Page 17 of Best Nursing Homes in Iowa

Overview of Azria Health Longview

Azria Health Longview runs a dual-care senior community providing skilled nursing and assisted living services at 1010 Longview Road in Missouri Valley, Iowa. The property, operated under owner Douglas Williams, is built to support a 100-bed capacity. Business operations process regular monthly accounts using traditional out-of-pocket payments, standard Medicare plans, and state Medicaid options. Stays average roughly 137 days per individual, pointing to an everyday routine that coordinates short-term therapy recovery with ongoing clinical nursing care.

Floor staff provide an average of 3 hours and 29 minutes of direct, hands-on attention to each resident daily. Certified nursing assistants handle the majority of this bedside timeline at 2 hours and 34 minutes, while licensed practical nurses offer 53 minutes, and registered nurses add 32 minutes of clinical tracking. These shift rotations cover 24-hour treatment monitoring, short-term rehabilitation, and specialized post-acute tracks alongside an on-site physician presence. For local transit, the surrounding neighborhood holds a walkability score of 53 out of 100, showing a moderately accessible layout where visitors can manage a few simple errands on foot.

Daily residential services focus on scheduled meals, complimentary Wi-Fi access, laundry assistance, and a beauty salon. The campus layout includes open space for pet visits and offers specialized respite care setups to ease short-term family transitions. These combined on-site programs are designed to cover basic healthcare demands and support physical rehabilitation plans without requiring frequent travel away from the facility.

Interested individuals can reach the main desk to check on current bed vacancies, ask about the assisted living apartments, or coordinate a time to look around the grounds. The intake staff can also help review health plan benefits to demonstrate how insurance networks or public aid options coordinate with standard monthly room invoices.

Overview of Harmony Waterloo

Owned by Justin Knapp, Harmony Waterloo is a skilled nursing home in Waterloo, Iowa. The home specializes in short-term rehabilitation and recovery, with dedicated programs in orthopedic and stroke rehabilitation. Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay are accepted, giving families multiple ways to cover post-acute and rehabilitation stays.

The facility focuses on rehabilitation, so it’s best for residents recovering from surgery, a fall, a stroke, or another hospitalization. Residents stay an average of 117 days because of the home’s role in helping people return to independent living or move into a longer-term care setting.

Clinically, the home has solid staffing support. Nurse staffing averages 3 hours and 51 minutes per resident each day, which includes registered nurse time, licensed practical nurses, and nursing aide support. Residents get consistent attention throughout the day.

The home is in a very walkable location with a Walk Score of 83. Families and visitors will find the neighborhood convenient to navigate on foot. The accessibility here makes it easier for loved ones to visit regularly, as residents recover during their stay.

Regency Assisted Living operates a 60-bed skilled nursing property at 815 High Road in Norwalk, Iowa. Owned by Carla Hall and managed under administrator Victoria Lehman, the facility maintains a quiet baseline census, currently holding an occupancy rate around 42 percent with roughly 25 residents. Financial coordinators process transactions through individual out-of-pocket billing channels alongside state Medicaid options and standard federal Medicare programs. Stays here average about 151 days, which reflects an everyday operational design that merges brief physical therapy rehabilitation cases with extended clinical nursing placements.

State safety logs map out historical compliance patterns over the facility’s 20-year operating history. Regular public health evaluations handled by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing highlighted several repeat administrative themes, pointing out explicit procedural gaps in medication management practices, general resident supervision, and health record documentation. Local supervisors use these periodic regulatory summaries to shape employee skill training modules and adjust daily clinical workflows across the floor shifts to meet public healthcare codes.

For local transit, the surrounding town layout records a walkability score of 70 out of 100, showing a highly accessible neighborhood environment where visiting family members can complete routine errands on foot. On-site shift routines support this setting by providing a daily average of 3 hours and 10 minutes of direct, hands-on care to each individual. Certified nurse aides cover the largest block of this bedside timeline at 2 hours and 17 minutes, working alongside licensed practical nurses who provide 1 hour and registered nurses who add 21 minutes of clinical tracking, respite support, and continuous treatment monitoring.

Prospective residents can call the main office desk to check on current bed layouts, ask about the details of the short-term rehabilitation therapies, or schedule a day to see the grounds.

Northgate Care Center operates a 50-bed medical community at 960 4th Street NW in Waukon, Iowa. The facility manages its accounts through private billing methods alongside standard Medicare and Medicaid authorizations. Residents generally stay for an average of 103 days, meaning the daily census is composed of temporary post-hospital rehab patients living alongside individuals who require extended skilled nursing supervision.

