I was in Iowa visiting family over Thanksgiving and visited a very dear friend, JaVerna Maland. She had recently moved there and is very pleased with the care she is receiving. She had been in a nursing home and now is in Assisted Living at Ballard Creek. I have just heard from her sister, Elizabeth, who visits her every day. She reports she will be there to share many special activities over the holidays. This is a small Iowa town where people still are kind and concerned for those around them. In some ways it may seem to many, a step back in time when the pace was slower with neighbors and friends who looked after each other. I would recommend this to anyone who may be searching for a place for a family member or friend. Deborah Doran (formerly from Ames, Iowa) 12/18/2011