Des Moines Senior Advisor
What does Des Moines Senior Advisor do?
Des Moines Senior Advisor is a free referral and advisory service that helps families find assisted living, memory care, nursing homes and home care in Des Moines and the surrounding metro counties of Polk, Dallas, Warren, Jasper, Madison and Guthrie.
We publish what Iowa's rules require, what the published cost data really shows, and every certified or licensed facility from the state's own records. Then a local advisor helps you narrow the list. Communities pay us a referral fee when a family we introduced moves in; that is why you pay nothing, and we would rather you hear it from us first.
How many older adults and care options does the Des Moines metro have?
The six counties counted about 124,416 residents aged 65 and older on July 1, 2025 in Census Bureau estimates, and DIAL certifies 79 assisted living programs and licenses 52 nursing facilities there.
| County | Age 65+ | Share 65+ | Assisted living programs | Dementia-specific | Nursing facilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 82,024 | 15.9% | 52 | 27 | 30 |
| Dallas County | 17,182 | 14.5% | 13 | 6 | 8 |
| Warren County | 10,546 | 18.4% | 9 | 4 | 6 |
| Jasper County | 8,262 | 21.7% | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Madison County | 3,501 | 20.3% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Guthrie County | 2,901 | 26.9% | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 county population estimates by age (July 1, 2025). Certificates: Iowa DIAL Entity Report run November 6, 2026.
How are assisted living and memory care regulated in Iowa?
Iowa certifies assisted living programs rather than licensing buildings: DIAL issues two-year certificates under Iowa Code chapter 231C, and memory care is a separately certified dementia-specific assisted living program with extra training and staffing rules.
Every program must keep staff on site around the clock and give each tenant a 24-hour emergency call system. Read how certification works and how dementia-specific programs are regulated.
What does senior care cost in Iowa?
CareScout's 2025 Iowa medians run about $5,100 a month for assisted living and $9,277 for a shared nursing home room, with non-medical home care near $41 an hour; there is no published Des Moines figure and no memory care figure.
For people 65 and older who qualify for Medicaid and need a nursing facility level of care, the Elderly Waiver can pay for services at home or in a participating assisted living program, though not for rent or meals. See costs and payment help.
Where should a Des Moines family begin?
Begin with what just happened, not with a care type: a hospital discharge, a fall, a dementia diagnosis, a worn-out caregiver or shrinking savings each lead to different first steps, and our situation guides take them one at a time.
What we are, and what we are not
| Des Moines Senior Advisor is | Des Moines Senior Advisor is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free to families; communities pay a referral fee | Billed to you now or later |
| Data | DIAL certification records and CMS Care Compare | Paid placements or scraped listings |
| Ratings | CMS stars, labelled as CMS's own | Scores we made up |
| Affiliation | An independent referral service | A government office or an Area Agency on Aging |
