Your loved one in Ankeny or anywhere across Des Moins deserves to feel comfortable and cared for at home. When around-the-clock support becomes the next step, Preferred Care at Home provides live-in caregivers families trust.
Preferred Care at Home of Des Moines, Ankeny, and Urbandale is a locally owned home care agency with a 40+ year commitment to senior care across the greater Des Moines metro, from West Des Moines to the outer Polk County communities we serve. The company’s team includes experienced and trained caregivers, including CNA, HHA, and home health aides, each vetted through the 7-Step Screening Process. Every client across Des Moines, IA benefits from that standard.
PCAH provides personalized services built around each loved one’s specific needs. Caregiver matching prioritizes personality and life background so families can focus on time together rather than managing care logistics. The Transparency Room gives real-time access to schedules, notes, and invoicing. A full range of home care services scales to your situation, with no long-term contracts required.
Around-the-clock personal care in Des Moines supports older adults who can no longer be left alone safely. Caregivers provide physical assistance with bathing, dressing, and daily activities so your loved one is never unsupervised.
A shared care plan keeps routines consistent across rotating shifts, providing peace of mind for family members near or far. Families track notes and schedules through the Transparency Room portal.
Overnight safety triggers most Des Moines families to seek help. When fall prevention, nighttime transfers, or medication reminders make leaving a senior alone unsafe, this coverage places a trained caregiver in your home through every overnight period.
Caregivers cover medications as reminders, assist with transfers, and respond to emergencies. There is no gap between evening and morning shift coverage.
Frequent caregiver changes harm well-being and disrupt daily life, especially for seniors managing dementia, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s. PCAH matches caregivers by personality and life background to enhance continuity and reduce turnover.
Matching runs through the 7-Step Screening Process and factors in compatibility with your loved one’s routines and unique needs. Consistent assignment builds emotional well being and overall well being through stronger emotional support over time.
For seniors in Urbandale, Ankeny, or across Des Moines who want to remain in their own homes, household tasks become part of the care schedule. Caregivers assist with meal preparation, housekeeping, transportation to physician appointments, and daily errands.
One care team handles personal and household support together. Social interaction is built into daily routines, and family members manage one relationship rather than separate providers.
Step 01
Call (515) 444-5520 or email to discuss your loved one’s situation and overnight safety needs.
Step 02
A care coordinator reviews daily routines and overnight safety to assess what support and coverage is required.
Step 03
Step 04
PCAH selects a caregiver based on personality, life background, and compatibility with your loved one’s unique needs.
Step 05
Care starts within days. Families receive Transparency Room access to manage schedules and notes from day one.
Des Moines winters and a growing older adult population create real overnight safety pressures for families working to manage around-the-clock care decisions.
Challenge
What It Looks Like
How We Help
Des Moines winter conditions
What It Looks Like
Snow and ice from late October through March raise fall risk, pushing families from part-time check-ins to continuous overnight coverage. Des Moines averages 36.5 inches of seasonal snowfall, increasing isolation for seniors in their own homes.
How We Help
Rotating shifts mean one caregiver’s travel difficulty never creates a gap. Respite care and companion care reinforce coverage during severe weather.
Challenge
Rising care demand across Polk County
What It Looks Like
14.5% of Polk County’s 516,000+ residents are 65 and older, and most older adults want to age at home. Families who delay planning compete for consistent caregivers in a market with 23+ agencies.
How We Help
PCAH matches caregivers in advance of need escalation. The 7-Step Screening Process maintains a vetted pool for personal care and overnight assistance.
Challenge
Medicare does not cover non-medical home care
What It Looks Like
Families often assume Medicare covers around-the-clock support after discharge from Iowa Methodist or MercyOne. Iowa classifies home health services as medical care, leaving non-medical personal care as an out-of-pocket expense for most patients.
How We Help
PCAH explains the scope difference during the consultation and discusses insurance options alongside veteran benefits including Aid and Attendance, VA Community Care, and the Guide Program.
Challenge
Families confuse live-in care with 24-hour coverage
What It Looks Like
Families in Urbandale and Johnston often assume a live-in arrangement provides continuous coverage. Live-in care includes caregiver sleep, creating gaps when physical care needs and fall risk are highest.
How We Help
PCAH’s rotating shifts keep overnight assistance and continuous personal care active with no sleep intervals and no unsupervised gaps.
Challenge
Delayed planning increases cost and limits options
What It Looks Like
Iowa’s 2024 median homemaker services cost was $80,080 annually. Families who delay until a crisis face rushed, more costly arrangements for personal care and overnight assistance.
