most errands and outings require a vehicle.

State inspections conducted by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing have reviewed medication administration practices and the development of individualized resident care plans over the years. Other inspections found no regulatory concerns. The community has 19 years of inspection history on record.

Overview of Elm Crest Senior Living Community

Committed to enhancing seniors’ quality of life, Elm Crest Senior Living Community is a distinct senior living community set in the harmonious city of Harlan, IA, providing a wide array of living options such as assisted living, independent living, memory care, health center, and rehabilitation therapy services. The community doubles its efforts to foster a warm and welcoming environment for seniors to make the most out of their days in beautifully designed and cozy one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. Receive top-notch care and support from a reliable and highly qualified team and live a glorious retirement without worries with Elm Crest.

With over 65 years of experience in helping seniors, Elm Crest continuously provides the finest experience to create wonderful moments. Moreover, the community meticulously crafts care plans that best fit residents’ unique needs and preferences to ensure they are well-cared for. Surrounded by refreshing spaces and placed near hospitals, Elm Crest provides easy access to medical needs and the utmost comfort that seniors deserve.

Overview of Home Instead – Cedar Rapids

Serving Cedar Rapids and nearby areas, Home Instead offers senior home care assistance that prioritizes enhancing quality of life and independence for retirees, from the comfort of their family home. Personalizing each elderly care plan to meet the specific needs of every individual, Home Instead brings the full-range of daily living support and medical management from retirement homes, to your doorstep.

Family members and seniors alike can rest easy knowing that Home Instead’s brand of dependable personal care and companionship are handled with the utmost respect and compassion, by a duly licensed team. Light housekeeping, meal preparations, errands, and medication reminders, are conducted warmly and professionally. For those struggling with the challenges of Alzheimer’s, Home Instead has got you covered as well.

Overview of Bickford of Clinton

Located in the welcoming neighborhood of Clinton, IA, the Bickford of Clinton is a distinguished senior living community offering assisted living services. Here, residents can choose from spacious and stunning accommodations with several floor plans. With a highly skilled and compassionate team, residents can receive round-the-clock personalized care and help depending on their immediate needs through its residents’ monitoring system.

Discover its top-tier amenities and services as this community is committed to providing higher standard of senior care. Indulge in 3-day delectable and nutritious meals, home maintenance, access to laundry facilities, weekly housekeeping, medication management, spiritual care, and transportation assistance. Engage in a full calendar of activities such as outings, community involvement programs, and theme days. With Bickford of Clinton, seniors are assured of a living experience worth remembering.

Overview of The Willows of Marshalltown

The Willows of Marshalltown houses 48 residents across studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units (340–720 square feet) in a two-story building at 2315 Campbell Dr in Marshalltown, Iowa, 4.1 miles from the city center. Administered by Jennifer Stanley and owned by Ben Daniels, the facility has operated since July 2018.

It specializes in assisted living and memory care, serving residents with dementia and cognitive impairment. The community offers on-site transportation, a movie theater, parking, and permits pets.

Occupancy is currently 63 percent (30 beds occupied of 48 licensed), which trails Iowa’s 75.4 percent average.

The neighborhood is car-dependent (Walk Score 1).

The facility’s regulatory record reveals persistent care quality concerns. Eight inspections from December 2018 through May 2025 identified 38 total deficiencies; 41 percent above the state average for assisted living.

The most damaging finding appeared in the May 2025 complaint investigation: a resident suffered a fractured pelvis during a fall because the facility failed to provide adequate care, treatment, and services, including non-functional chair alarms and insufficient staff assistance during the incident.

In September 2024, a complaint-driven recertification inspection documented 11 violations spanning medication administration errors, failure to notify state authorities of major injuries within required timeframes, incomplete tenant evaluations, inability to manage residents who exceeded their care level capacity, and missing nurse documentation and safety protocols.

A December 2022 investigation found service plans were not updated to reflect escalating behavioral medication needs; residents received 57 doses of PRN aggression medication in December alone, up from 5 in August, yet no plan modifications were documented. Only one inspection (July 2020) yielded zero deficiencies.

The overall trajectory shows no sustained improvement.

Overview of Bickford of Ames

Bickford of Ames offers a seamless journey through aging. With a deep commitment to assisted living, their caregivers provide personalized and top-notch services. Their unique approach involves an advanced resident monitoring system, ensuring safety through secure building features, pull cords, and wearable call buttons. Alongside this, they serve high-quality, culinary delights prepared within the community, maintaining exceptional culinary standards.