Round-the-clock assistance is managed by a team of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nurse aides who coordinate routine physical therapy and outpatient medical exercises. Practical features inside the building include basic cable television access and private family gathering areas, while the surrounding neighborhood scores a 68 out of 100 for walkability, which means visiting guests can manage a handful of basic daily errands on foot.

Families can contact the administrative office to check on current bed availability, ask about the outpatient therapy schedules, or plan a morning to visit the common rooms. The financial staff can also look over your insurance policies and explain how state aid or private funds apply to monthly care costs.

Overview of Lutheran Living Senior Campus

Founded in 1895, Lutheran Living Senior Campus runs a 155-bed continuing care retirement community on Lutheran Drive in Muscatine, Iowa. This nonprofit facility is managed by executive director Andrew Harris and operates under a church affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Standard billing balances private payment options with Medicare coverage networks, and the overall property runs near an 80 percent occupancy rate. Typical stays average about 166 days, indicating an environment that coordinates transitional physical rehabilitation alongside permanent residential placements.

An average of 4 hours and 21 minutes of hands-on attention is provided to each resident daily by the on-floor medical team. Certified nursing aides, licensed practical nurses, and registered nurses maintain this 24-hour setup to supervise standard physical therapies alongside secure memory care programs. For daily amenities, residents have access to an internal salon, an outdoor courtyard, and spiritual care resources led by a full-time chaplain, while the surrounding town neighborhood provides a walkable layout for visitors running local errands.

Past inspection reports from state oversight departments noted some administrative and clinical areas for improvement, specifically highlighting corrections needed for care planning records, general resident supervision routines, and behavioral health support structures. The administrative leaders use these formal survey findings to modify ongoing training requirements for the floor staff and update internal safety guidelines.

Prospective residents can reach out to the marketing office to check on current apartment availability, verify specific memory care openings, or schedule a morning to tour the therapy spaces. The business desk can also assist with insurance verification and clarify how individual out-of-pocket costs or Medicare benefits align with monthly fees.

The 83-bed senior living property at Highway 432 in Oskaloosa, Iowa, operates under the ownership of the Revocable Trust Barbara S. Donohue. This church-affiliated nonprofit home is managed by administrator Tina Steffen and functions at a 99 percent occupancy rate, accepting Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay. Residents stay here for an average of 330 days, creating a very stable living environment where long-term care makes up the core of the daily routine.

Clinical operations on the floor are anchored by 24-hour nursing coverage, with staff delivering an average of 4 hours and 11 minutes of direct care to each resident daily. Registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nurse aides coordinate an array of on-site medical resources, including laboratory work, physical therapies, X-ray services, podiatry, dentistry, and psychiatry, to minimize the need for external appointments. For day-to-day lifestyle, the campus provides tailored meals, specialized oxygen support, and an internal barber shop, while the surrounding neighborhood secures a high walkability score of 75 out of 100, meaning visiting guests can easily manage errands on foot.

State reports indicate that past regulatory inspections surfaced a few operational areas that needed adjustment, primarily centered around standard medical documentation and clinical paperwork practices. The administrative staff uses these formal survey results to audit their internal records and update routine training protocols for the clinical team.

Families can touch base with the front desk to find out how to get placed on the waiting list, ask about the integrated diagnostic services, or plan an afternoon to tour the neighborhood and facility. The billing department is also available to help you look over financial paperwork and explain how Medicare or Medicaid structures apply to the monthly statements.

Overview of Accura Healthcare of Lake City

Accura Healthcare of Lake City is an 80-bed skilled nursing and long-term care community in Lake City, Iowa, providing short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, memory care, and respite services to residents in Calhoun County. It is operated by Accura Healthcare of the Heartland LLC and accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay.

CMS rates the facility at 1 star overall — the lowest tier nationally. The 1-star rating is driven primarily by the facility’s health inspection performance, while staffing levels are noticeably stronger. Adjusted nursing staffing averages 5 hours 10 minutes per resident per day, ranking 31st among 241 Iowa skilled nursing facilities and running roughly 20% above the state average of 4 hours 18 minutes. The facility has received two federal fines in the past three years — $35,000 in January 2025 and $3,000 in September 2023.

Services include 24-hour skilled nursing, a Life Enrichment Program, and an on-site outdoor patio and courtyard.

The combination of strong staffing levels and a 1-star inspection rating positions this facility well for residents and families who prioritize access to hands-on nursing care. However, families should review the inspection record independently before making a placement decision.

