City: Des Moines, IA

Category: Retirement

Telephone: (515) 271-6500

Address: 3520 Grand Ave.

Description: Though the front of this facility faces a busy stretch of Grand Avenue, the back looks out over a wooded area in the sylvan South of Grand area on the city’s west side, with a walking trail weaving into the trees. Independent-living units come in several sizes, with kitchen and laundry available. Assisted-living apartments have kitchenettes and include meals and laundry service. Both independent- and assisted-living options include housekeeping, residential care, or “helpful living,” which has a level of service between assisted living and nursing home care, features an open floor plan, as do nursing home and memory care. Every level of care has at least one dining room, and the facility is a complex of several connected buildings. There are about 300 residents. There is a wellness center with daily fitness classes, swimming pool, movie theater, library, and computer lab. Excursions have taken residents to the opera and symphony, and the facility has numerous lectures, performances, and other on-site entertainment. Residents also have the opportunity to take classes through continuing education programs offered by area colleges and universities.