Page 2 of Best Memory Care in Iowa

Overview of Spurgeon Manor

Spurgeon Manor is a 55-bed nonprofit skilled nursing and memory care community in Dallas Center, Dallas County, Iowa, offering skilled nursing, rehabilitation, memory care, and assisted living services to residents across the greater Des Moines area. It is administered by Crystal Scroggin.

Spurgeon Manor holds a 5-star CMS overall rating — the highest possible — with every sub-rating performing above Iowa averages. Staffing is the standout: nurse staffing averages 5 hours and 36 minutes per resident per day, roughly 27% above the Iowa average of 4 hours and 25 minutes, ranking the facility 18th among 241 Iowa skilled nursing facilities.

Across 21 inspections since 2020 — 40% more visits than the Iowa average of 15 — the facility averaged 1.4 deficiencies per inspection, 22% below the Iowa mean of 1.8. The most recent inspection on December 10, 2025, accepted the facility’s plan of correction. Two substantiated complaints appear in the record: one involving timely abuse reporting (February 2023) and one involving the posting of required information (August 2024). No fines, immediate jeopardy findings, or license actions have been issued.

The facility’s occupancy rate is 89%, well above the Iowa average of 75.4%, reflecting consistent local demand. The facility accepts both Medicare and Medicaid and maintains 24-hour staffing. On-site services include physician services, laboratory, pharmacy, podiatry, and optometry. Amenities include a chapel, private dining rooms, and an exercise room. The facility received a 2021 Silver Achievement in Quality Award.

Spurgeon Manor is best suited for residents seeking long-term skilled nursing or memory care in a small nonprofit community with strong staffing ratios and a consistent compliance record in Dallas Center, Iowa.

Overview of Creekside

Creekside handles local senior care through a 40-bed property located at 503 Wical Way in Grundy Center, Iowa. The building runs with a steady 92 percent occupancy rate, meaning open rooms are well-utilized by local residents. Families can handle regular bills through a mix of private payments, Medicare coverage, or state Medicaid programs. Stays here average about 164 days, which shows the campus balances quick post-hospital therapy turnarounds with traditional, extended nursing care setups.

Residents receive an average of 5 hours and 11 minutes of hands-on attention from the floor nursing staff every day. Registered nurses dedicate 56 minutes of this daily routine to handle medical tracking and treatments, working alongside licensed practical nurses and certified assistants who cover standard medication distribution and daily tasks. For normal routines, the facility has its own dining options, while the surrounding neighborhood has a decent layout that allows visiting family members to handle a few local errands on foot.

These regular surveys look at administrative logs and floor workflows to make sure everything lines up with baseline public health guidelines. Local supervisors use these state reports as a tool to adjust internal policies and keep continuing education programs up to date for the floor shifts.

Prospective representatives can contact the intake desk to check on open room availability, ask about the current therapy programs, or arrange a time to look around the building. The front office can also help you look over insurance coverage details and explain how state aid networks coordinate with standard monthly housing fees.

Overview of Newton Village

Located on North 5th Avenue West in Newton, Iowa, Newton Village. is a skilled nursing home owned by Paul Anderson. The community provides short-term rehabilitation and long-term skilled nursing care. Staffing is available around the clock, and the facility accepts Medicare and private pay. That gives families some flexibility when arranging coverage.

The 70-bed home has an occupancy rate of 53%. Residents stay an average of 117 days, including those recovering through post-acute rehabilitation and receiving longer-term skilled care. Registered nurses provide about 1 hour and 35 minutes of care per resident each day. Nursing aides average 2 hours and 49 minutes, while total direct nursing care comes to about 5 hours and 9 minutes per resident daily. It’s a staffing model built around both hands-on support and nursing oversight.

Newton Village is in a moderately walkable area with a Walk Score of 67. Some errands and services are within walking distance, but many trips still require transportation. Residents have access to landscaped gardens, walking paths, and patios for outdoor time. There’s also a library, fitness center, beauty salon, and barber shop. Meals are served in a communal setting with chef-inspired dining, and residents can join in lots of activities and events.

