Des Moines Senior AdvisorGrand Living at Tower Place, at 540 S 51st Street in West Des Moines (Polk County), is a certified assisted living program (ALP) certified by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing under certificate S0442, with a maximum occupancy of 204 units and a certificate current through April 2, 2027.
What does Iowa's certificate record show for Grand Living at Tower Place in West Des Moines?
Yes. Grand Living at Tower Place holds a current DIAL certificate as a certified assisted living program (ALP), sized at 204 units, larger than the 88-unit midpoint of the 40 general programs we track in the six counties.
| Field | From DIAL's records |
|---|---|
| DIAL certificate number | S0442 |
| Program type | Assisted living program (ALP) |
| First certified | April 1, 2021 |
| Current two-year certificate | April 2, 2025 through April 2, 2027 |
| Maximum occupancy | 204 units |
| Voluntary national accreditation | No; DIAL monitors it directly |
| Administrator on the DIAL record | not given |
| State fines with exit dates since January 2023 | 0 |
| Months since DIAL's last survey or monitoring | 23.4 (next due December 3, 2026) |
| Phone on the DIAL record | (515) 850-5540 |
Iowa certifies assisted living programs for two years at a time (Iowa Code 231C.3), and this certificate period began April 2, 2025. Recertification costs a program $1,000 and an initial certificate $750, under Iowa Code 231C.18.
DIAL dates the first certification to April 1, 2021, about 6 years ago, which places it 58 of 77 by age among the metro's certificates.
What happens at Grand Living at Tower Place if a tenant's memory declines?
Grand Living at Tower Place holds a general ALP certificate, and its building also carries a separate dementia-specific certificate, so a tenant whose dementia advances can usually move within the same community.
Iowa's rules do not bar a general program from serving people with dementia; a program becomes dementia-specific by definition once enough tenants are at GDS stages 4 to 7 during two sequential monitorings, and then must meet the ALP/D rules. The closest dementia-specific programs are Grand Living at Tower Place MC (0.0 mi), Bickford Cottage West Des Moines (1.8 mi), Morningstar at Jordan Creek MC (3.4 mi).
Does Grand Living at Tower Place have state fines on record?
We found no state fine for Grand Living at Tower Place in DIAL's Assessed Fines Report covering visits that ended from January 2023 to November 2026.
That is a good sign but not the whole picture. Most problems DIAL identifies end in a plan of correction rather than a fine, and those appear only in the monitoring report itself.
Is Grand Living at Tower Place due for a state monitoring visit?
About 23 months had passed since DIAL's most recent visit to Grand Living at Tower Place (roughly November 2024) according to the state's Survey Due Report, and the report shows the next visit due by December 3, 2026.
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.
What other assisted living is near Grand Living at Tower Place?
The nearest other certified program is Bickford Cottage West Des Moines in West Des Moines, about 1.8 miles away as the crow flies, with 66 units and a dementia-specific certificate.
| Facility | Miles away | Type | Units or beds | State fines since 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bickford Cottage West Des Moines 5050 Hawthorne Dr, 50265 | 1.8 | ALP/D | 66 | 0 |
| Cedar Ridge Village 8950 Coachlight Drive, 50266 | 3.4 | ALP | 68 | 0 |
| Edgewater Assisted Living - Brookside 9225 Cascade Avenue, 50266 | 3.4 | ALP | 62 | 0 |
| Morningstar at Jordan Creek 525 S. 60th Street, 50266 | 3.4 | ALP | 93 | 0 |
| Morningstar at Jordan Creek MC 525 S. 60th Street, 50266 | 3.4 | ALP/D | 58 | 3 |
How far is Grand Living at Tower Place from a hospital?
Grand Living at Tower Place is in West Des Moines, Polk County, and UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Methodist West Hospital is the closest general hospital on DIAL's roster, about 3.4 miles away by straight line.
UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medical Center is next, roughly 7.3 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 Harmony West Des Moines (0.8 mi; CMS rating 1 of 5) and Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Care Center LLC (3.6 mi; CMS rating Not rated by CMS).
What does Grand Living at Tower Place's record suggest asking on a tour?
Use the public record as your checklist: request the most recent monitoring or complaint report and the program's response to it.
- Take the occupancy agreement home and read its fee schedule, service list and transfer criteria before signing.
- Ask which conditions would trigger a transfer, beyond Iowa's list, since programs may add criteria if they disclose them in the agreement.
- Ask whether Grand Living at Tower Place accepts Elderly Waiver members if savings run out, and what part of the monthly bill the waiver would not cover.
