Submitted by Kara Webb, Director of Assisted Living
Silveridge plans to celebrate the past 15 years, as well as our past and present tenants and staff on Thursday January 15th, 2026 with an open house from 3-5pm. We hope you take time out of your day to come be a part of this special celebration!
On January 10th, 2011 Silveridge Assisted Living opened its doors and eagerly welcomed its first occupants. As an original staff member, I can still picture myself walking through the doors on that day to clock in for my first shift as a Silveridge nurse, the scent of fresh carpeting and new upholstery lingering in the air. I also fondly recall attending one of the very first open house celebrations in the weeks leading to opening day, standing in awe of the spacious, beautiful apartments and the warm, inviting ambiance, while a saxophone player filled the main common area with holiday tunes.
I remember feeling nervous in those first few days as a staff member, unsure of what to expect in a brand-new assisted living. With only five original tenants to care for, much of my early time was spent cleaning, organizing, and stocking supplies – the quiet, behind-the-scenes work that slowly brings a building to life. Yet the dream of Silveridge had been taking shape long before opening day. As early as 1999, the Eventide Board of Directors made their first installment to purchase the old 20th Street football field, the very ground where Silveridge now stands.
In 2006, the board and now CEO Mindi Baker began shaping that vision in earnest, guided by a market study that revealed an unmet need for assisted living in the area. With a total project cost of $5.8 million, a year of careful planning, groundbreaking on April 12, 2010, and another nine months of construction for the 40,000-square-foot facility, Silveridge Assisted Living finally became a reality – one built not just of brick and mortar, but of compassion, purpose, and community.
In the early days, Silveridge was carried forward by a small but devoted team of just eight staff members, not including the maintenance and business office support shared with the neighboring Eventide facilities. Together, those eight provided everything our tenants needed -care, meals, meaningful activities- day and night.
As the years passed, Silveridge grew, not only in the number of tenants we welcomed but also in the depth and complexity of care we were honored to provide. In response, our staffing gradually expanded, nearly tripling to the strong, capable team we have today. Perhaps most meaningful of all, we are proud to say that nearly half of those original eight team members remain with us today – a living testament to the loyalty, dedication, and love for our tenants that have always defined Silveridge.
Since opening our doors 15 years ago, Silveridge has proudly maintained deficiency-free inspections from the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing. While achieving a deficiency-free survey from time to time is an accomplishment other programs may experience, it is exceptionally rare to find an assisted living program in Iowa that has sustained this level of performance for 15 consecutive years. This achievement reflects more than regulatory success, it represents a long-standing commitment to care, integrity, and doing what is right for those who call Silveridge home.
In 2023 we began a phased remodeling project which initially focused on updating flooring and paint with plans to continue updates on lighting and finishes in the near future. Although we take pride in these accomplishments, they also humble us. We continue to hold ourselves to a higher standard and remain committed to learning, growing, and finding new ways to serve even better tomorrow than we do today.
