southern hills retirement community is a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in West Des Moines, Iowa, operated by WesleyLife. Its campus pairs independent senior living with on-site assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing care.
According to LeadingAge, the national association for nonprofit aging-services organizations, CCRCs like this one are designed so residents can "age in place" as their health needs change. That sounds simple until you face the real problem: comparing communities is hard. Brochures hide pricing, waitlists stretch for years, and "life care" contracts are packed with fine print.
This guide gives you five practical realities to check before you tour or sign anything—covering contract types, costs, waitlists, care levels, and the questions that separate a good fit from an expensive mistake.
1. Understand What a Life Plan Community Actually Offers
A life plan community bundles housing with a full continuum of care, so you do not have to move again when your needs rise. At this West Des Moines nonprofit campus, that means independent living, assisted living, memory care, long-term care, short-term rehab, and home health services under one organization. The value is continuity—same staff, same setting, same neighbors.
Many families find that southern hills retirement community delivers exactly this kind of integrated experience.
The catch is that the contract type governs almost everything else. Life care contracts typically charge a large entrance fee and higher monthly fees but limit future care costs. Fee-for-service contracts cost less upfront but your monthly fees rise if you need more care.
- Life care contract: highest upfront cost, predictable long-term care pricing
- Modified contract: entry fee plus a set number of included care days, then market rates
- Fee-for-service: lowest entry cost, care billed as used
WesleyLife's method for calculating monthly fees includes a per-person fee plus an occupancy charge based on apartment size and amenities, per its official fee method document. The Southern Hills Residents' Association notes that prospective residents receive specific fee schedules at a pre-contract meeting. Understanding these structures at southern hills retirement community helps you avoid surprises later.
How to apply this: Before a tour, decide which contract model your finances can absorb, then ask the sales office for every fee schedule for that specific model in writing.
2. Budget Beyond the Sticker Price
Most senior living communities publish partial pricing because fees change by apartment style and care level. That means you must build a full cost model instead of trusting a single quoted number. Plan for the entrance fee, monthly fees, and a rising care component as needs increase.
A big hidden variable is health inflation. Genworth Cost of Care data has shown long-term care costs climbing for years, so a care line item priced today may look very different in five or ten years.
This is where southern hills retirement community fits a common scenario: a couple compares a low-entry contract against a higher upfront life care plan and finds the cheaper option costs more over a decade of care. Budgeting realistically for southern hills retirement community means accounting for both current fees and projected increases.
- Ask what the annual fee increase has averaged over the last five years
- Confirm which fees are refundable and under what conditions
- Check whether a second person triggers a separate monthly fee
- Ask if home health services are billed hourly or included
How to apply this: Build a simple ten-year spreadsheet with three rows—entrance fee, monthly fee, and care costs—and run it against both contract types before any tour.
3. Plan Around the Waitlist and Residency Process
A waitlist is not a sign of rejection—it is a queue, and joining early can protect your place. Nonprofit CCRCs often maintain minimum age requirements, and many use an approved list of pending residents. The Southern Hills Residents' Association states that prospective residents must attend a pre-contract information meeting and obtain specific fee schedules before signing a residency agreement.
Timing matters more than price for many families. If you wait until a health event forces a move, you may not have the luxury of a multi-year waitlist. Exploring early at a place like this West Des Moines community gives you options instead of a scramble. Joining the waitlist for southern hills retirement community early can be a strategic move.
A common scenario: a healthy 70-year-old joins a list "just to learn," then converts a deposit years later when a preferred floor plan opens. The earlier decision was the cheap one.
- Ask how long the current waitlist is for your preferred apartment size
- Confirm the deposit amount and whether it is refundable
- Ask how residents are notified and how long you have to accept
How to apply this: Call the community, ask for the current waitlist length for each apartment type, and note the date every question is answered so you can track changes.
4. Evaluate Care Levels and Quality Signals
A CCRC claim of "full continuum" is worth verifying line by line. You want to confirm which care levels are actually on campus versus contracted nearby, and how transitions between them are handled. This is also where data beats brochures.
