The Best Independent Living Communities in Dallas County, IA

"Holiday Illahee Hills was very nice and very clean. They were waiting at the door for us. When I explained to the woman our circumstances, right off the bat, she told me that it probably wasn't where my loved one needed to be and that we needed more hands-on care. So, she didn't beat around the bush and try to get me in there just to get him in there. We went through the dining area and into a private room and talked. The dining room was very well-kept and smelled good. The grounds are kept well and people were visiting."

Glen Meadows Retirement is West Des Moines, Iowa’s premier independent living community. The community comprises 119 apartments for adults 55 and over — including studio apartments, one, two, and three-bedroom suites, and a variety of floor plans. Glen Meadows Retirement is all-inclusive, providing five-star services on a month-to-month basis. A single monthly charge includes all services, utilities, phone, cable, and internet. Spacious common areas feature a 150-seat state-of-the-art theater, library, billiards and game room, conversation areas with fireplaces, concierge lounge with bar, flat-screen TV, game tables, superb fitness and exercise room facilities, spa area, laundry facility, and business center. Residents savor the variety found in an industry-first all-inclusive Freedom Dining Program. With three fresh chef-prepared meals daily, residents can choose from a variety of menu options and dining experiences with flexible hours. Coffee, juice, ice cream, and snacks are available all day. Weekly housekeeping service is provided, along with transportation to and from appointments and shopping trips. Numerous planned activities, social events, and travel opportunities abound. Live-in managers and concierge and valet services are available 24/7, ensuring resident safety. Every resident receives an emergency alert pendant, guaranteeing peace of mind to friends and family that their loved ones are protected during emergencies. Pets are warmly welcome at Glen Meadows Retirement, with no additional pet deposit. A guest suite is available for residents’ family members to reserve for visits. A travel program whisks residents to any of Resort Lifestyle Communities’ other properties, where they can reserve a guest suite free for one week — meals included. Fitness and wellness programs including aerobics, weight lifting, yoga, walking clubs, sittercises, and many more boost resident wellness. A beauty salon/barber shop is close on the property. Residents can participate in a book club, bridge and poker games, or go on excursions to museums, cultural events, and casinos. Residents often say they wish they would have made the move sooner—those who make the move while they are still healthy tend to retain, or even improve, their health living in an independent retirement community like Glen Meadows. Socialization, security, and peace of mind are vital benefits provided to all residents. Socializing not only contributes to a longer, happier life, but also improves cognitive performance. Building a circle of support with new friends at Glen Meadows will enrich your life in countless ways. Visit Glen Meadows soon!

"We toured the Elite Lodge of Ashworth. We liked the facility, we liked the people, and we liked the floor plans. The staff was very nice, very good, very helpful, and very pleasant. The one that we liked was a one-bedroom plus a den. We had lunch when we were there."

"I'm a resident of Independence Village of Des Moines. They have nice people and lots of activities. I like the condition of the residents and the overall environment. There are a few appliances in the apartment. You get a refrigerator and air-conditioning. As far as personal amenities like a microwave or toaster or something like that, you have to bring that with you or we have stores nearby that you can purchase them from. Three meals a day, electricity, and cable are included. We have a patio and smoking areas out back here and amenities also include transportation if needed. The staff is very supportive. If you have any problems, they help you work through them and get results. If they don't have the answers, they help direct us to a place where we can get answers from. They're very helpful. I'm really impressed with that. They cook for a lot of people. They have meals that they plan, and they have menus that they pretty much go by every day. It's very nice that it's also included in the price of the rent here. We have very good housekeepers. Just yesterday, we had an ice cream social in our main dining room that had live music and it was very, very good music. They keep the residents happy and busy. We go on outings and we have a happy hour. A lot of the older people sit around and drink beer and tell stories. It's just a very comfortable community setting where people get to sit around and talk about things. We have a sidewalk that surrounds the place and it encourages people to get out. We have wildlife that runs through here, deer and different types of wildlife that keeps interest of older people. I'm just glad that my daughter found me this place. It's more than just a village. It's a community of people that genuinely want to be together, share concerns and celebrate victories and stuff. I'm very glad that we came here."

