Memory Care Communities in Council Bluffs, Iowa

On average, memory care facilities in Council Bluffs charge $5,815 per month for care. This is 7% more than the statewide average, and it exceeds the national norm of $5,625. Even so, many nearby cities have more economically priced care, including Waterloo, where rates are about $100 lower than in Council Bluffs, and Iowa City, where facilities charge $5,513 for dementia services. Additionally, memory care rates are comparatively competitive in Sioux City at 11% below Council Bluffs’ norm, but in Des Moines, monthly care costs are higher at $6,004.

Note: Residential memory care is usually offered in assisted living facilities, and in general, memory care rates tend to be 20-30% higher than assisted living rates. No national database currently tracks memory care costs in the United States, so we've estimated the monthly memory care costs listed below by adding 25% to the rates listed in Genworth's 2021 Cost of Care Survey.

Seniors in Council Bluff pay $5,815 per month for residential memory care.

While many families use their own funds or personal assets to pay for memory care, there are plenty of additional options to cover these costs. Some additional ways to finance memory care costs include:

• Veterans Benefits
• Life Insurance Policy
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Reverse Mortgage

For more information about different ways to finance memory care, visit our Memory Care in Iowa page.

Council Bluffs seniors pay $5,815 for monthly memory care expenses, making this the second most expensive senior care type in the city. By comparison, seniors who arrange private services in their homes pay $5,529 for in-home care and home health care, and those without memory impairments pay $4,652 for assisted living. Adult day health care agencies charge even more competitive rates of $1,842, but nursing home care is expensive compared to memory support, exceeding monthly care costs by 28%.

The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing regulates memory care facilities in Council Bluff and the rest of Iowa. This department licenses memory care communities as assisted living programs and holds them to standard rules, as well as additional requirements for staffing, admission and discharge criteria and safety procedures.

• In Iowa, those aged 55 and over don’t pay state income taxes on any retirement income, including Social Security benefits, pensions and withdrawals from retirement savings accounts. This may enable some seniors to afford memory care expenses in the Council Bluffs region.
• Two hospitals are in Council Bluffs, including Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs. These hospitals provide a full range of inpatient, outpatient and emergency services for seniors and those with dementia, including state-of-the-art neurology services. To promote access to care, many memory care facilities provide care coordination services and have on-call physicians who offer routine medical support.
• Council Bluffs has warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters, and temperatures range from 17 to 87 degrees Fahrenheit over the course of the year. The warmer season lasts from May 24 through September 20 and has average daytime temperatures over 76 degrees Fahrenheit, and during the cold season, which lasts from late November through late February, average daytime temperatures are typically below 44 degrees Fahrenheit. To keep residents safe and reduce the risk of wandering, especially in unfavorable weather, memory care facilities have secured indoor and outdoor areas.
• Annual and short-term particle pollution levels are low in the Council Bluffs region, with the American Lung Association giving the region a passing score for annual levels and a B for 24-hour particle pollution. This may support a therapeutic environment for prospective memory care residents living with chronic heart or lung conditions.
• The Council Bluffs Special Transit Service has a fleet of four buses that provide curb-to-curb transportation services to seniors in the region. This can supplement transportation services available through memory care facilities or enable older adults to visit loved ones in long-term care without relying on private vehicles.