Their activities are far from ordinary, encouraging community engagement, positive values, and memorable family gatherings. They infuse excitement into daily routines with themed days and foster a sense of belonging through various events. The community also provides essential services like transportation and medication management, making it a pet-friendly haven that truly understands the needs of seniors, offering a home that goes beyond typical assisted living, catering to their unique requirements and preferences.

Overview of Independence Village of Ames

Operated by the StoryPoint Group, Independence Village of Ames is a senior living community in Ames, Iowa, offering assisted living and memory care. The community is located within a few miles of Mary Greeley Medical Center, giving residents and visiting family convenient access to nearby hospital care when needed.

The two-story community has 30 beds and has been serving residents for 25 years. Residents can choose from studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom floor plans. The community is currently at full occupancy. The combination of a long operating history and full occupancy reflects an established community with consistent demand.

Residents receive 24-hour supervision along with specialized memory care services. Respite care is available for families who need a short-term care option. Daily life includes chef-prepared meals served in a home-style setting, transportation services, and fitness and recreation programs that encourage residents to stay active and engaged. Sydney Petersen serves as the community’s administrator.

The neighborhood has a Walk Score of 51, which is moderately walkable. Some nearby shops and services can be reached on foot, while most errands and outings require a car. State inspection history has focused on staff training, resident assessments, care plan documentation, and building safety features such as exit door alarms. More recent complaint investigations found no substantiated issues.

Overview of Independence Village of Ankeny

Operating for 14 years, Independence Village of Ankeny is a small assisted living and memory care community in the Prairie Trail neighborhood of Ankeny, Iowa. About 2.3 miles from the city center, and with 20 beds arranged in a two-story building, the home offers an intimate residential setting where each occupant can receive personalized attention. The facility provides flexible housing options in studios and one and two-bedroom units, letting families select the layout that best suits their loved one’s preferences and lifestyle needs. It maintains a steady 70 percent occupancy rate, with 14 residents currently living on-site. This smaller scale fosters closer staff-resident relationships and a calmer environment versus larger communities, which captivates families wanting a more homely ambiance.

The neighborhood’s Walk Score is 25, so the location is somewhat walkable, with a few nearby services reachable on foot, though most errands need transportation. This setting suits residents and families who prefer a more serene and residential area. Independence Village’s approach encourages occupants to maintain independence wherever possible, helping them feel empowered and engaged with their surroundings. The pet-friendly community welcomes cats and dogs into spacious units, a major benefit for residents who find companionship and comfort in animals. Dining is chef-prepared with resident choice and attention to dietary restrictions, ensuring nutrition and enjoyment at each meal. Daily life includes activities tailored to stimulate the mind, body, and spirit, like movie nights and wellness events spanning manicures and mimosas. The facility provides 24-hour care and response services, 24/7 assistance with medication and mobility for occupants managing memory loss, and executive director Sydney Petersen’s personalized support.

A Better Business Bureau rating of A+ mirrors Independence Village of Ankeny’s business practices and complaint history.

The Fountains is a senior living community in Bettendorf, Iowa, offering independent living, assisted living, and memory care on one campus. That range matters for families thinking past the immediate decision, because a resident whose needs change over time can often move between levels of care without leaving a familiar building and staff. The community has been in operation for 20 years and is administered by Cj Ward. With 136 beds in a mid-rise building, it sits among the larger communities in the area.

Housing runs from studios to one and two bedroom apartments. Independent living suites are set up for people who want to keep a full household routine, with complete kitchens, private bathrooms, walk-in closets, internet access, and in-unit laundry. Assisted living apartments add support with meals and housekeeping for residents who need a hand with daily tasks. Memory care and Alzheimer’s care are provided in a secure setting, and the community is pet friendly throughout.

Daily life centers on shared spaces: a restaurant-style dining room, a fitness center, a lounge, an ice cream parlor, and a chapel. The activities calendar includes religious services, dance classes, workout sessions, and game nights, and the community also offers transportation services along with fitness and recreation programming.

The setting is suburban and quiet, about four miles from Bettendorf’s city center, with MercyOne Genesis Bettendorf Emergency Care just over a mile away. The neighborhood scores 4 out of 100 for walkability, so residents and visitors will rely on a car or the community’s transportation for errands and appointments. For families in the Quad Cities area, the location keeps a hospital close at hand while placing the community away from busier commercial corridors.