Overview of Good Samaritan Society – Indianola

Good Samaritan Society – Indianola is a 105-bed skilled nursing facility at 708 South Jefferson in Indianola, Iowa. Part of the Sanford Health network and administered by Zach Detweiler, this non-profit community provides a continuum of care including short-term rehabilitation, memory care, and respite services. The campus serves as a localized hub for Warren County residents and currently maintains an occupancy rate of approximately 84%.

Federal and state regulators currently assign the facility a 1-star overall rating, which reflects performance categorized as “Much Below Average”. Regulatory data through early 2026 indicates a high frequency of citations, including an average of 8.8 deficiencies per year, double the state average. While a January 2026 complaint investigation resulted in two citations regarding nursing staff levels and administration, the facility has recorded zero citations for infection control across multiple recent surveys. To date, federal penalties totaling $20,316 have been issued for non-compliance with health standards. C

Nursing hours per resident day currently stand at 2 hours 55 minutes, which is approximately 23% below the Iowa state average. Registered Nurse (RN) presence is reported at 29 minutes per day, and weekend RN coverage is 18 minutes—both falling below state means for similar facilities.

Despite these staffing gaps, the center coordinates specialized clinical programs including dialysis support, occupational therapy, and restorative nursing. Quality metrics show that 83.3% of short-stay residents successfully return to the community, performing in line with state benchmarks.

The campus environment provides a residential setting featuring a community room, library, and on-site salon. Shared services encompass 24-hour medical monitoring, housekeeping, and pet-friendly policies to support a home-like atmosphere. Nutritional support is provided through scheduled meal programs, and residents have access to a wellness center and an emergency call system in all living spaces. For socialization, the facility maintains a resident council and offers diverse recreational activities.

Prospective residents and their representatives should evaluate the current bedside care standards and call light response protocols during an on-site visit. It is advisable to ask the administrator for specific details on the corrective actions taken following the 2025 and 2026 staffing citations and to verify that the clinical coverage is sufficient to meet the individual’s recovery or long-term care goals.

Overview of Hillcrest Health Care Center

At its 64-bed skilled nursing property located at 2121 Avenue L, Hillcrest Health Care Center manages regional patient accounts through a mix of private payments, Medicare credits, and state Medicaid options. The facility emphasizes sustained, continuity-based setups rather than temporary recoveries, with residential admissions averaging near a full calendar year. These longer operational timelines establish a stable daily baseline for seniors requiring ongoing clinical monitoring in the Hawarden area.

Round-the-clock shift support relies on an internal clinical team comprised of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nurse aides who distribute floor hours to implement medical treatment logs and assist with daily physical tasks. This group works directly with incoming individuals to construct personal recovery profiles, which are paired with an internal social engagement program to manage therapeutic communication.

For neighborhood accessibility, the local surroundings register a walkability score of 49 out of 100, indicating that visiting family members or staff will typically require a personal car for basic community travel and appointments.

Prospective families can contact the business manager to check on active bed availability, ask about the schedule of in-house therapy sessions, or coordinate a time to view the property. The administrative department is also set up to review individual insurance parameters and outline how public aid networks or personal assets apply to monthly billing statements.

Located at 2001 1st Avenue North in Estherville, Iowa, Estherville Community Care Center is a nursing home that accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay, so families have several options when it comes to covering the cost of care. The facility has 24-hour staffing, which provides nursing support to both rehabilitation patients and longer-term residents. Daily nursing care averages about 4 hours and 14 minutes per resident. Registered nurses, nurse aides, and licensed practical nurses are all part of the care team.

Rehabilitation, respite care, and clinical support services are important parts of the home’s care programs. It serves patients recovering from surgery, illness, or a recent hospital stay who still need skilled nursing oversight. Staff members also work with families to coordinate therapy services and other specialized care based on individual needs.

Residents have access to both private and semi-private rooms. The facility also offers hospice suites and honeymoon suites for residents with different care needs. A central living and dining area serves as a gathering place throughout the day. Home-cooked meals and snacks are prepared daily, giving the community a more familiar atmosphere. Residents can also join in activities to stay engaged and connected with others.

The facility is in a car-dependent area, so most errands and daily activities require transportation. That’s fairly common in rural Iowa communities. Family members visiting from nearby towns will find convenient highway access in the Estherville area.

Residents stay an average of 242 days, which includes individuals receiving short-term rehabilitation and those who choose longer-term placement.