10 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Iowa City, IA

Iowa City, Iowa

Assisted Living

Assisted living communities provide personal care, social events, and oversight to people who are about 65 years of age or older. Assisted living communities frequently offer supervision of care, assistance with transit and appointments, and chances for social activity. Under certain circumstances, communities may provide nursing, respite, or Alzheimer’s care. In Iowa, the annual median cost for an assisted living community is around $48,933 . Iowa has specific standards related to this kind of community. The Department of Inspections and Appeals, Health communities Division licenses this community type. This type of community is required to offer a number of services. These include assistance with personal care, assistance with activities of daily living, health-related services, and resident access to a 24-hour personal emergency response system. Staff members obtain education in a variety of areas. These areas include accident, fire safety, assisted living management or nursing course, and emergency procedures. Public assistance is available through Medicaid 1915(c) Elderly Waiver program. Before a resident is accepted, they must go through a service plan screening to make sure their needs are going to be met. This screening includes a number of areas of interest such as negotiated risk agreement, a multidisciplinary team must be involved in service planning when residents require personal care or health-related services, and a comprehensive mental and physical assessment. This community type has a number of provisions pertaining to medication assistance. These provisions include medication reminders, reading instructions or other label information, and opening containers. This type of community is required to have a staff member on duty 24 hours a day. The minimum number of residents for this community type is 3. There must be one bath or shower for every 1 residents and one toilet for every 1 residents. This community has a number of provisions concerning food and diet which include a licensed dietitian must be available to write and approve the therapeutic menu, communities must provide hot meals at least once a day, all meals must follow recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences Food and Nutrition Board, and a health care provider must prescribe a therapeutic diet.

Regional Climate and Weather Information

The air quality, air temperature, and humidity of a destination may have a major influence on the overall health of senior citizens. In the summertime, the temperature in Iowa City is about 74F. The summer high temperature peaks at roughly 86F in the month of July. The low summer temperature drops to approximately 62F in June. In the wintertime, the average temperature in Iowa City falls to about 26F. The peak winter temperature gets to roughly 35F in the month of February. The low winter temperature will rise to roughly 15 F during the month of January. On average, Iowa City has a humidity rating of around 60%. Humidity ratings peak during the month of December at approximately 65%. Iowa City has a hot-summer humid continental type of climate. On average, the air quality index rating in Iowa City is around 38.4. The average AQI conditions are rated as good. The air quality index score is at its peak in December at approximately 46.7. Monthly, Iowa City receives around 3 inches of precipitation. The most precipitation usually occurs in June with an average of 6 inches in a month. In terms of snow fall Iowa City gets on average 26.80 inches of snow.

Cost of Living

Cost of living can be a major factor when deciding what community works best. The rent burden for Iowa City is around 16.0% of the average person’s monthly income. The median home value in Iowa City costs around $202,382 and the median rent is $1,172 per month a month. Iowa City has a sales tax of 6.00%.

Local Hospitals and Health Care Providers

For many seniors, especially those who have chronic illness or those who require long-term care, proximity to hospitals can be a key consideration when selecting which senior care community best fits your family’s needs. The top hospitals that service Iowa City include Mercy Hospital and University Of Iowa Hospital & Clinics. In total, there are 2 hospitals located in Iowa City which offer emergency services and other healthcare.

Demographics and Values

Iowa City has a population density of 1,143 people per square mile. The current population of Iowa City is growing at a rate of 0.009%. Of the population of Iowa City 12.9% have a high-school diploma, 59.8% have a college degree, and 31.4% have a graduate degree. In Iowa City, 68.5% participate in the labor force, 7.4% have some form of disability, 28.0% live in poverty, and 6.9% do not have health insurance. During the previous presidential election, 65.2% voted Democrat, 7.4% voted for a third party candidate, and 27.4% voted Republican in Johnson county. Demographically, Iowa City is 2.8% mixed race, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 79.4% white, 7.9% Asian, 6.0% Hispanic, 7.3% black, and 2.1% other or not specified. In terms of non-Christian denominations in Iowa City, out of the total population 0.4% practice Judaism, 0.5% practice an Eastern religion, and 0.2% practice Islam. In Iowa City, 63.6% are nonbelievers. In terms of Christian denominations, out of the total population of Iowa City 12.5% practice Catholicism, 8.4% are Methodists, and 4.2% are Lutherans. Out of the total city population, 49.9% are male and 50.1% are female. In Iowa City, 16.7% of the population are over the age of 55, 6.9% are over the age of 60, 3.3% are over the age of 70, and 3.0% are over the age of 80. The median age of Iowa City is 26 years old. In terms of crime, Iowa City has 27.4 property crimes per 1000 residents and 2.4 violent crimes per 1000 residents. In Iowa City, 3.6% of the people are veterans of the United States armed forces. Iowa City is considered very friendly to members of the LGBTQ+ community.

State Information

An overview of Iowa

There are 120 general hospitals and 75 health centers that provide care for 3,168,703 Iowa residents. The top three hospitals in the state are considered to be Mercy Hospital, St. Lukes Hospital, and And Mercy Medical Center Cedar Rapids. In terms of resources, Iowa has a cost of living index of 91.8, a grocery index rating of 95.9, and a housing index rating of 79.6. These index ratings are based on a system where 100 is considered the national average and anything below 100 is considered less expensive than the national average. Based on natural beauty, Iowa ranks 32nd in the nation. Overall, Iowa ranks 14th in quality of life and 20th in healthcare compared to other US states.

Social demographics of the state

In the last presidential election 42% of Iowa residents voted Democrat and 51% voted Republican. The state of Iowa ranks 43rd in the country for diversity, and the state is considered LGBTQ friendly. In Iowa, 36% of the population attend some form of religious service and there are 5,107 different congregations. The top three Christian denominations in the state are Evangelical Protestant-28%, Mainline Protestant-30%, and Historically Black Protestant-2%. The top three non-Christian denominations in the state are Jewish-<1%, Muslim-<1%, and Buddhist-<1%. In Iowa there are 289 masonic lodges. The median age in the state is 38, and 30% of the population is over the age of 55.

State-wide weather information

On average, the humidity rating for Iowa is around 72%. The highest monthly average humidity rating is 78% in the month of December. The average air quality index rating in Iowa is 41.2 AQI. The average air quality index rating peaks in the month of May with a rating of around 53.8 AQI. During the winter, the average temperature in Iowa drops to around 22F. The average high winter temperature is around 40F in the month of February. The average low temperature during the winter drops to around 4F in the month of January. During the summer, the average temperature in Iowa is around 72F. Over the summer months the average high temperature peaks at around 88F during the month of July. The average low summer temperature is around 55F in the month of June. The most precipitation occurs in July with an average of 6.46 inches of precipitation a month. On average, the state receives 2.93 inches of precipitation a month. While residents of Iowa mostly enjoy pleasant conditions, it’s important to be aware of inclement weather as well, which in Iowa can include floods and earthquakes (high).

Wildlife to be found in Iowa

The state of Iowa has a diverse array of plant and animal life. Local plant life can consist of Western Beard-tongue, Prickly Pear Cactus, Bunchberry, and Tumblegrass. While venturing throughout the state, you might see animals such as the Bear, the Mountain Lion, the Coyote, or the Lynx. The state animal of Iowa is the Eastern Goldfinch.