Assisted living in Des Moines, IA
These are the 12 licensed assisted-living and memory-care communities in Des Moines, Iowa. Unlike nursing homes, assisted living has no federal or state star rating — so, to stay honest, we do not rank them and we do not invent a score. We list every community alphabetically, show what Iowa licenses it for, and show its state inspection record where the state publishes one — saying so plainly where it doesn’t, because no record is not a clean record. No community pays to appear here.
How to read this: Iowa publishes a per-community inspection record, so the badges below come from that file. “No violations on the state record” means the state looked and recorded nothing against this community — not that its record is empty. A community whose complaints were investigated and not substantiated belongs here: an allegation nobody substantiated is not a violation, and we will not badge it as one. It is a floor, not a quality score, and never a rating. Open each community to read what its record actually holds, then tour in person and ask the state ombudsman about complaints, which aren't always in the public file.
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- ·Findings on the state record25 licensed beds233 University Ave, Des Moines, IA
- ·Findings on the state record183 licensed beds4210 Hickman Rd, Des Moines, IA
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- ·Findings on the state record80 licensed beds2210 East Park Avenue, Des Moines, IA
- ·Findings on the state record100 licensed beds2910 E. 16th Street, Des Moines, IA
- ·Findings on the state record19 licensed beds3520 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA
- ·Findings on the state record128 licensed beds5815 SE 27th Street, Des Moines, IA
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- ·Findings on the state record128 licensed beds1331 Idaho Street, Des Moines, IA
- ·Findings on the state record108 licensed beds2555 Guthrie Avenue, Des Moines, IA
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Keep looking: read the Iowa state guides — assisted living and nursing homes — browse all assisted-living records by state, find the closest communities to your ZIP, or filter every facility by inspection record. Or see the ranked best nursing homes in Des Moines, IA. Back to every Iowa city.
How we order this list
We do not rank assisted living, because there is no federal star rating for it — the CMS five-star system covers nursing homes only, and assisted living is licensed and inspected by each state with no equivalent score. We could build a composite score out of capacity, memory-care beds and whatever enforcement data a state happens to publish, and put a number at the top of this page. We won’t: it would be our opinion wearing the costume of a government rating, and it would rank hardest on the states that publish least. So we list every licensed community alphabetically, show what the state licenses it for, and show its inspection record where the state publishes one.
Roughly two-thirds of states publish no bulk assisted-living inspection file at all. Where that is the case we say so on the community’s row rather than leaving a reassuring blank — an empty record is missing data, not a good record, and the difference matters most precisely where someone is about to make a decision.
No community pays to appear here. There is no sponsored placement, no paid listing, and no referral fee. The page carries ordinary Google display advertising, sold against the page and with no bearing on who is listed or in what order. Inspection records come straight from state licensing agencies.
Common questions
Does Medicaid pay here?
How current is this data?
What does the star rating mean?
Assisted-living inspection records are published by state licensing agencies and vary by state. The absence of a violation does not guarantee the absence of problems. Always verify with the community and your state Long-Term Care Ombudsman.