"My mother has moved into Ramsey Village. The employees there are very helpful and extremely friendly. They know all their residents and they treat them all with respect. They appear to have, and have so far after the first week, been able to provide her with the care, both physical and emotional, that she needed. The atmosphere is excellent. From the medical attention she gets from the nurses and the doctor, shower support, to the aides that assist in dining and nutrition, they've been excellent. They understand that there's a settling in period of time and that they work to make the transition from a home owner to a tenant in an assisted living facility. Her apartment is nice and comfortable. It has all the things she needs for assisted living. The roast chicken was delicious. They were a bargain at the five-star level."

"3801 Grand is in the same neighborhood that I would like to be in. It isn't as large as a community. It has 38 residents so it seemed like a very friendly community. The input that I was getting from talking to the administrator was very receptive and very proactive. She called right away and she listened to what I would like, and then made arrangements for my son and myself to have separate apartments within the same floor. They have the evening meal available and some house cleaning services. I will not have any extra bills to consider. As far as utilities and everything, it would all be covered, except for my phone. They did great follow ups. The person I interacted with was excellent. When I went there, the receptionist seemed welcoming. The staff person I've been working with is the marketing staff. She just informed me that she's going to be out of town, and who I could reach in the meantime, so I appreciate that. The place is well maintained. They had activities. I was interested in their underground covered garage. They didn't have an entrance fee. You just have to pay a deposit, and I understand it's refundable if you want to leave. They had some activities that I thought I would be interested in. They have a gym and a full kitchen in the apartment."

"The apartments are very nice and modern. Full size appliances. Walk in showers. Its set up great for senior living. Washers and dryers are set up in the apartments. Wifi and cable are free. Nice courtyard and patios. The staff is very nice and friendly. They're plenty of activities going on everyday. Very happy here."

"Mom is in Holland Farms Senior Living. It's a very, very nice place. It's very modern, beautifully decorated, very clean, and well maintained, and they've got a very nice staff. They have a very nice dining area. They had a Christmas party on Tuesday night. My mom likes to walk and there's a place there for her to walk and she enjoys that. The food is excellent. I haven't eaten anything, but I've looked at the menus and it looked like they would be very good. The activities are excellent too. They take them on rides and they have church activities and things like that. They have a lot of things and they keep it very interesting for them. Comparatively, their pricing is very competitive."

"We toured Edencrest at Tuscany for my in-laws. Our overall experience was just what we expected. We met with Kevin, and he explained and showed us what it was all about. He also showed us two options that were available and told us about the 2-bedrooms. Both options were wonderful. It was a nice facility, brand new. I liked all of the services that they were going to provide. It made me feel like they would be safe. Even though they were in independent living, they would provide the call button if they needed something right away. It was not free of charge. But, in the end, that made me feel secure, even though they were going to be independent living. The rooms had lots of light. They had a beautiful balcony off of the living room and sliders that led to the balcony. The kitchen was very roomy and would be easy for them to navigate around even for those with issues with walking or a walker. Their kitchen was just about as big as my kitchen in our current home, so, it was very nice. The closet space was roomy with plenty of room for their personal items. It had an in-service laundry room that was right above the kitchen. It was like the brochure says, beautiful."

"I toured Edencrest at Pleasant Hill. It's new, and the administrator who took me on the tour seemed like she knew what she was doing and had things in mind to do as far as the future goes. She had some good ideas. The rooms were very nice and comparable to any other room I've seen. They're about the same size and have a nice, roomy bathroom. They just showed me a model. She told me that they just got a new chef and that he was good."

