Choosing a retirement community is one of the most important decisions a family can make. Bishop Drumm Retirement Center is a continuing care retirement community located in Johnston, Iowa, offering independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care on a single campus.
What many families find surprising is that the community traces its roots to the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose mission of compassionate care still shapes daily operations today. The problem most families face is that brochures and sales tours rarely reveal how pricing, care levels, and quality ratings actually work.
This article walks you through five essential facts: the community's history and ownership, its care levels, how to evaluate quality ratings, what pricing typically involves, and how to compare it with other Iowa options. By the end, you will have a practical checklist for your own visit.
What Is Bishop Drumm Retirement Center and Who Operates It?
Bishop Drumm Retirement Center is a faith-based senior living campus in Johnston, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines. It operates as a continuing care retirement community, meaning residents can transition between care levels without leaving the campus they call home.
The community was founded through the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM), a Catholic religious congregation based in Dubuque, Iowa. That heritage matters because nonprofit, faith-based communities typically reinvest revenue into care and services rather than shareholder returns.
The campus serves seniors across the full spectrum of need — from active independent living to round-the-clock skilled nursing. This "aging in place" model reduces the disruption that comes from moving a loved one multiple times as needs change.
How to apply this: Ask the admissions team directly whether the community is nonprofit, who governs it, and how mission-driven values influence staffing and care decisions.
What Levels of Care Does Bishop Drumm Offer?
Bishop Drumm provides the standard four tiers found in most continuing care retirement communities. Understanding these tiers helps you match a loved one's current and future needs.
- Independent living: Private apartments or patio homes for seniors who need little or no daily assistance
- Assisted living: Support with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and medication management
- Memory care: Secure, specialized programming for residents with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias
- Skilled nursing: Licensed 24/7 nursing care, including short-term rehabilitation and long-term stays
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services explains that nursing homes are rated on a five-star scale covering health inspections, staffing, and quality measures, and families can verify any facility's rating on Medicare's Care Compare tool. Checking this rating before a tour gives you an objective benchmark.
How to apply this: Before touring, write down which care level your loved one needs today and which they will likely need within five years.
How Do You Evaluate Quality at Bishop Drumm?
Quality ratings are only a starting point — the real evaluation happens through layered research. Regulators inspect skilled nursing facilities annually, and those inspection reports are public record.
| Factor | What it tells you | Action to take |
|---|---|---|
| CMS star rating | Overall inspection, staffing, quality scores | Look up the facility on Care Compare |
| Staffing ratios | How many caregivers per resident | Ask for nurse and aide hours per resident day |
| State inspection history | Recent deficiencies or citations | Request the latest survey summary |
| Family reviews | Day-to-day satisfaction | Read reviews on AARP and Google |
| Visit observations | Cleanliness, staff warmth, resident engagement | Tour unannounced, at mealtime if possible |
The nonprofit AARP publishes guides and checklists for evaluating long-term care facilities, and its resources are a solid second opinion alongside government data.
One common scenario: a family visits on a scheduled tour day, sees the community at its best, and misses staffing realities on nights and weekends. An unannounced second visit reveals far more.
How to apply this: Schedule two visits — one scheduled tour and one drop-in — and bring AARP's nursing home checklist to both.
What Does Bishop Drumm Cost — and How Do You Pay for It?
Pricing at Bishop Drumm varies by care level, apartment size, and contract type. Most continuing care communities use a monthly fee model, sometimes with a lower "fee-for-service" entry cost rather than a large upfront buy-in. You should always request the current fee schedule in writing, because published figures age quickly.
Payment sources matter too. Medicare typically covers only short-term skilled nursing after a qualifying hospital stay — generally up to 100 days under specific conditions — while long-term custodial care is usually paid privately, through long-term care insurance, or in some cases through Medicaid after assets are spent down.
Iowa's Medicaid program has its own eligibility rules worth reviewing with an elder law attorney.
A frequent mistake is comparing only the base monthly rate. Dining plans, care add-ons, medication management, and transportation can each add meaningful monthly cost.
How to apply this: Request an itemized cost sheet and ask the admissions counselor to model costs under three scenarios: independent living, a transition to assisted living, and eventual skilled nursing.
