Community profile

Bickford of Iowa City

3500 Lower West Branch Rd., Iowa City, IA

Assisted LivingIndependent LivingMemory Care

4.018 reviewsvia A Place for Mom

About the community

About Bickford of Iowa City

With our HigherPath senior health model leading the way, Bickford redefines senior living. It's not just about care; it's about proactive well-being, enabling your loved one to live happier, healthier — longer. Our approach clearly resonates — our happiness ratings among residents are double the industry standard. But Bickford is about living, not just healthcare. Imagine a place where fresh, homemade meals are the norm, friendly caregivers are a constant, and the social activities are both engaging and abundant. Welcome home to Bickford. Get your loved one on the HigherPath Many assisted living facilities seem similar. But Bickford’s nationally recognized senior health model is taking the road less traveled and championing a higher standard of senior care. An interdisciplinary care team will ensure your loved one is getting whatever proactive interventions they need to stay on a higher path. On-site primary care High-performing care network Interdisciplinary care meetings Integrated health records Outcome-focused technology Created to care for our family. Devoted to serving yours. Bickford was founded in 1991 to care for our own mother. What started out as a family need has blossomed into our life’s work. We’re still family-owned and operated today. Support in a home-like environment Your loved one deserves to focus on what matters most — living the best life possible. Whatever care needs they have, we’re here to help. Bread Basket Scratch Kitchen - This isn’t “institutional food.” They’ll get three meals a day from our scratch kitchen — good as home can be. Daily Activities - Choose your fun every day, with options like exercise, guitar sessions, happy hour, and much, much more. Pet Friendly - Know your loved one and their pet are thriving together. We provide assistance with all pet care needs, including feeding, litter box, and outdoor time. Resident Monitoring System - Never worry that mom could end up somewhere unsafe. Transportation Services - Rest easy knowing your loved one can get anywhere they need to go, safely and hassle-free. Medication Management - Twenty different pills per day? No problem. Assistance with Activities of Daily Living - Whatever it takes to give your loved one their dignity, choice, and independence. Maintenance-Free Living - Housekeeping, laundry, home maintenance — no more! (And yes, we’ll even help with the TV remote.) Dementia Programming - All Bickford caregivers consistently receive advanced training in dementia care. Spiritual Care - Most senior living communities rely on volunteers for spiritual care. Not us. We partner with MarketPlace Chaplains to provide reliable, consistent, professional support. Help your loved one age gracefully in 3 easy steps Visit us. Come in for a tour with one of our Family Advocates. We’ll start by listening so we can understand your loved one’s unique situation. We know what’s at stake and we’re ready to do whatever it takes. Choose a HigherPath. The status quo isn’t good enough. Your loved one deserves better. With our proprietary HigherPath senior health model, we can help your loved one live happier, healthier — longer. Cherish your time together. These years are meant to be golden. With your loved one living their best life possible, you can savor every moment. Meals, milestones, memories — enjoy them all.

Published floor plans

Studio

Assisted Living · 0 bedroom

Published starting price

$4,410/month

Care fees not included

Checked August 9, 2026
Schedule a visit →

1 Bedroom

Assisted Living · 1 bedroom

Published starting price

$5,323/month

Care fees not included

Checked August 9, 2026
Schedule a visit →

Tracked published prices

Price history by floor plan

Compare floor plans over time. The lowest current option with tracked history is selected first.

Studio$4,410 observed · tracking future changes
$4,410Aug 9, 2026

One source-published starting price observed so far. No price change has been observed yet.

Family and resident feedback

4.0 out of 5 from 18 reviews

Read all on A Place for Mom

Recent public reviews can help surface themes to ask about on a tour. Ratings belong to the named review source and are not independently verified by us.

★★★★★

Positive

Bickford of Iowa City

Each room is cleaned once a week. I watched the girl "clean" my room- she needs to change the mop water. The dining and shared spaces are clean, they vacuum non stop. The staff were super friendly. I was there 2 weeks and the staff was constantly changing, they were frequently short handed. The director ([Name removed]) recently quit. It was small portions and cheap. But that's probably appropriate for most the residents. I'm 54 and was there for respite, so the meals were a 3. They keep residents busy if they want

See category ratings
Cleanliness
3.0 / 5
Friendliness
5.0 / 5
Value for Cost
4.0 / 5
Care Services
5.0 / 5
Activities
5.0 / 5
Staff
2.0 / 5
Meals & Dining
3.0 / 5
AnonymousApril 9, 2026

★★★★★

Positive

Looked at Bixford Cottages to review facility, services available and costs. Received an excellent friendly tour and found it to be very well suited for memory care and assisted living. Individual quarters are small, clean, and efficient.