"We have chosen Attivo Trail, which is a 55 and older community. Our tour went very well. We had a nice tour guide and she showed us an empty apartment. One thing that caught our interest was a man who was standing near the door and he said, "Oh, you have to move here. It's a wonderful place to live" and that was unsolicited. The tour guide laughed. She said we should put him on the payroll because he's so enthusiastic, but the people who are out in the hallway and doing different activities seemed happy. They don't serve meals. It is completely independent. They have an indoor pool and a workout room that's quite extensive. In the new unit, which we weren't able to see yet because it wasn't finished, they also have an art room and a woodworking room, and I am an artist and my husband does woodworking, so that caught our interest that that was going to be there after the first of the year. There's a pond in the area and an outside gathering area and they have outdoor concerts there in the summertime. The apartment we chose will have a balcony looking at that area. There's a library there and there's a bar. They don't serve alcohol, but you can go in there and have your own little parties or play cards or whatever you want to do. The tour guide was very knowledgeable. She was enthusiastic about the place as well. We've talked with her on the phone several times and communicated back and forth, and she's been very efficient and very helpful. It was newish. They had built a whole new wing. Everything's attached so you can walk all the way around if you choose and stay inside. We have an attached garage as well. Since it's Iowa, that's a good feature. We don't have to go outside and our car will be protected."

"My Mom, Brother and I went to tour KennyBrook Assisted Living for my Mom and were very happy with what we saw. The staff were very kind, open, and upbeat. The available unit has a cute kitchenette, a decent size living room, a large bedroom with walk-in closet, and a nice bathroom with walk-in shower. They have a dining room serving 3 meals a day with several choices each meal. Several areas for residents to gather and play cards, work puzzles, read, or just talk. A chapel that also poses as a movie theater room once a week for movie nights, a community room for exercising crafts, and games, a private dining area you can reserve for a family party, fitness room, on-site beauty salon and a coffee shop with cookies! There is also a physical therapy room if needed or prescribed by a doctor that insurance covers. They also do off-site activities (that day they went to Fareway and had a Rootbeer Float Social,) and have free transportation within a 15 mile radius, which is awesome for doctor appointments. Their staff is trained on medicine management and their director is also a nurse. They have a doctor visit on site once a week, as well. My mom was very hesitant when we went, not knowing if a retirement community was truly for her, but before we left, she was all ready to sign the papers!! I think it will be a wonderful place for her to spend her remaining years. I am rating the staff and facilities top stars. I am not yet putting a rating for the food, as we have not experienced it yet, however, the menu looked delicious!!!"

"We visited Deerfield Retirement Community several times with some friends who live there. The meals and the facility were wonderful. The rooms that we saw were also very good. It would meet our needs. We've had quite a bit of interaction over the years with the salesman, and he was a very good man. They have two bedrooms and kind of a room that you could use as a dining room or a den."

"My mother is in Eden Acres in Perry. She likes it there, but she's too independent, too cognizant, too outgoing to feel tied up. She was there with my dad and my dad passed. She was in assisted living with my father and then he went to long term care in the same facility, so she stayed in assisted living to be close to my dad who was just down the hall. The facility is extremely clean and well taken care of. My mom's assisted living apartment is almost as big as my 800 sq ft house. She paid $2800 and everything is included. If she moved 20 miles closer to Des Moines, it would have cost her $4400, so the price is definitely right. A $1500 difference is a lot of money for someone that's retired. They cover everything. I know that it's tiered; as far as the assisted living. My mom is in tier 1 because she doesn't really need a lot of help, they just come in for temperature checks every day. She gets her food, too, because the price includes everything. It's very clean. The long-term place that my dad was also in were single rooms. He didn't have to share rooms with anybody. The rooms also include an ensuite bathroom, which you don't find in many places. I've eaten there with her before as well. They have 3 different chefs there and I can honestly say that the food was exceptional. It's just a beautiful facility and it's 28 miles from Des Moines so I would highly recommend it to everyone."