10 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Waterloo, IA

Waterloo, Iowa

Assisted Living

Assisted living communities offer organized living communities and health care to seniors who need support with things such as preparing meals or self-administering medication. Services provided often involve help with activities of daily living. Occupants may be kept under observation and assessment. Under certain circumstances, communities may offer respite, “aging in place”, or hospice. In Iowa, the annual median cost for an assisted living community is around $48,933 . Iowa has a number of provisions related to this type of community. The Department of Inspections and Appeals, Health communities Division licenses this community type. Before a resident is accepted, they must go through a service plan screening to assure their needs are going to be met. This screening includes a number of areas of interest such as a multidisciplinary team must be involved in service planning when residents require personal care or health-related services, a comprehensive mental and physical assessment, and negotiated risk agreement. This type of community is required to offer a number of services. These include resident access to a 24-hour personal emergency response system, assistance with activities of daily living, health-related services, and assistance with personal care. This community type has a number of provisions pertaining to medication assistance. These provisions include opening containers, reading instructions or other label information, and packaging at the resident’s direction. Staff are required to obtain training in a variety of areas. These areas include accident, emergency procedures, fire safety, and assisted living management or nursing course. There must be one bath or shower for every 1 residents and one toilet for every 1 residents. 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. Public assistance is available through Medicaid 1915(c) Elderly Waiver program. This community has a number of provisions concerning food and diet which include all meals must follow recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences Food and Nutrition Board, communities must provide hot meals at least once a day, a healthcare provider must review food preparation and service procedures, and a health care provider must prescribe a therapeutic diet.

Cost of Living

The total cost of living can be a big influence in choosing what community is best for your family. Per month, the median rent in Waterloo is about $783 per month and the median home value in Waterloo costs around $110,713. The rent burden for Waterloo is around 16.3% of the average monthly income.

Demographics and Values

In Waterloo, 8.1% of the population are veterans of the United States armed forces. Out of the total city population, 50.6% are female and 49.4% are male. The median age of Waterloo is 37 years old. Out of the total population of Waterloo, 17.0% live in poverty, 66.0% participate in the labor force, 13.0% have some form of disability, and 6.3% consider themselves widows. Waterloo has a population density of 424 people per square mile. Demographically, Waterloo is 15.6% black, 2.5% other or not specified, 3.2% mixed race, 75.8% white, 6.3% Hispanic, 2.1% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, and 0.4% Native American. Of the population of Waterloo 21.9% have a college degree, 6.5% have a graduate degree, and 33.9% have a high-school diploma.

State Information

An overview of Iowa

Based on natural beauty, Iowa ranks 32nd in the nation. 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. Out of a national average of 100, Iowa has a cost of living index rating of 92, a grocery index rating of 96, and a housing index rating of 80. The quality of life enjoyed by the average Iowa citizen is ranked 14th nation-wide. Additionally, Iowa is ranked 20th by standards of healthcare.

Social demographics of the state

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 non-Christian denominations in the state are Jewish-<1%, Muslim-<1%, and Buddhist-<1%, with the most common Christian denominations consisting of Evangelical Protestant-28%, Mainline Protestant-30%, and Historically Black Protestant-2%. In Iowa there are 289 masonic lodges. The state has a median age of 38 and 30% of its population being over the age of 55. During the latest presidential election, 51% voted for the Republican candidate while 42% voted for the Democratic candidate.

State-wide weather information

The average temperature in the summer rises to around 72F. Over the summer months the average high temperature peaks at around 88F during the month of July. In the summer, the average low temperature drops to around 55F during the month of June. The average temperature in the winter falls 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. On average, the humidity rating for Iowa is around 72%. The highest monthly average humidity rating is 78% in the month of December. On average, Iowa has an air quality index rating of around 41.2 AQI. The average air quality index rating peaks in the month of May with a rating of around 53.8 AQI. The average amount of precipitation peaks during the month of July at around 6.46 inches. The average monthly precipitation for the state of Iowa is around 2.93 inches. 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 Dryflower, Cinnamon Ferns , Bearberry, and Pink Lady’s Slipper. While venturing throughout the state, you might see animals such as the Lynx, the Gray Wolf, the Elk, or the Bear. The state animal of Iowa is the Eastern Goldfinch.