Des Moines Senior AdvisorGardens at Luther Park, at 2910 E. 16th Street in Des Moines (Polk County), is a dementia-specific assisted living program (ALP/D) certified by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing under certificate S0241, with a maximum occupancy of 120 units and a certificate current through August 16, 2028.
Is Gardens at Luther Park a certified assisted living program in Des Moines, Iowa?
Yes. Gardens at Luther Park holds a current DIAL certificate as a dementia-specific assisted living program (ALP/D), sized at 120 units, larger than the 58-unit midpoint of the 39 dementia-specific programs we track in the six counties.
| Field | From DIAL's records |
|---|---|
| DIAL certificate number | S0241 |
| Program type | Dementia-specific assisted living program (ALP/D) |
| First certified | not listed |
| Current two-year certificate | August 17, 2026 through August 16, 2028 |
| Maximum occupancy | 120 units |
| Voluntary national accreditation | No; DIAL monitors it directly |
| Administrator on the DIAL record | not given |
| State fines with exit dates since January 2023 | 2 |
| Months since DIAL's last survey or monitoring | 17.1 (next due June 11, 2027) |
| Phone on the DIAL record | (515) 265-1887 |
Iowa certifies assisted living programs for two years at a time (Iowa Code 231C.3), and this certificate period began August 17, 2026. Recertification costs a program $1,000 and an initial certificate $750, under Iowa Code 231C.18.
How does Iowa regulate dementia care at Gardens at Luther Park?
Yes. DIAL certifies Gardens at Luther Park as a dementia-specific assisted living program, Iowa's official category for programs that serve tenants with moderate to severe dementia (Global Deterioration Scale stages 4 to 7) or hold themselves out as providing specialized dementia care.
That certificate brings extra duties under 481 IAC chapter 69: staff awake and on duty around the clock on site, eight hours of dementia training for every employee within 30 days of hire, eight more hours a year for direct-care staff, and written procedures for a tenant who goes missing.
The rules require enough trained staff to meet tenants' needs rather than a set ratio; ask to see two recent weeks of night-shift schedules.
The full rules are summarized on our dementia-specific program page.
Does Gardens at Luther Park have state fines on record?
Yes. DIAL's Assessed Fines Report lists 2 state fines for Gardens at Luther Park from visits ending between January 2023 to November 2026, totaling $4,875 after adjustments; the most recent followed a visit that ended September 3, 2025.
- September 3, 2025 (visit exit date), enforcement no. 10941: $5,000 issued; $3,250 after adjustment
- July 10, 2023 (visit exit date), enforcement no. 10044: $2,500 issued; $1,625 after adjustment
A fine follows a regulatory insufficiency serious enough to put tenants at risk or one that went uncorrected. The fines report gives amounts, not reasons, so ask to read the final report and the plan of correction for each visit listed.
When did Iowa last inspect Gardens at Luther Park?
The state's own scheduling report shows 17.1 months since Gardens at Luther Park was last surveyed, so the visit fell near June 2025, with the next due by June 11, 2027.
DIAL must visit each program at least once every 24 months, and complaint investigations can bring it back sooner. The latest monitoring report, fire safety report and food inspection must be shown to the public on request.
If Gardens at Luther Park has no opening, where else should we look?
The nearest other certified program is Rose of East Des Moines in Des Moines, about 1.3 miles away as the crow flies, with 128 units and a general certificate.
| Facility | Miles away | Type | Units or beds | State fines since 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rose of East Des Moines 1331 Idaho Street, 50316 | 1.3 | ALP | 128 | 0 |
| Village Assisted Living, Inc. 2571 Guthrie Avenue, 50317 | 1.4 | ALP | 108 | 0 |
| Arbor Heights at University 233 University Ave, 50314 | 2.0 | ALP | 25 | 0 |
| Rose of Des Moines 1330 19th Street, 50314 | 2.8 | ALP | 104 | 0 |
| Claremont's Ramsey Village 1611 27th St, 50310 | 3.2 | ALP/D | 10 | 0 |
Where is Gardens at Luther Park, and how close are the hospitals?
Gardens at Luther Park is in the The East Side, Capitol East & Easton part of Des Moines, and UnityPoint Health Des Moines Iowa Lutheran is the closest general hospital on DIAL's roster, about 0.9 miles away by straight line.
Broadlawns Medical Center is next, roughly 2.2 miles away. Distances are straight-line measurements between mapped points, not driving times.
If nursing care becomes necessary, the two nearest CMS-certified nursing facilities are Trinity Center at Luther Park (0.1 mi; CMS rating 1 of 5) and Azria Health Park Place (0.8 mi; CMS rating 1 of 5).
Which questions matter most at Gardens at Luther Park?
Start with what the state's own record raises: ask what DIAL found on the visit that ended September 3, 2025 and what changed afterward.
- Ask to read the latest DIAL monitoring report, the fire safety report and the plan of correction; Iowa rules require the program to share them on request.
- Ask which services cost extra as needs rise, and confirm the agreement promises 30 days' written notice of any change.
- Ask the program to show you, in writing, its own admission and retention criteria on top of the state's.
- Ask how many staff are awake inside the program overnight and how the written missing-tenant procedure works.
- Ask whether the program works with Iowa Medicaid's Elderly Waiver and which managed care organizations it contracts with.
