Des Moines Senior AdvisorWesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL, at 3520 Grand Ave. 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 S0117, with a maximum occupancy of 19 units and a certificate current through June 21, 2027.
What does Iowa's certificate record show for Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL in Des Moines?
Yes. Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL holds a current DIAL certificate as a dementia-specific assisted living program (ALP/D), sized at 19 units, smaller 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 | S0117 |
| Program type | Dementia-specific assisted living program (ALP/D) |
| First certified | June 21, 2001 |
| Current two-year certificate | June 21, 2025 through June 21, 2027 |
| Maximum occupancy | 19 units |
| Voluntary national accreditation | No; DIAL monitors it directly |
| Administrator on the DIAL record | Melany Dann-Aadland |
| State fines with exit dates since January 2023 | 0 |
| Months since DIAL's last survey or monitoring | 32.0 (next due March 21, 2026) |
| Phone on the DIAL record | (515) 271-6504 |
The certificate shown runs to June 21, 2027. Iowa issues ALP certificates for two-year terms and expects the operator to apply for recertification, with its fee, at least 30 days before the old one lapses.
DIAL dates the first certification to June 21, 2001, about 25 years ago, which places it 12 of 77 by age among the metro's certificates.
What does the dementia-specific certificate at Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL require?
Yes. DIAL certifies Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL 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.
No fixed ratio applies, which makes the overnight headcount the number to ask for in writing.
The same street address also holds a general assisted living certificate: Wesley on Grand Central AL, so a spouse without dementia can often live in the same community.
The full rules are summarized on our dementia-specific program page.
Has Iowa fined Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL?
None is listed: the statewide fines report for January 2023 to November 2026 does not name Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL.
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.
How recently has DIAL visited Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL?
DIAL's Survey Due Report counted 32.0 months since the last on-site survey or monitoring of Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL when we ran it on November 6, 2026, which puts that visit around March 2024; the next one is due by March 21, 2026.
Under 481 IAC 67.10 the cycle is at least one monitoring visit per 24 months; individual survey reports can also be looked up in DIAL's Health Facilities database.
What other assisted living is near Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL?
The nearest other certified program is 3801 Grand in Des Moines, about 0.2 miles away as the crow flies, with 106 units and a dementia-specific certificate.
| Facility | Miles away | Type | Units or beds | State fines since 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3801 Grand 3801 Grand Ave, 50312 | 0.2 | ALP/D | 106 | 0 |
| Rose of Des Moines 1330 19th Street, 50314 | 1.7 | ALP | 104 | 0 |
| Claremont's Ramsey Village 1611 27th St, 50310 | 1.8 | ALP/D | 10 | 0 |
| Calvin Community Memory Care 4210 Hickman Rd, 50310 | 2.2 | ALP/D | 21 | 0 |
| Arbor Heights at University 233 University Ave, 50314 | 2.5 | ALP | 25 | 0 |
How far is Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL from a hospital?
Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL is in the Downtown, Drake & the West Side part of Des Moines, and UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medical Center is the closest general hospital on DIAL's roster, about 2.2 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 Wesley on Grand (0.0 mi; CMS rating 4 of 5) and Scottish Rite Park Health Care Center (0.4 mi; CMS rating 5 of 5).
Also licensed at this street address: Wesley on Grand RCF (residential care facility, license 770287), Wesley on Grand (nursing facility, license 770287). On a shared campus a tenant can often change levels of care without leaving the community.
What does Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL's record suggest asking on a tour?
Start with what the state's own record raises: request the most recent monitoring or complaint report and the program's response to it.
- Ask which services cost extra as needs rise, and confirm the agreement promises 30 days' written notice of any change.
- Ask how the program handles a tenant who needs two-person transfers or more than 28 hours a week of nursing, the point where Iowa rules usually require a move.
- Ask how many staff are awake inside the program overnight and how the written missing-tenant procedure works.
- Ask whether Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL accepts Elderly Waiver members if savings run out, and what part of the monthly bill the waiver would not cover.
