Situated squarely in the Great Plains, Kansas offers a quiet, relaxing life for seniors. Its wide-open spaces and lower-than-average cost of living make the Sunflower State a great retirement destination. With its endless skies and yellow, flowing grasslands, the blank canvas of the Kansas landscape brings a calming sense of liberation. While driving from Wichita to Kansas City, take a detour on the Flint Hills Scenic Byway to experience Tallgrass Prairie National Reserve — you’ll see why Kansas adopted “Home on the Range” as its official state anthem.
Currently, A Place for Mom partners with more than 100 senior living communities in Kansas that provide memory care. Our Senior Living Advisors can provide you with a list of memory care facilities in Kansas to help you find one that fits your needs and budget.
In Kansas, the median monthly cost of memory care is about $5,700.
The staff seems to be very involved. For the residents who are able to participate, they offer a wide variety of activities. The apartment is more than adequate. Anything more could be overwhelming for...
What we like the most about the Sedwick Plaza community is that the staff are super friendly and caring. Yes, we would recommend this community to other families based on the experience so far.
With no family nearby and urgency to move from Independent Living, we were so fortunate to be able to move my sister into Brookdale Tallgrass. First, we learned of their exceptional reputation, and it...
There was frequent turnover of staff, but I think that's common. The place changed ownership, and everything changed, including plan for increase in rent. I found Mom's bathroom pretty dirty a few times,...
The cost is a little over $[fee removed]k for basic care. You can get the same cost for a private nurse for $[fee removed]/hr and your parents can stay home if a family member can stay nights with them. My...
Dad is really happy! It was really nice to have all admin come to room and greet us. [name removed] made me at ease, felt like home was a great choice for dad. Nursing staff was very thorough and also put me...
The staff are attentive. They have an activities director that has regular activities for the residents. The food cooking is supervised by a chef so good meals. The rooms are well sized. The feel of the...
Your loving kindness and care for my parents has always been evident. We have greatly appreciated and enjoyed the atmosphere and loving care that both our parents enjoyed. Regarding staff - from the...
There was frequent turnover of staff, but I think that's common. The place changed ownership, and everything changed, including plan for increase in rent. I found Mom's bathroom pretty dirty a few times,...
What we really like about Colonial Oaks is that they provide a wide array of care for a single price. Activities etc. Based on our experience we would recommend this community to other families who are...
The staff seems to be very involved. For the residents who are able to participate, they offer a wide variety of activities. The apartment is more than adequate. Anything more could be overwhelming for...
Most of the staff was friendly and responsive...not enough nurses for amount of patients which is typical of most nursing homes. Activities were interactive and sometimes creative. Food was average, dining...
I love hearing from my mom about winning at bingo, she loves taking a trip to Walmart, and it's nice to see friendly and happy tenants when I come and eat lunch or breakfast.
Benton House has superseded all of our expectations, and Mom loves living there. [name removed], and all of the staff there, go above and beyond to help the residents and their families become situated and...
Professional, highly skilled staff, a safe and clean environment, friendly atmosphere for everyone we've seen. This place truly cares for their residents.
Kansas permits assisted living and residential care facilities to provide memory care to people with dementia. As a result, memory care units are subject to the same standards as the facility housing them, as well as specific memory care policies. The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) regulates memory care units as part of its regulation of assisted living and residential care facilities.
Unlike some other states, Kansas doesn’t license or certify memory care units. Instead, assisted living and residential care facilities can serve people with “special needs” if their admission and discharge criteria identify their diagnosis, behavior, and any specific needs they may have.
Facilities require a written physician’s order for admission to a special care section offering memory care. Prospective residents may also provide a medical diagnosis or medical care provider’s progress notes to help justify admittance to a special care section. Before moving in, the resident or their legal representative must be informed of the available services and programs.[01]
Staff don’t need to be trained or certified in dementia treatment before being hired, but in-service education on treatment of relevant behavioral symptoms must be provided. Additionally, before being assigned to a facility’s special care section, direct care staff must undergo a training program related to its residents’ specific needs.
There aren’t specific, required staff-to-patient ratios for facilities offering memory care, but direct care staff must be present in the special care section at all times. Staff must also ensure exits are controlled in the least restrictive manner possible.[02]
Kansas Department of Health & Environment
1000 SW Jackson St.
Topeka, KS 66612
Phone: 785-296-1500
State regulations — and a community’s track record with inspections and licensing — offer important insights into safety and quality of care in senior living communities.
Download the Guide to Senior Living Licensure and Inspection Reports to learn what to look for in inspection reports and what questions to ask when touring communities. This resource explains how to use state licensure and inspection information to evaluate a community’s compliance, care standards, and responsiveness to issues.
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Authorized Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) agents and representatives must conduct at least one unannounced facility inspection within 15 months of any previous inspection. This verifies the facility is complying with applicable statutes, rules, and regulations relating to residents’ health and safety.
If agents discover any issues, they note them in a deficiency report and the facility must submit a Plan of Correction (POC) outlining how they will address the problem(s). KDADS then conducts a follow-up investigation to confirm the changes.[03]
There are also several ways for residents, family members, and staff to file a complaint. Discussing a problem with the Kansas long-term care ombudsman, KDADS, or Kansas Adult Protective Services (APS) can all result in extra investigations if allegations warrant them. In these cases, an ombudsman or KDADS-certified personnel will determine if the claims are valid. The complaint investigation process is identical to the previously mentioned inspection process.
To review inspection results and other facility details, KDADS has a handy online search tool. All state facilities are there by default, but you can filter the list by name, address, county, care type, and more, if there is something specific you’re looking for. The long-term care ombudsman can also provide insight regarding a facility’s inspection and complaint history.
Compendium of Residential Care and Assisted Living Regulations and Policy: 2015 Edition. (2015). Kansas.
Kansas Secretary of State. (2024). Assisted Living Facilities and Residential Health Care Facilities.
National Center for Assisted Living. (2022). Assisted Living State Regulatory Review.
The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical, legal or financial advice or create a professional relationship between A Place for Mom and the reader. Always seek the advice of your health care provider, attorney or financial advisor with respect to any particular matter, and do not act or refrain from acting on the basis of anything you have read on this site. Links to third-party websites are only for the convenience of the reader; A Place for Mom does not endorse the contents of the third-party sites.
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