See category ratings
Cleanliness
5.0 / 5
Friendliness
5.0 / 5
Value for Cost
4.0 / 5
Staff
5.0 / 5
John DNovember 25, 2025

★★★★★

Positive

Overall experence

Bickford Iowa City has a beautiful building and the care is outstanding. At any given time you can catch a staff member spending 1 on 1 time with a resident. [name removed] is a wonderful director and gives her time freely to anyone that needs it.

See category ratings
Cleanliness
5.0 / 5
Friendliness
5.0 / 5
Value for Cost
5.0 / 5
Care Services
5.0 / 5
Activities
5.0 / 5
Staff
5.0 / 5
Meals & Dining
5.0 / 5
Response from the community

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review. It is greatly appreciated.

April 23, 2024
Christine GApril 7, 2024

★★★★★

Critical

As a former resident I can only say "Stay Away!"

I was at Bickford for a few weeks in 2022 as a temporary resident. While the food is pretty good and some of the staff (mainly the CNAs) are caring, the overall atmosphere is that of a prison where the prisoners are occasionally granted some leniency. You can't question anything--such as your medication, why you can't go out for a walk (center courtyard is like the yard at a prison and very depressing), why some staff members (looking at you, nurses and administration) talk down to you like you're a child, etc. Als

See category ratings
Cleanliness
4.0 / 5
Friendliness
2.0 / 5
Value for Cost
2.0 / 5
Care Services
2.0 / 5
Activities
3.0 / 5
Staff
1.0 / 5
Meals & Dining
4.0 / 5
StephanieOctober 1, 2023

★★★★★

Critical

MEMORY CARE? in “ASSISTED LIVING” FACILITY

My family member felt there was a lot of memory care patients in Bickford. The residents were in various stages of dementia and unable to hold conversations with others. .Once our family member went elsewhere we heard it was predominantly memory care from other healthcare professionals in the area. They are careful about the visiting hours not overlapping with mealtime. WHY?There is another loved one at Bickford and they have dropped a lot of weight due to the quality of food and the lack of encouragement for them

See category ratings
Cleanliness
4.0 / 5
Friendliness
3.0 / 5
Value for Cost
2.0 / 5
Care Services
3.0 / 5
Activities
4.0 / 5
Staff
2.0 / 5
Meals & Dining
2.0 / 5
Response from the community

Thank you for providing our community with feedback. We're sorry your experience with us wasn't more positive. We welcome any suggestions on how we could have reached our five-star goal at 855-256-5200.

May 9, 2022
Vicki KMay 1, 2022

★★★★★

Positive

Highly Recommended

I would tell others the community was wonderful. I like the personal touches the community did for the residents and families. It was a smaller community all on one level. I wouldn't change anything about the community.

See category ratings
Cleanliness
5.0 / 5
Friendliness
5.0 / 5
Value for Cost
5.0 / 5
Care Services
5.0 / 5
Activities
4.0 / 5
Staff
5.0 / 5
LauraApril 19, 2021

Verified overview

What we know from public sources

Care options
Assisted Living, Independent Living, Memory Care
Public price status
Published starting price available
Last source check
August 9, 2026

Source-published features

Amenities and services

Grouped so you can scan what affects day-to-day life before opening an operator page.

Meals & dining

  • Meals Provided
  • Vegetarian

Health & wellness

  • Incontinence Care
  • Medication Management
  • Memory Care
  • Staffing & Ancillary Services
  • Diabetic Care
  • Non-Ambulatory Care

Services & convenience

  • Transportation at Cost
  • Resident Parking Available
  • Cats Allowed
  • Dogs Allowed
  • Pet Care Available
  • Beautician

Activities & engagement

  • Activities Off-site
  • Activities On-site
  • Devotional Activities On-Site

Outdoor spaces

  • Outdoor Common Areas
  • Indoor Common Areas

Apartment & room features

  • Wheelchair Accessible Showers
  • Respite or Short Term Stays Offered

Official oversight

Inspection and quality records

Inspection coverage has not yet been completed for this community. “Not covered” is not the same as “no violations found.”

Coverage last checked August 9, 2026.

Questions to confirm with the community

Additional care fees
Not publicly disclosed
Move-in fee
Not publicly disclosed
Exact unit availability
Confirmation required