Respite care and rehabilitation services are part of the community’s care programs. State inspections have been cleanly documented. Recent certification found no deficiencies or investigated complaints. The facility is in good standing based on those findings. Families considering Newton Village can expect a well-staffed setting that focuses on rehabilitation and skilled care.

Overview of Wilton Retirement Community

Located on Ovesen Drive in Wilton, Iowa, Wilton Retirement Community is a nursing home owned by Simpson Memorial Home. The 34-bed community serves a rural area with a Walk Score of 42. Some nearby services can be reached on foot, while most trips require transportation. The facility has been operating for 12 years and has an occupancy rate of 85%. Residents stay an average of 162 days, including short-term rehabilitation placements and longer-term care residents.

Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay are accepted, giving families several options for covering both acute and ongoing nursing care. Daily nurse staffing averages 5 hours and 52 minutes per resident. Registered nurses provide about 49 minutes of care each day, working alongside nurse aides and licensed practical nurses. This level of staffing supports medical oversight and hands-on assistance with daily activities throughout the community.

State inspections have reviewed the importance of strong medication management practices, resident safety procedures, staff training, and accurate documentation. These areas are important components of quality care in long-term care settings. The community is also part of a larger care network that includes assisted living residences and a dedicated memory care unit.

Families considering Wilton Retirement Community should take a tour of the facility to meet staff, view the environment. It’s a great way to learn more about the community’s approach to daily care routines and resident support.

Traditions Memory Care of Newton is a secured, 46-bed facility that specializes entirely in residential care for adults managing Alzheimer’s, dementia, and chronic confusion. The building runs with maximum local utilization, hitting a 100% occupancy rate that places it first in statewide capacity demand rankings. Admissions average a 125-day length of stay, drawing primarily from a combination of Medicaid-backed funding (64%) and private-pay accounts (33%). Financial records point to a sharp operational rebound, with the business turning around its prior-year losses to clear a 2.4% profit margin and a $109.2 thousand net profit in 2023 while dedicating 49.8% of incoming funds to employee payroll.

State regulatory databases record lean clinical oversight hours and high behavioral medication rates alongside recent, corrected care plan interventions. Daily direct care lines deliver 4 hours and 20 minutes of total nursing time per resident, but actual registered nurse hours drop down to 20 minutes a day, and off-peak weekend shifts drop to 2 hours and 46 minutes. This tight nurse coverage coordinates with permanent resident files that show an exceptionally high 44.9% rate for antipsychotic prescriptions, though the charts simultaneously document strong physical prevention marks with zero reported major injury falls.

Interested individuals seeking a specialized, high-demand memory care space can utilize these public health reports to balance the building’s operational details. The state registries outline a completely full, specialized dementia community that has successfully resolved its past regulatory citations, though it handles lean everyday nurse oversight hours and high behavioral medication usage.

Sunrise Hill Care Center is a 76-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation community in Traer, Iowa, privately owned and administered by Daniel Larmore. The facility offers nursing care, memory care, assisted living, independent living, and short-term rehabilitation, serving residents across Tama County.

CMS awards Sunrise Hill a 5-star overall rating — 54% above the Iowa average — driven by strong health inspection and quality-measure scores. Across 18 inspections since 2011, the facility recorded 11 total deficiencies, 59% below the Iowa statewide average of 27.

That record carries a caveat: three substantiated complaint investigations between 2023 and 2024 involved supervision failures that led to resident falls resulting in fractures, and a separate July 2024 complaint substantiated allegations of verbal and physical mistreatment of a resident by a CNA who subsequently resigned. No fines, immediate jeopardy findings, or license actions appear in the available reports. The most recent annual survey, completed December 4, 2025, yielded a single administrative deficiency — a missed background check window — with no resident-care deficiencies identified.

Sunrise Hill provides 24-hour staffing and on-site rehabilitation services, including contracted physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Memory care is available on-site. Total nurse staffing averages 4 hours and 25 minutes per resident per day, in line with Iowa averages, though registered nurse staffing is below the state benchmark — a consideration for residents requiring higher-acuity clinical oversight.

The facility’s average length of stay is 165 days. Its current occupancy rate is 70%, below the Iowa average of 75.4%, suggesting availability for new admissions. Sunrise Hill accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay.

