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Nursing Home · Story City, IA
212 Lafayette Street, Story City, IA 50248
Map location from our source data
Medicare overall rating
2 / 5 stars
Inspection records →About this listing
Catalog updated Sep 1, 2026. Current services and availability are unconfirmed.
Monthly cost
Ask for the full monthly cost, including care fees and one-time charges.
Availability
We don't have live openings. Ask about current availability, waiting lists, and move-in timing.
Reported capacity: 126 beds. This is not the number of openings.
Contact information →Care & support
Provides nursing care and help with daily activities. Some offer short-term rehabilitation.
This describes the care category. Confirm support for your family member's needs.
Understand care types →Payment options
Participation is reported in our source data. Confirm eligibility, covered services, and any private-pay costs.
Medicare participation does not mean all stays or services are covered.
Ask about these reported findings and check the latest official record.
Your next step
You don't need to know everything. Start with these questions.
Medicare rates this facility 2 out of 5 overall. Medicare reports an average of 0.81 registered-nurse hours per resident per day. Ask how coverage varies across shifts. The latest standard survey recorded 13 findings, above the IA average of 6.2. Review the inspection findings, ask which corrective actions are complete, and discuss the support your family member would receive.
Bethany Life is widely praised for its beautiful, home-like environment and compassionate staff who treat residents with respect and individual attention. However, some families have raised serious concerns regarding short staffing levels, which have reportedly led to delayed response times for call lights and negative resident outcomes.
AI summaries of public opinions. These describe review sentiment, not verified care quality.
Most reviewers praise the kindness and attentiveness of the staff, though some noted issues with staffing shortages.
One reviewer specifically noted that they are always alerted if there is any issue with their mother's care.
Multiple reviewers consistently describe the facility as clean, modern, and well-maintained.
Family members of residents with dementia report feeling that their loved ones receive excellent, attentive care.
Scores range from 0 (negative) to 10 (positive). They are model interpretations of reviews and are not clinical, safety, or inspection ratings. Unmentioned topics are omitted.
Strengths
Concerns
Rating Trends
Tap a year to see what changed
Distribution · 69 analyzed
This facility rarely responds to reviews.
Key Review Excerpts
“I notice, when I am in the hallway or in the bistro, all the staff go out of their way to say hello to all the residents and call them all by name. That sounds like a small thing, but it is not.”
“The Households of Bethany are just like home, nothing 'institutional' anywhere. Hallway decor is filled with interesting antiques and the chapel is warm and inviting.”
“My mom is a resident in the Households of Bethany, and I feel that she has been getting the best of care since she moved there in 2017. She has issues with dementia and they have been a godsend.”
Reported nursing hours are daily averages per resident. They do not describe a specific shift or guarantee one-to-one care.
Per resident, per day
Nurses and aides combined
Reported by Medicare
Registered nurses
Ask during your visit: Who will help my family member during the day and overnight? How do you plan staffing when residents need more support?
EveryPlace uses reference points of 0.75 registered-nurse hours and 4.1 total nursing hours per resident per day. These are comparison targets, not current federal minimum requirements or a determination that a facility meets a resident's needs.
Resident outcomes compared with national, state, and local averages · 17 measures
6
measures
8
measures
3
measures
Residents needing more daily help over time
Residents whose bladder or bowel control got worse
Residents with depression symptoms
Highly dependent on how each facility screens and codes depressive symptoms, so it varies widely between facilities.
Residents whose walking got worse
Residents on antipsychotic medication
Residents on anti-anxiety or sleep medication
Short-stay residents vaccinated for the flu
Short-stay residents vaccinated for pneumonia
Short-stay residents newly given antipsychotics
US average from Medicare published data
Detailed Medicare record · up to 3-year lookback
Bethany Life has concerning patterns of family complaints about safety hazards, nursing staffing shortages, and medication errors that persist over time. Multiple families have filed complaints about accident prevention, inadequate nursing staff levels, and medication management issues, with these problems recurring across surveys from 2023 through 2026. While all deficiencies show correction dates, the repeated nature of core care issues suggests ongoing challenges with maintaining consistent safety and staffing standards.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Smoke Deficiencies
Inspect, test, and maintain automatic sprinkler systems.
Gas, Vacuum, and Electrical Systems Deficiencies
Have generator or other power source capable of supplying service within 10 seconds.
Egress Deficiencies
Install emergency lighting that can last at least 1 1/2 hours.
Smoke Deficiencies
Install corridor and hallway doors that block smoke.
Resident Rights Deficiencies
Provide the required documentation or notification related to the resident's needs, appeal rights, or bed-hold policies.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies
Obtain a doctor's order to admit a resident and ensure the resident is under a doctor's care.
Administration Deficiencies
Have a plan that describes the process for conducting QAPI and QAA activities.
Resident Rights Deficiencies
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies
Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
Resident Rights Deficiencies
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies
Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies
Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies
Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
Federal Penalties
Fine
Feb 13, 2026
$10,628
Fine
Mar 4, 2024
$41,701
Payment Denial
Mar 4, 2024
47-day denial
Source: Iowa Dept. of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Fed violations: 6, State violations: 1
Fed violations: 1, State violations: 0
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Fed violations: 1, State violations: 0
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Fed violations: 1, State violations: 0
Bethany Life
nonprofit
Key personnel
Contact the provider directly when you feel ready. Have your questions handy and ask for answers in writing.
Confirm current status with Iowa Dept. of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing. A direct record link is not available in this catalog.
Medicare Care Compare
Official Medicare quality ratings, inspections & staffing data
Google Maps
Photos, directions & neighborhood info
Google Reviews
66 reviews from families & visitors
Official Website
Visit bethanylife.org
Medicare data downloads
Original nursing home datasets
EveryPlace is a research directory. Facility information is compiled from public sources — Medicare.gov, state licensing portals, Google Places, and publicly available street-level imagery. Some summaries, interpretations, suggested questions, and pricing research are AI-generated or AI-assisted and may contain errors or omit important context. Listings do not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or advertisement, and we do not accept payment for placement. Families should verify all details directly with the facility and the original sources linked above before making any care decisions. See our Research Policy for our editorial standards, correction process, and image-removal policy.
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