The Johnston Brief
Whether you're planning ahead for yourself or helping a parent, sorting out senior living starts with two questions: what level of care is needed, and what does it cost? Johnston has communities across the range, including a long-established continuum-of-care campus. Here's the plain guide to the types of care, the local price picture, and how to judge whether a place is a good fit.
Johnston has senior-living options spanning independent living, assisted living, and memory care, plus skilled nursing at its continuum-of-care campus. As a rough metro guide, independent living tends to run in the low-to-mid $3,000s a month and assisted living in the high $4,000s to around $5,000, generally at or near Iowa averages. The right choice depends on the level of daily help needed. Always tour, compare, and check state inspection records before deciding.
Some communities offer several of these on one campus, so a resident can move between levels as needs change.
Communities rarely post firm prices, and Johnston-specific figures aren't published, so treat these as rough Des Moines-metro ranges, not quotes; costs vary by community, apartment size, and level of care:
Iowa's senior-living costs generally run near or a bit below the national average. Prices depend heavily on the specific apartment and care level, so get a full written quote, and ask what's included versus billed as add-ons.
Johnston's anchor is Bishop Drumm Retirement Center on Winwood Drive, a continuum-of-care campus founded in 1939 by the Religious Sisters of Mercy that offers independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation on one site. Edencrest at Green Meadows on Corporate Drive (now part of the StoryPoint Group) provides assisted living and memory care. Other communities, such as Deerfield Retirement Community, serve the surrounding north metro. These are examples to start your research, not endorsements; availability and offerings change, so verify current details directly.
Before choosing, it pays to dig in:
For the wider picture of living here, see our cost of living, neighborhoods, and is Johnston a good place to live guides.
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As a rough metro guide, independent living tends to run in the low-to-mid $3,000s a month and assisted living in the high $4,000s to around $5,000, with memory care higher. Iowa is at or below national averages; get a written quote for the exact community and care level.
Independent living is maintenance-free apartments with amenities but no daily care. Assisted living adds help with daily tasks like bathing, dressing, and medications.
Yes. Bishop Drumm Retirement Center and Edencrest at Green Meadows (part of the StoryPoint Group) both offer secured memory care with trained staff for residents with Alzheimer's or other dementia.
Bishop Drumm Retirement Center on Winwood Drive (a continuum-of-care campus) and Edencrest at Green Meadows on Corporate Drive (assisted living and memory care). Deerfield Retirement Community and others serve the surrounding area. Verify current offerings directly.
Tour a few, check state inspection records, ask about staffing and how costs change with care level, get all fees in writing, and lean on your Area Agency on Aging for free help.