Des Moines Senior AdvisorWhat kinds of senior care can Des Moines families choose from?
Assisted living (DIAL-certified assisted living programs), memory care (dementia-specific assisted living programs), nursing facilities, in-home care from home health agencies and private-duty agencies, adult day services and hospice.
Independent living with no services needs no certificate, and Iowa also licenses residential care facilities for people who need supervision and personal care in a congregate setting. Each guide below explains what Iowa allows, what it costs at the state's 2025 medians, and how many certificates DIAL lists in the six counties.
How do we decide which type of care fits?
Start from needs rather than labels: help with bathing, dressing and medications points to assisted living, wandering or advanced dementia to a dementia-specific program, daily skilled nursing or two-person transfers to a nursing facility, and a parent safe at night but alone all day may thrive with adult day services.
Our comparisons set two options side by side, and the situation guides start from whatever just happened.
Which kinds of care do Medicare and Medicaid pay for in Iowa?
Medicare pays for short skilled nursing stays after a qualifying inpatient admission, intermittent home health and hospice; Iowa Medicaid pays long nursing facility stays, and the Elderly Waiver pays for services at home, adult day care and services delivered in participating assisted living programs.
PACE combines medical and long-term care for people 55 and older in five of our six counties, and VA pension with Aid and Attendance can help veterans and surviving spouses with any of these.
Care types: every guide
Assisted living in Des Moines and central Iowa
What assisted living means in Des Moines, Iowa: DIAL certification, who it serves, staffing, 2025 costs, the Elderly Waiver and how to choose among metro programs.
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Memory care in Des Moines and central Iowa
Memory care around Des Moines: dementia-specific assisted living programs certified by DIAL, the Global Deterioration Scale threshold, staffing, training, cost and how to evaluate a metro memory care program.
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Nursing homes in Des Moines and central Iowa
Nursing homes around Des Moines: DIAL-licensed nursing facilities, CMS star ratings, Iowa state fines, 2025 costs, Medicare rehab and Iowa Medicaid for long stays.
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In-home care in Des Moines and central Iowa
In-home care around Des Moines: DIAL-licensed home health agencies, private-duty aides, Iowa's 2025 home care median, Medicare home health, the Elderly Waiver and PACE.
Open the guide →Adult day services in Des Moines and central Iowa
Adult day services around Des Moines: DIAL certification, who benefits, Iowa's 2025 median cost, Elderly Waiver and PACE coverage, and what to ask a program.
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Hospice care in Des Moines and central Iowa
Hospice around Des Moines: DIAL-licensed hospices and inpatient hospice houses, Medicare's hospice benefit, hospice in assisted living and nursing facilities, and how to choose a hospice.
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