Watching an elderly parent struggle at home in Des Moines is hard, and asking for help is harder. Preferred Care at Home of Des Moines, Ankeny, and Urbandale brings over 40 years of non-medical home care experience to your family, so you don’t have to figure this out alone.
Our home care agency in Des Moines, Iowa is locally owned by Joseph Peterson and backed by a national brand founded in 1984 by two registered nurses. Our office at 7611 Douglas Avenue in Urbandale serves the greater Des Moines metro, from West Des Moines and Windsor Heights to Polk County communities.
Every caregiver we refer passes our 7-Step Screening Process and is matched to your loved one by personality, making a real difference in daily care. Our full range of in-home care services includes the Transparency Room portal, giving families peace of mind through real-time access to schedules, notes, and invoices.
The care services provided by our team span personal home care services and in home support, from a few hours of daily assistance to 24-hour live-in care. Every care plan is built around personalized care and your loved one’s unique needs.
Personal care covers assistance with everyday activities like bathing, dressing, mobility support, and medication reminders for elderly people. Des Moines winters and icy walkways make safe bathing especially critical for aging loved ones who want to remain independent.
Our caregivers include experienced and trained CNA/HHA professionals who adapt each day to your loved one’s comfort and pace. Care runs from 1 hour to 24 hours, without long-term contracts. Learn more about personal care.
Companion care provides conversation, emotional support, and compassionate care for elderly parents living alone in Ankeny, Urbandale, or nearby. Loneliness is a real health risk for seniors, not just a feeling.
Our caregivers read, share meals, play games, and accompany your loved one to appointments and community events. The same familiar face shows up consistently, building the meaningful connections that matter. Explore our companion care program.
Live-In Care provides around-the-clock supervision in your own home through incremental caregiver rotations. For Des Moines families unable to leave an elderly parent alone, this is a safer path than relocation to assisted living facilities.
Shifts rotate so every caregiver arrives rested and attentive. Your loved one stays at home, in the familiar surroundings and routines that preserve dignity and independence around the clock.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s care supports clients with memory loss through patient, trained caregivers who understand behavioral changes. Des Moines families often begin this service after a diagnosis from a primary care physician or specialist.
Our caregivers use memory engagement activities, maintain safe routines, and monitor for fall risk. Consistent caregiver assignments reduce physical and cognitive confusion, which matters deeply for aging adults with cognitive decline.
Transition Care supports elderly people recently discharged from Iowa Methodist, MercyOne, or UnityPoint hospitals in central Iowa. The first 30 days after a hospital stay carry the highest readmission risk.
Our caregivers help manage medications, appointments, transportation, and recovery goals so your loved one rebuilds strength without juggling every detail alone. Families can check in by Zoom or FaceTime anytime.
Respite care gives family caregivers in Des Moines time to rest, travel, or manage other responsibilities that enhance daily well being. The CDC reports that more than 53 million Americans provide unpaid caregiving, making relief essential.
Coverage is flexible. Book a few hours one afternoon, a full weekend, or a planned vacation. Your loved one stays comfortable at home with a trained caregiver while you recharge.
Step 01
Call us or contact us online for the convenience of starting care today.
Step 02
We schedule an in-home or phone consultation to understand your needs.
Step 03
Together we determine the right care plan and build it around your loved one’s life.
Step 04
We match a trained caregiver to your loved one’s personality and needs.
Step 05
Care begins within days. You monitor everything through the Transparency Room.
Des Moines families face specific challenges when coordinating senior care for aging parents across Polk County’s winters, hospitals, and growing older adult population.
Challenge
What It Looks Like
How We Help
Extreme summer heat
What It Looks Like
Icy walkways and reduced daylight in Des Moines increase slip-and-fall injuries for elderly parents who still live alone in Ankeny or Urbandale.
How We Help
Caregivers assist with mobility and safe bathing during every visit, and companion care hours flex around shorter daylight seasons.
Challenge
Older housing in Polk County
What It Looks Like
Many homes in Des Moines and Windsor Heights were built with narrow doorways and steep stairs that make bathing, mobility, and daily activities harder with age.
How We Help
Personal care supports bathing, dressing, and transfers inside these homes, while homemaker care keeps frequently-used areas safe.
Challenge
Iowa home care payment rules
What It Looks Like
Iowa HCBS waivers and VA benefit programs have specific eligibility rules that confuse families trying to pay for 24-hour care or respite.
How We Help
We help families understand how private pay, Aid and Attendance, VA Community Care, and the Guide Program apply to your loved one’s situation.
Challenge
Medicare and home care confusion
What It Looks Like
Many Des Moines families assume Medicare covers in-home personal care. Medicare.gov confirms custodial personal care is not covered when it is the only care needed.
How We Help
We walk families through private pay and VA benefits so companion care and personal care aren’t delayed by coverage myths.
Challenge
Post-discharge readmission risk
What It Looks Like
After discharge from Iowa Methodist or MercyOne, elderly patients juggle prescriptions, follow-up appointments, and recovery tasks. The first 30 days carry the highest readmission risk.
