Nursing Homes and Senior Care in Iowa

Nursing Homes by City in Iowa

The Iowa cities with the most CMS-certified nursing homes. All 248 cities are listed below the table. Homes in Iowa average 3.8 hours of nursing care per resident per day; the national median is 3.7 hours.

5-Star Nursing Homes in Iowa

Homes with CMS's top overall rating, ordered by inspection rating. See all highest-rated nursing homes in Iowa.

Assisted Living in Iowa

Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Health Facilities Division licenses assisted living in Iowa. License types: Assisted Living Program, Assisted Living Programs for People with Dementia, Elder Group Home and Residential Care Facility. Use the state's search to check a community's license and inspection history.

• Iowa assisted living facility search
• Iowa assisted living rules
• Iowa assisted living licensing (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Health Facilities Division)

Memory Care Rules in Iowa

Iowa's term is "Dementia-specific assisted living program", a separate license or certification.

• A dementia-specific assisted living program is a certified assisted living program that serves fewer than 55 tenants and has 5 or more tenants with dementia between Stages 4 and 7 on the Global Deterioration Scale, or serves 55 or more tenants with 10 percent or more at those stages, or holds itself out as providing specialized care for persons with dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, in a dedicated setting (481 IAC 69.1).
• A program that meets the definition at two sequential certification monitorings must meet all dementia-specific requirements within 90 days of the second final report (481 IAC 69.2(2)).
• One or more staff persons who monitor tenants as indicated in each tenant's service plan must be awake and on duty 24 hours a day on site and in the proximate area (481 IAC 69.29(4)).
• All personnel employed by or contracting with a dementia-specific program receive at least 8 hours of dementia-specific education and training within 30 days of employment or contract start (481 IAC 69.30(1)).
• All personnel receive at least 2 hours of dementia-specific continuing education annually; direct-contact personnel receive at least 8 hours annually (481 IAC 69.30(3)).
• An operating alarm system must be connected to each exit door in a dementia-specific program, and specialized door locking systems need approval from the fire safety bureau before installation (481 IAC 69.32(2) and (3)).
• A program serving people with cognitive disorder or dementia must have written procedures on alarm systems and staff response when a tenant's service plan indicates a risk of elopement (481 IAC 69.32(4)).

• Iowa memory care rules

Medicaid Long-Term Care in Iowa

Iowa's Medicaid program is Iowa Medicaid. For nursing home Medicaid (2026), the state lists an income limit of three (3x) times the monthly Supplemental Security Income (SSI) cash benefit (income of the spouse in the medical facility) and an asset limit of no more than $2,000 after resources are split between the spouses. Residents keep a personal needs allowance of $50 of monthly income for personal needs.

• HCBS Elderly Waiver: adult day, assisted living and in-home care. For people age 65 or older. Iowa HHS says there may be a waiting list for some waiver programs, varying by program and utilization; it posts an HCBS Waiver Waiting List Information document.

• Iowa Medicaid nursing facility coverage
• Iowa Medicaid long-term care limits

Nursing Home Inspections and Complaints in Iowa

Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Health Facilities Division inspects nursing homes in Iowa for CMS.

• Iowa nursing home inspection lookup
• File a nursing home complaint in Iowa

Iowa Long-Term Care Ombudsman

The Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman is a free, confidential advocate for residents of nursing homes and assisted living. Ombudsmen help with complaints, residents' rights and problems with care. Call 866-236-1430.

• Contact the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman

Aging Services and Caregiver Support in Iowa

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Aging Services runs Iowa's aging services, delivered through local Area Agencies on Aging. Family caregivers can get help through Caregiver Resources (Family Caregiver Counseling, Respite Care Services, Family Caregiver Support Groups). Adult day services are licensed or certified by Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Health Facilities Division (Adult Day Services, Iowa Code chapter 231D).

• Iowa aging services: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Aging Services
• Area Agencies on Aging in Iowa
• Caregiver support in Iowa: Caregiver Resources (Family Caregiver Counseling, Respite Care Services, Family Caregiver Support Groups)
• Iowa adult day services

Guides for Your Next Step

See how to choose a nursing home, what memory care is, how Medicaid pays for nursing home care and what Medicare covers. For local help, call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116.

Frequently Asked Questions