Quality is measurable. CMS's Care Compare reports star ratings for skilled nursing facilities, and state inspections are public record. For a community offering on-campus long-term care, check the nursing home's Medicare rating before you sign. Medicare.gov describes the ratings as measures of health inspections, staffing, and quality measures.
At a community like southern hills retirement community, ask whether independent residents get priority for on-campus care or join a waitlist like outsiders. That answer shapes your whole plan. Reviewing inspection reports for southern hills retirement community gives you objective data beyond the marketing pitch.
How to apply this: Look up the community's skilled nursing license on Care Compare and read the most recent inspection report before your tour.
5. Ask the Right Questions on the Tour
A tour shows landscaping; it hides turnover, occupancy, and contract terms. Use a structured question list so you compare apples to apples between communities. The best tours end with written answers, not polite deferrals.
| What to check | Why it matters | Action to take |
|---|---|---|
| Contract type and refund terms | Governs lifetime cost | Request the residency agreement draft |
| Annual fee increases, last 5 years | Signals affordability | Ask for the written history |
| Staff turnover | Signals culture and stability | Ask resident council members |
| On-campus care availability | Avoids surprise moves | Confirm priority rules in writing |
| Entrance fee refund schedule | Protects heirs | Read the refund table carefully |
| Home health billing | Affects monthly cash flow | Get hourly rates in writing |
Dave Ramsey's team frequently warns that families should read the entire agreement with an elder-law attorney—sound advice for any contract this large. A community such as southern hills retirement community in West Des Moines will happily answer written questions; hesitance is itself information.
How to apply this: Print this table, bring it to every tour, and leave without a deposit until every row is filled in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions About southern hills retirement community
Is southern hills retirement community part of a larger nonprofit network?
Yes. It operates under WesleyLife, an Iowa nonprofit senior services organization that runs multiple communities and home health services across the state. That affiliation matters when you compare care continuity, financial strength, and shared staffing.
Ask the sales office for WesleyLife's latest annual report and any charity care policies, then confirm how network resources help during a health crisis at the West Des Moines campus.
As part of WesleyLife, southern hills retirement community benefits from a broader Iowa nonprofit network and shared resources.
Families comparing options should know that southern hills retirement community is backed by an established statewide senior services organization.
What happens to my entrance fee if I move out or die?
Refund terms depend on the specific contract. Some plans refund a declining percentage over a set number of years; others return a fixed portion after resale.
Ask for the refund schedule table in writing and have an elder-law attorney compare it across your shortlist, since this single clause can shift tens of thousands of dollars between heirs and can make two similar-sounding contract offers very different. Reviewing refund terms carefully is essential before committing to southern hills retirement community.
Can couples with different care needs stay together?
Often yes, but with limits. A spouse needing memory care may move to the memory support neighborhood while the independent spouse stays in the apartment, and the couple reunites for meals when possible.
Confirm how billing works during that split and whether a couple's monthly fee changes when one person moves to a higher care level at southern hills retirement community.
How does this community compare with staying at home?
Staying home preserves familiarity but shifts coordination onto family, and you buy care a la carte. A CCRC trades flexibility for predictability and social connection. Weigh the costs of in-home care, home maintenance, and transportation against the monthly fee, and be honest about your support network.
For many people, the deciding factor is whether they value independence alone or structure with built-in community. Choosing southern hills retirement community often comes down to valuing that built-in support network.
What is the minimum age to move in?
Many life plan communities set a minimum age, commonly in the low-to-mid 60s, though exceptions exist for spouses. Verify the current figure directly with the sales office rather than relying on old brochures, and ask whether a younger spouse of any age qualifies.
This is a common surprise for couples with an age gap and is worth confirming before you join a waitlist at southern hills retirement community.
A Practical Path Forward
Choosing a senior living community is a research project, not a purchase. The takeaways:
- Confirm the contract type and refund terms before any tour
- Model ten-year costs, not just the monthly quote
- Check care quality through CMS Care Compare, not brochures
- Get waitlist length and fee-increase history in writing
Your next step: call the community's sales office, request the residency agreement and fee schedules in writing, and book a tour with this question list in hand. Comparing southern hills retirement community against two alternatives at the same time will make the right choice clear—and protect your savings.