How Does Bishop Drumm Compare to Other Des Moines-Area Options?
The Des Moines metro has several senior living providers, so comparison shopping is worthwhile. Bishop Drumm's main differentiators are its nonprofit faith-based mission, its full continuum of care on one campus, and its location in Johnston.
- Continuum of care: Not every community offers skilled nursing on site; couples with differing care needs often choose Bishop Drumm for this reason
- Size and feel: Some families prefer smaller assisted living homes, which offer a different social dynamic than a larger campus
- Affiliation: Compare faith-based versus for-profit operators, since staffing investment and charity care policies can differ
When you compare, use the same table format from the previous section for each facility so your notes stay apples-to-apples. The Medicare Care Compare tool lets you line up star ratings and staffing data side by side for multiple facilities in a single search.
How to apply this: Build a shortlist of three to five communities and complete the same evaluation checklist for each before deciding.
How Do You Schedule a Visit and What Should You Ask?
Booking a tour at Bishop Drumm is straightforward — contact the admissions office by phone or through the community's website, and most tours can be arranged within a week or two. Come prepared with questions that go beyond the brochure.
- What is the staff turnover rate, and how long has the current director been in place?
- Are there waitlists for specific care levels or apartment sizes?
- What happens if a resident runs out of money — is there a benevolent care policy?
- How are care plans created and how often are families updated?
Admissions counselors expect these questions, and a community confident in its operations will answer them directly. If answers are vague or evasive, treat that as data.
How to apply this: Email your question list in advance so staff can prepare, then note which questions they answer fully versus deflect.
Frequently Asked Questions About bishop drumm retirement center
Where exactly is Bishop Drumm located and what is nearby?
Bishop Drumm sits in Johnston, Iowa, just northwest of downtown Des Moines, with convenient access to local hospitals, clinics, shopping, and churches. Families visiting from out of town can reach it via Interstate 80/35.
If proximity to a specific medical provider matters — such as a specialist at a Des Moines hospital — map the drive time before committing, and consider bishop drumm retirement center's location against your own travel frequency.
Can couples with different care needs live together there?
Often yes, though arrangements vary by apartment layout and care level. Some communities allow one spouse in independent or assisted living and the other in a nearby care unit on the same campus, so they can share meals daily.
Ask bishop drumm retirement center staff specifically about married-couple policies, because placement rules differ between assisted living and skilled nursing units and may affect pricing.
Does Medicare cover long-term stays at Bishop Drumm?
No — Medicare covers only short-term, medically necessary skilled nursing after a qualifying hospital stay, not ongoing custodial care. Long-term residency is typically paid through private funds, long-term care insurance, or Medicaid for those who qualify.
Families choosing bishop drumm retirement center for extended care should consult the admissions office and possibly an elder law attorney about Iowa Medicaid planning before assets are committed.
Is Bishop Drumm only for Catholic residents?
No, the community welcomes residents of all faiths and backgrounds, though its programming reflects the founding Sisters' Catholic heritage — including chapel services and pastoral care. Residents of other traditions can request accommodations for their own worship needs. If spiritual life is important to your family, ask bishop drumm retirement center what interfaith programming is available and how often.
How do waitlists work for independent living apartments?
Popular apartment styles at sought-after communities often carry waitlists, sometimes requiring a refundable deposit to hold a spot. Availability shifts with turnover, so a waitlist can move faster than expected. When you contact bishop drumm retirement center, ask which floor plans currently have openings, what the deposit terms are, and whether the deposit is applied toward your first month's fees.
Conclusion: Your Next Steps
Bishop Drumm Retirement Center offers a rare combination in the Des Moines area: a nonprofit, faith-based mission with a complete continuum of care on one campus. Here is what to remember:
- Verify quality independently using Medicare's Care Compare star ratings and state inspection records
- Request an itemized, current fee schedule covering all care levels
- Tour twice — once scheduled, once unannounced — with a written checklist
- Plan the payment strategy early, including long-term care insurance or Medicaid considerations
The families who navigate this decision best are the ones who treat it like research, not a sales pitch. Contact bishop drumm retirement center this week to schedule your first tour, and bring the questions from this article with you. The answers will tell you most of what you need to know.
