Four Generations at Joy's House Dementia Care

Little house, big dreams

Nurturing a safe and loving community devoted to comfort and care.

Tina McIntosh founded Joy’s House in 1999 at the age of 27. She had dreamed of a place – an inviting, warm and homelike location – to care for aging and challenged adults during the day.

After welcoming Joy’s House first Guest (client) in 2000, the need for adult day services grew exponentially, necessitating the small farmhouse with borrowed furniture we started with be renovated into the 12,000 square feet home in Broad Ripple house and an additional “cozy” house for adult day services on the southside at UIndy.

Joy’s House became one of the first adult days to offer caregiver support, recognizing that a life-altering diagnosis doesn’t just affect the individual, but the entire family, and especially the primary family caregiver. An innovator of caregiver support, Joy’s House has lead the way at both the state and national level with our creativity, collaboration, and leadership.

And we believe that in life, it’s not just about what you do, it’s how you do it. Our values have been guiding Joy’s House since the beginning. Each value resonates and is represented in our work – in how we provide care, engage our community, and how we treat each other. We are committed to understanding our place as individuals, and as an organization, in moving our communities into racial and economic equity guided by these values.

At Joy’s House, we envision a world where all individuals with life-altering diagnoses and their families are living fulfilled lives of knowledge, choice, and comfort. And we are proud to be leaders in this vision.

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 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

2022 – 2023

Joy’s House is pleased to share our 2022-2023 Annual Report with the community. Details include stats from both of our locations from January 1 – December 31, 2023.

Updated numbers are published each spring.

Annual Report

Joy’s House FAQ

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

Joy’s House is a not-for-profit adult day service. We host Guests (clients) seeking safety, companionship and engagement in community. Many of our Guests are no longer able to stay at home alone safely due to basic aging or a variety of diagnoses. Joy’s House services are designed for those with a wide range of abilities and interests.

Joy’s House has two locations in Indianapolis, Indiana.

  • Joy’s House Broad Ripple is located at 2028 E. Broad Ripple Avenue, just west of Keystone Avenue.
    View map
  • Joy’s House at UIndy is located at 1615 E. Castle Avenue, just south of the University of Indianapolis campus.
    View map

Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

We host Guests (clients) who either can’t stay home alone and adults who are simply getting older. Many are living with dementia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, are recovering from strokes, have diagnosed mental challenges, or other medical challenges.
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.

Keep in mind that most families are not trained medically and care for their loved one for the majority of the day. All staff is trained in CPR, first aid, and transferring, but Joy’s House is a non-medical model Adult Day Service. Joy’s House provides care and activities to Guests is a safe and welcoming space. Adult day services also provide respite to caregivers during the day.

  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.

You and your loved one are greeted with a smiling face as soon as you enter our front door. “Coffee and conversation” begins as we reminisce about this day in history, followed by many well-planned physically and mentally stimulating activities throughout the day. You may find us stretching during chair aerobics, laughing as we knock down bowling pins or singing familiar songs during karaoke. During nice weather our garden is accessible at all times. Lunch, provided by American Village in Broad Ripple and by Forest Creek Village on the South side, is served family-style, and the fantastic menu is mailed to you each month so you know what to look forward to each day. An afternoon snack may be as fun as elephant ears or as entertaining as happy hour (non-alcoholic, of course!). No matter what, we make sure to keep your loved one safe and occupied, but if he or she needs a moment of quiet, we can provide that too.

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 $80 per day.

We accept Aged and Disabled (A&D) 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.

Joy’s House is pleased to offer services, programs and educational opportunities to family caregivers caring for an aging or disabled loved one. Joy’s House is particularly interested in supporting you as the caregiver. For Joy’s House families we do this through daily interaction, Annual Meetings, family meals, bathing services and our Caregiver Resource Area, just to name a few. We also have services open to caregivers in the greater community even if your loved one is not a Guest at Joy’s House.
Learn more >

  1. Introductory Inquiry Phone Call (approx. 20 minutes, optional)
  2. Initial Tour of Joy’s House (approx. 30 minutes, optional – please make an appointment)
  3. Formal Assessment (typically 1-2 hours, required)

  1. When someone calls to inquire about services, we have a very natural and simple conversation over the phone. 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. 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 PDA and Living Will

If Joy’s House isn’t the right fit, we do everything in our power to make sure that they receive the proper care from another venue.

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.

Two Locations

Joy’s House welcomes Guests at two Indianapolis adult day service locations.

Joy's House Broad Ripple location

Joy’s House Broad Ripple

2028 E. Broad Ripple Ave.
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
317-254-0828

Open from 8:00am – 5:00pm, Monday – Friday

Directions >
 Virtual Tour >

Joy's House UIndy

Joy’s House at UIndy

1615 E. Castle Ave.
Indianapolis, Indiana 46227
317-737-2515

Open from 8:00am – 5:00pm, Monday – Friday

Directions >

News & Updates

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

  • What is an Area Agency on Aging?

    By Published On: March 10th, 2020

    On our most recent episode of Caregiver Crossing the Podcast, we sat down with Mindi Winnie, Community Programs Coordinator for CICOA, Indiana's largest Area Agency on

  • Loneliness, Isolation & Aging

    By Published On: March 2nd, 2020

    On a recent episode of Caregiver Crossing the Podcast, we sat down with Lauren Guynn, Executive Director of the Shepherd’s Center of Hamilton County, to chat

  • The Early Stages of Alzheimer’s

    By Published On: February 25th, 2020

    On the most recent episode of Caregiver Crossing the Podcast, we talked with Lisa Phillips, Program Manager for the Alzheimer's Association Greater Indiana Chapter, about the

  • Navigating the Next Chapter

    By Published On: February 17th, 2020
    man microphone glasses suit

    On a recent episode of Caregiver Crossing, the Podcast, we sat down with Dave Holder of Assisted Living Locators North Indy to talk about the work

  • Music, Hearing and Dementia

    By Published On: February 11th, 2020

    This is a guest blog post, written by Tonya Bergeson, Tara Lineweaver, Music First! Lab Members. Listen to their recent appearance on Caregiver Crossing, the Podcast,

  • New Year, New Leadership

    By Published On: February 3rd, 2020

    2020 brings an exciting new year of serving our Guests (clients) and their families here at Joy’s House, and it also brings two new members to

  • What is an Adult Day Service? Why is it Important?

    By Published On: January 28th, 2020

    These were the big questions asked during a recent episode of Caregiver Crossing, the Podcast (listen here!). Sarah Shadday, Joy's House Outreach Coordinator and podcast co-host,

  • Joy’s House is a Family

    By Published On: January 22nd, 2020

    One word that is used a lot to describe Joy’s House and our culture is family. It’s how our Guests and caregivers, our volunteers, our staff,

  • A Big Family

    By Published On: January 6th, 2020

    Mr. Jerry wears his orange hunting jacket like a badge of honor. And if you ask him about the walking stick that is nearly always in

  • Today We Celebrate You

    By Published On: December 23rd, 2019

    Happy Holidays from your friends at Joy's House! What an amazing holiday season we've had this year! It's been full of thankfulness, love, special songs, visits

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