Sunrise Hill Care Center is best suited for residents seeking post-acute rehabilitation or long-term nursing care in a smaller rural setting and is structured to support memory care needs alongside general skilled nursing.

Overview of Scottish Rite Park Health Care Center

Owned by Mark Allen, Scottish Rite Park Health Care Center is a nursing home in Des Moines, Iowa. The facility accepts Medicare and private pay, giving families flexibility in how they cover skilled nursing care. With an average stay of 119 days, the 51-bed home accommodates short-term post-acute rehab residents and those needing longer-term care. The facility’s current occupancy is 61%, which is a moderate census.

The center has a substantial clinical backbone. Daily nurse staffing averages nearly 6 hours per resident each day. Registered nurses contributed about 1 hour and 15 minutes of that, supported by nursing aides providing 3 hours and 24 minutes. This staffing structure can support the home’s rehabilitation focus. Other services include physical, occupational, and speech therapy. The facility also offers respite care for families seeking short-term support, and there’s 24-hour nursing oversight to provide continuous clinical presence.

Amenities and activities are designed for engagement and wellness. Residents can access an indoor walking track and fitness center, a heated pool and hot tub, a fully stocked library, a woodworking shop, and a movie theater. The dining room serves meals from 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM, so there’s a consistent schedule for daily dining.

The surrounding neighborhood’s Walk Score of 91 is very walkable. This can be convenient for visiting family members navigating the area on foot. The facility’s regulatory standing shows a generally compliant operation, with oversight attention on clinical documentation, care planning, and staff training.

Westview of Indianola Care Center is an 83-bed VA-approved facility that provides skilled nursing, rehabilitation, hospice, and respite care. The property registers a 105-day average length of stay and functions at a 66% occupancy rate, with daily resident funding coming from Medicaid (54%), private-pay (37%), and Medicare (9%). Financial reports show a substantial commercial turnaround, moving from a loss in 2023 to a $1.4 million net profit with a 16.2% margin in 2024. Management budgets 52% of general revenue for the employee payroll within a highly walkable town setting.

Deep staffing hours and solid long-term clinical metrics stand out in state health logs, though short-term recovery charts display a few specific discharge gaps. On average, the staff delivers 4 hours and 25 minutes of direct care per resident each day, with front-line aide hours running 11% ahead of the standard Iowa baseline. This consistent daily presence matches high-performing permanent resident charts, which show zero cases of documented depression alongside low hospitalization frequencies and below-average rates for weight loss and pressure ulcers.

The facility also holds a clean regulatory record with zero federal fines or financial penalties over the past three years. However, the short-stay rehabilitation files show some room for improvement; post-acute self-care independence marks trail state standards, and short-term flu vaccination rates drop off sharply, even though the building logs zero serious rehab falls.

Families looking into area senior placements or VA-contracted care can use these public health logs to evaluate how the building functions day to day. The state’s documentation describes a quiet, stable facility backed by heavy daily caregiver hours and excellent preventative care for its permanent residents, balanced against lower short-term therapy independence scores.

Overview of Friendship Home Association

Operating for 43 years, Friendship Home Association is a skilled nursing home in Iowa owned by Jessica Andersen. The 46-bed facility provides long-term and post-acute care. It has an occupancy rate of 91%, and residents stay an average of 594 days. Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay are accepted, so families have several options for covering both short-term rehabilitation and longer-term nursing care.

Daily nurse staffing averages 4 hours and 26 minutes per resident. Registered nurses provide 39 minutes of care each day, while nurse aides contribute 2 hours and 33 minutes. LPN and LVN staff provide an additional 32 minutes of daily support. That’s a steady nursing presence throughout the day, especially for residents who need hands-on assistance with daily activities.

Friendship Home is in a moderately walkable area where some errands and services are within walking distance. Most trips still require transportation. It’s a setting that offers a community feel for residents and visiting family members.

State inspections have documented areas where the home strengthens operational and care protocols. The facility continues to work through these areas as part of its quality oversight efforts. Families considering the home should take an in-person tour and ask how daily operations and care practices are managed.