How We Help
Smooth-Transition Care coordinates appointments and medication reminders, while personal care supports daily recovery tasks so your loved one rebuilds strength at home.
When I moved home to Iowa, I realized how much has changed in the five years I was gone. As much as things were changing for me, I saw first-hand how much had changed for my family over that same time. That’s when I started to understand what it meant to grow older. After unpacking my boxes, the work was just getting started.
The first few years after moving home my weekends were spent helping family members run errands, packing boxes, cleaning houses, and helping prepare to move my grandmother and aunt into a senior community. During that process I came to realize how large of a workload my mom had taken on to ensure my grandma and aunt had everything they needed. She silently became their main daily support for household tasks, companionship, appointment transportation, and many more activities of daily living. Even with everyone in our family helping, over time we couldn’t be as present as our family members needed us to be. Eventually, we made the decision to bring a caretaker into their homes. Making that decision was hard, but the benefits were immediate. My grandma and aunt love having people around to visit with and to help around the house, and for the first time in years, I saw my parents were able to relax without worrying. My family is at ease knowing we have dedicated caretakers looking after our loved ones.
Seeing how much time and dedication my mom has put into caring for our aging relatives is what inspired me to bring Preferred Care at Home to families in Central Iowa. Our goal is to provide support to those who need it most, while alleviating the pressure that often gets placed on family members. We are proud to offer top-notch services for your loved one and would be honored to be a part of your family’s story.
Preferred Care at Home has continued this tradition by only referring the most reliable, compassionate, experienced and affordable caregivers to client’s homes or care facilities.
Yes, Preferred Care at Home of Des Moines, Ankeny, and Urbandale serves the greater metro from our Urbandale office.
Our local office at 7611 Douglas Avenue in Urbandale serves elderly people and aging adults across Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Clive, Johnston, Grimes, Windsor Heights, and surrounding Polk County communities. Call (515) 444-5520 or contact us online to discuss in-home care for your loved one.
We provide personal care, companion care, dementia care, 24-Hour Replacement Care, and Smooth-Transition Care for Des Moines families.
Our Des Moines team offers home care assistance and the full range of services offered, from basic care and companion care to 24-hour coverage and hospital-to-home transition support. Services include personal care, companion care, dementia and Alzheimer’s care, respite care, and more, each tailored to your loved one’s specific needs.
It starts with a free consultation, then a personalized care plan, then caregiver matching, then care begins within days.
First, call our Urbandale office or submit an online inquiry. A team member schedules an in-home or phone consultation to determine your loved one’s needs and build a customized care plan. We match a trained caregiver by personality, and care typically begins within days of the first call.
Costs vary by hours and service type, but Des Moines in-home care averages around $6,006 per month according to Caring.com.
Caring.com reports Des Moines in-home care averages $6,006 per month, though actual cost depends on hours, service type, and schedule. Long-term care insurance and VA benefits can help offset costs. Our care starts at 1 hour with no long-term contracts. See our dementia care and transition care pages for detail.
Home care is non-medical help with daily activities; home health care involves skilled services under separate Medicare eligibility rules.
Home care focuses on assistance with everyday activities like bathing, meals, and companionship. Home health services and home health care involve clinical nurse assessments or home health aides under Medicare homebound requirements that differ from non-medical support. Medicare.gov confirms custodial personal care alone does not qualify for Medicare coverage.
If your parent has had a fall, hospital stay, or struggles with daily activities, it’s time to start the conversation.
Johns Hopkins Medicine notes common signs include feeling stretched too thin, being unable to meet your parent’s needs, and post-hospital coordination overwhelm. Des Moines families also act after icy-weather falls, new dementia diagnoses, and caregiver exhaustion. The right time is before the next crisis, not after.
Yes, qualifying veterans can use Aid and Attendance, VA Community Care, and the Guide Program to help pay for care.
Eligible veterans or surviving spouses can apply Aid and Attendance pension benefits toward in-home care. VA Community Care and the Guide Program may also help cover homemaker services and home health aides support. Our team helps families in Des Moines understand which programs apply to your loved one.
We match by personality and life experience, not availability, and we are proud to serve clients with a dedicated, quality team.
As a company proud of our great staff, every caregiver passes our 7-Step Screening Process including background checks, skills assessments, and personality evaluation. We match by temperament and specific needs to deliver dedicated, quality care. The result is excellent service and meaningful connections that reduce caregiver disruption.
It depends on hours of care needed; part-time in-home care can cost less, while full-time care may cost more.
For part-time help, in-home care in Des Moines is often less expensive than assisted living. For around-the-clock needs like Live-In care, assisted living may cost less, but home care keeps your loved one in familiar surroundings. Many families combine hours flexibly to stay within budget while preserving independence.
Iowa’s HCBS Elderly Waiver can help cover homemaker, respite, and related supports for eligible older adults.
Iowa Health and Human Services administers the HCBS Elderly Waiver, which is designed to help older adults remain in their own homes. The waiver can fund homemaker, respite, transportation, and home modifications. Eligibility depends on income, assets, and functional need, and our team can walk your family through paying for home care next steps.