How We Help
PCAH offers a free consultation to assess needs and build a care plan before overnight safety becomes a priority. Services start with no contracts and scale from 1 hour to full coverage.
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.
Preferred Care at Home provides home care assistance and non-medical home care services across the greater Des Moines metro and Polk County.
Preferred Care at Home of Des Moines, Ankeny, and Urbandale serves seniors and families across Des Moines, IA including Ankeny, Urbandale, Clive, Johnston, Grimes, Windsor Heights, and surrounding Iowa communities. The locally owned location offers personalized services including 24-Hour Replacement Care, companion care, and dementia support. Contact the team at (515) 444-5520 or DesMoines@preferhome.com.
PCAH provides 24-Hour Replacement Care in Des Moines with continuous shift coverage, overnight assistance, consistent caregiver matching, and full household support.
Services include continuous personal care across shifts, overnight assistance, consistent caregiver assignment, and full household support including meal preparation and daily activities. Services for seniors can be combined with companion care, respite, and Smooth Transition Care for those returning home after surgery or a hospital stay. For families seeking live in home care, Des Moines clients depend on PCAH to coordinate a care plan that grows with their loved one’s needs.
PCAH’s process moves from initial contact through a consultation, personalized care plan, and caregiver matching, with care typically starting within days.
When Des Moines families contact Preferred Care at Home, the team schedules a consultation to assess the loved one’s needs and overnight safety situation. A care plan is built around daily routines, and a caregiver is matched by personality and experience. Families receive Transparency Room access for real-time updates. Care typically starts within days.
Live-in care includes caregiver sleep, while PCAH’s 24-Hour Replacement Care uses rotating shifts to maintain continuous awake coverage through every overnight period.
Live-in care typically includes caregiver sleep, creating gaps when supervision matters most. PCAH’s live in home care Des Moines service uses rotating shifts so coverage stays continuous and awake for seniors with fall risk, dementia, or frequent overnight care needs. Rotating 24-hour care is the better fit for high-need overnight situations.
Iowa’s 2024 median homemaker services cost was $80,080 annually, and true around-the-clock coverage may exceed that baseline depending on the care plan.
Genworth/CareScout’s 2024 Iowa data placed the median homemaker services cost at $80,080 annually, based on 44 hours per week. Continuous coverage will often exceed that figure. PCAH offers a free consultation to assess costs, review insurance and payment options, and build a care plan with no contract required.
When a Des Moines senior wants to remain home and family members want direct care visibility, around-the-clock home care typically offers better fit than assisted living.
When a senior wants to maintain independence in their own home, around-the-clock care provides one-to-one support that assisted living cannot match. Iowa’s 2024 median assisted living cost was $62,202 annually, comparable to homemaker benchmarks. The decision reflects commitment to aging in place more than cost. PCAH reviews both options during a free consultation.
Medicare does not cover non-medical home care, though veteran benefits including Aid and Attendance may help eligible Des Moines families.
Medicare covers skilled home health services from certified agencies. Non-medical home care services, including PCAH’s 24-Hour Replacement Care and personal care, fall outside that scope. Des Moines families may qualify for Aid and Attendance, VA Community Care, and the Guide Program. PCAH’s free consultation includes a dedicated insurance and payment options review.
Yes. Des Moines seniors with dementia receive high quality care through PCAH’s 24-Hour Replacement Care with caregivers matched for memory-care experience.
Overnight wandering and sundowning make continuous awake coverage more appropriate than live-in care with caregiver sleep. PCAH matches caregivers for dementia-specific experience and personality compatibility. Personal care, companion care, and emotional support are integrated into a single quality care plan built around each client’s specific needs.
PCAH’s 7-Step Screening Process uses background checks, reference checks, and personality evaluation to match Des Moines caregivers to each client.
Every caregiver placed by this home care agency completes the 7-Step Screening Process, which includes background checks, reference checks, skills assessment, and personality evaluation. Matching extends to communication style and routine compatibility. This professional care standard delivers consistent, high quality care for Des Moines patients and older adults with significant daily and overnight support needs.
The Transparency Room portal gives family members real-time access to schedules, caregiver notes, task tracking, and invoicing from any device.
The Transparency Room is PCAH’s proprietary portal giving families real-time access to care schedules, caregiver notes, task logs, voice messages, and invoice access. For family caregivers outside Iowa managing care for a Des Moines loved one, the portal removes the distance barrier so families can focus on what matters. Access begins the day care starts.
