History Of The Life Center

Since 1931, Serving the Needs of Persons of All Faiths

Established in 1931 through the generous donation of their mansion by the Younker’s family, what is now The Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center started out as a home without a name. Its purpose: to house eleven elderly men of the Des Moines Jewish Community. With the passing of the years and as the needs of the residents changed, so too did The Home. An adjacent house was purchased to meet expansion needs, and as the needs of residents changed from simple housing to a need for nursing care, plans were developed to build a new facility with enhanced nursing care capabilities.

In 1961, the Iowa Jewish Home opened on Pleasant Street to serve the nursing care needs of Iowa’s senior population. No longer nameless, The Home prided itself on providing exceptional health care to its residents. In 1987, with the help of the community, $6.5 million in gifts was raised to build The Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center. With specializations in long-term nursing and rehabilitative services, The Life Center strives to bring the best in health care to its residents.

Always open to persons of all faiths, The Life Center has continued its quest to provide dedicated, personalized health care. Recently, The Life Center opened a 14-bed, 2-neighborhood Memory Care Unit to better serve the needs of those afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.  With a high staff-to-resident ratio, this facility features an Activity Boulevard providing space for walking and other stimulating pursuits. Funded entirely by community donations, the Alzheimer’s/Memory Care Unit is open and accepting applications for admission.