Four Generations at Joy's House Dementia Care

The House That Became Joy’s House

Founded in 1999 by Tina McIntosh, Joy’s House grew from Tina’s own family caregiving experience and her belief that families should not have to figure out care alone.

That belief found a home inside the historic Dawson farmhouse in Broad Ripple, where adults living with life-altering diagnoses are welcomed as Guests and cared for during the day.

Joy’s House has grown with the needs of families over time. Today, we provide Adult Day Services at our Broad Ripple home and support caregivers through the Joy’s House Center for Caregivers, connecting families to services, programs, and trusted partners across Indiana.

Caregiving can bring questions that do not have simple answers. Joy’s House is here to help families find the next step with people who understand how personal this journey can be.

Joy’s House FAQ

Find the answers to frequently asked questions about Joy’s House.

Joy’s House is a Center for Caregivers and Adult Day Services in Indianapolis. At our Broad Ripple home, adults living with life-altering diagnoses spend the day as Guests in a safe, engaging place built around care, connection, and meaningful activity.

Through our Center for Caregivers, we also connect caregivers to services, programs, and trusted partners across Indiana as they care for someone they love.

  • Joy’s House Broad Ripple is located in Indianapolis, IN at 2028 E. Broad Ripple Avenue, just west of Keystone Avenue.
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Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Joy’s House serves adults living with life-altering diagnoses who may benefit from a safe, engaging place to spend the day. Many of our Guests are living with Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, stroke related changes, brain injury, or other conditions that make staying home alone difficult.

Learn more about Joy’s House adult day services.

The medication policy and procedure at Joy’s House is fairly extensive, but bottom line is this – if your loved one can swallow a prescribed medication, needs additional supervision in regard to checking blood sugar levels, administering syringed medication or something of this nature, we can help. Let’s talk.

Yes. We are happy to assist our Guests that need assistance in the restroom. It is our goal to make sure that our Guests are clean and comfortable at all times.

Joy’s House is a non-medical Adult Day Service, which means Guests come to us for care, connection, safety, and meaningful activity during the day, not medical treatment.

Our team supports daily needs, leads engaging activities, builds relationships with each Guest, and helps families feel confident their loved one is in a safe place. All staff are trained in CPR, first aid, and transferring.

Families should continue working with their loved one’s doctors and medical providers for health care needs, medications, therapy, and treatment plans.

  1. The potential Guest must be over the age of 18.
  2. He or she must be able to take care of basic needs independently.
  3. If medication is needed the Guest must be able to swallow it without assistance.

A typical day at Joy’s House is built around comfort, connection, and meaningful activity. Guests are welcomed at the front door, then ease into the morning with coffee, conversation, and familiar routines.

Throughout the day, Guests may take part in music, chair exercise, games, creative projects, trivia, gardening, or time with visiting community partners. Some days include karaoke, bowling, pet therapy, art, or a favorite activity tied to a Guest’s interests.

Lunch is provided by American Village and served family style, giving Guests time to gather around the table together. In the afternoon, Guests may enjoy a snack, a quieter activity, or time outside when the weather allows.

Every day looks a little different, and if a Guest needs a break, our team can help them step away for a calmer moment.

We have many Guests who visit with us each day. Others have a schedule that fits their family’s varying needs. We can work with you no matter the need of your family, but do encourage a regular schedule so that your loved one can get to know us and we can get to know him or her. Consistency is important for all of us, and after all, we want your loved one to look forward to our time together.

A full day of service includes a morning snack, lunch and an afternoon snack, as well as activity costs $85 per day.

We accept Health and Wellness Medicaid Waiver, CHOICE, and your long-term care insurance may have a reimbursement policy available.

We want all families to know that we don’t want finances to stop you from coming to Joy’s House. If money is an issue, let’s talk and we will do everything in our power to make sure that we can work together through our Guest Scholarship Program.

Through the Joy’s House Center for Caregivers, we help caregivers find the right next step, whether their loved one attends Joy’s House or not.

The Center connects caregivers with trusted providers, services, and programs across Indiana, so families do not have to search for help on their own. We also offer caregiver support through Caregiver Crossing, Caregiver Way, CARE Kits, and our End-of-Life Program.

For Joy’s House families, caregiver support also happens through regular communication with our team, family meetings, shared resources, and help understanding changes in care over time.

Learn more >

  1. When someone calls to inquire about services, we have a very natural and simple conversation over the phone.
  2. We can usually tell by the conversation if the potential Guest sounds like he or she might be a good fit at Joy’s House and if we might be a good fit for their needs and desires.
  3. If there is interest in our services, we invite the family to visit Joy’s House and participate in a more formal assessment.

  • Physical examination paperwork (Joy’s House can provide in advance)
  • Doctor’s recommendation (Joy’s House can provide in advance)
  • List of all medications taken by loved one on a regular basis
  • List of all doctors and contact information
  • Legal paperwork, including POA and Living Will

If Joy’s House isn’t the right fit, we will work closely with you to find another program that meets your needs.

It is unbelievable! Statistics show that one out of every three persons is a family caregiver for a loved one. This affects everyone involved—the aging adult, the caregiver, the caregiver’s employer and the community at large. Joy’s House is focused on helping in all of these areas. The Guest gets to enjoy visits and is in a safe environment, the family caregiver gets mental and physical relief, the employer gets a more attentive and less stressed employee and the public receives educational opportunities through our community programming.

Volunteers at Joy's House celebrating at Gala

We celebrate our value of individuality, understanding that each team member brings with them their unique expertise that elevates our Joy’s House strengths and helps us to innovate new programs.

What’s in a name? A whole lot we’ve found! And ours doesn’t represent a particular person, but rather an emotion we strive to provide to our families – joy!

The community we’ve been blessed to build at Joy’s House over the years has positively impacted the lives of thousands of caregiving families, and we’re not done.

Volunteers serving desserts at Joy's House
Volunteers at Joy's House celebrating at Gala

We celebrate our value of individuality, understanding that each team member brings with them their unique expertise that elevates our Joy’s House strengths and helps us to innovate new programs.

What’s in a name? A whole lot we’ve found! And ours doesn’t represent a particular person, but rather an emotion we strive to provide to our families – joy!

The community we’ve been blessed to build at Joy’s House over the years has positively impacted the lives of thousands of caregiving families, and we’re not done.

Volunteers serving desserts at Joy's House

Annual Report

Joy’s House is pleased to share our 2024 to 2025 Annual Report with the community.

Inside, you’ll find a look at the care, caregiver support, partnerships, and generosity that helped carry our mission forward.

Updated numbers are published each spring.

Annual Report

News & Updates

Stay up-to-date with Joy’s House stories and happenings.

We are honored to be a proud recipient of the following grants:

Johnson County Community Foundation
Lilly Endowment
Noyes Foundation
Carl R. Hendrickson Family Foundation
Dalton Family Foundation
Healthcare Initiatives Inc.
I’m Still Here
The Indianapolis Foundation

“I firmly believe that Joy’s House provides an invaluable resource for Indianapolis. The guests are well served, and the guests’ families are supported in a meaningful way. It is a beautiful model of care. I hope the donation can further advance the excellent care-driven services.”

Ellen

“Caring people in a warm, loving environment. It truly feels like home.”

Broad Ripple Caregiver

“Each guest is accepted at their level and is encouraged but never forced into participation. Such a warm, positive, loving environment is a huge source of comfort to the family of each guest.❤️”

Susie