Kansas Memory Care Facilities

Aside from Illinois, Kansas is kind of an exception when it comes to the Midwest, with slightly higher than average price dementia care homes for the region. While Illinois ranks ninth in terms of being the most expensive, Kansas is much further back at 18th in the United States, but Kansas memory care facilities are still pricier than other parts of the Midwest.

Alzheimer’s care homes and dementia care facilities in Kansas combine good service, numerous different amenities, and relatively low competition in a part of the U.S. that is desirable for seniors thanks to the slower pace and conservative style of living.

Cost of Memory Care Facilities in Kansas

Kansas dementia care facilities are priced on average just slightly higher than the national average for daily and monthly rates. The average median for Kansas Alzheimer’s care homes is $162 per day. The national U.S. average is $160, placing Kansas just a tiny bit above the national median. The projected monthly cost for a typical dementia care home in the state is almost $4,900 per month, or $58,800 per year.

Cost of memory care in Kansas does vary based on location. The top ten percent of the priciest care homes average over $8,000 per month, while the most affordable Kansas memory care communities only run close to $3,000 per month. When you do the math, that is nearly a $5,000 difference between the cheapest and most expensive memory care in the state.

Here is a breakdown of memory care costs in Kansas:

Memory care costs in Kansas are generally slightly higher than the national average, with the state's median monthly cost of $4,900 compared to the national average of $4,800. While the average cost is relatively moderate, there is significant variation. Higher-end facilities can exceed $8,000 per month, particularly in urban areas like Overland Park, Prairie Village, and Lenexa, while more affordable options in smaller towns like Garden City and Liberal can cost closer to $4,000 per month.

Kansas has close to 3 million people, which makes it not too densely populated given its size. The western half of the state is largely rural with few major towns or cities. Meanwhile, the eastern portion is much denser and has a wider selection of memory care homes, which includes Wichita (population 382,300), Overland Park (population 173,000), Kansas City (population 145,700, on the Kansas half of the city) and Topeka (127,500) rounding out the most populated cities in Kansas.

Kansas Memory Care vs Assisted Living

Seniors who require help when it comes to accomplishing activities of daily living (ADLs) can find assisted living advantageous. They can still do what they need and want to do with supervision and assistance. However, if our loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or a different form of dementia, Kansas memory care communities and facilities would be the practical and smart arrangements for them.

Alzheimer’s care homes and dementia care facilities, usually referred to as memory care units, provide more than the physical support that assisted living facilities provide. Aside from that, supervision is given around-the-clock.

Dementia stricken residents can be healthy and active individuals but due to the progressive lapses in memory and reasoning, the services and assistance of Alzheimer’s care units in Kansas are better options. Sometimes, these special units are on a floor or wing of an assisted living facility or nursing home. There are also stand-alone residential apartments designed as memory care units.

Memory care units provide similar services as assisted living facilities but with intensified supervision and with activities intended to stimulate remembrance, and perhaps slow the disease’s progress.

Kansas Memory Care – Amenities

Kansas Alzheimer’s care facilities and dementia care homes provide a nice selection of amenities. The best memory care facilities in Kansas include at least three high quality, well-balanced meals served daily along with regularly scheduled activities.

Since dementia and Alzheimer’s care requires special attention and consideration, staff generally works with residents on a one-on-one as well as group setting. Activities are coordinated by staff specialized in memory care.

Likewise, the buildings are structured accordingly. Features like security pendants and color-coded walls can help familiarize residents with the dementia care facility in order to prevent confusion, wandering or getting lost. The buildings are held to high standard to remain safe and secure, many with special secured units, since wandering is an unfortunate symptom of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Alzheimer’s care homes in Kansas are sometimes a branch of a larger assisted living or nursing home where residents are housed in a separate unit but still associate with the general public. When compared to assisted living, Dementia care in Kansas, like the rest of the nation, is a little more expensive because of the specialized skilled care and extra attention.

Here's a more detailed look at amenities one can find in Kansas memory care communities:

1. Secured Environments for Safety

Memory care facilities in Kansas often feature secured premises, including controlled entrances, fenced outdoor areas, and alarm systems. These measures are designed to prevent wandering, a common concern for individuals with dementia, while allowing residents to enjoy safe, supervised freedom.

2. Specialized Care Plans

Facilities offer personalized care plans tailored to the specific needs of each resident. These plans are often developed in collaboration with family members and healthcare providers to ensure optimal care and attention.

3. Trained Staff

Staff in Kansas memory care facilities are trained in dementia care and behavior management. Caregivers are skilled in recognizing and addressing the unique needs of residents with memory impairments, ensuring compassionate and effective support around the clock.

4. Therapeutic Activities

Kansas memory care facilities emphasize cognitive stimulation and engagement through structured activities. Common options include:

• Music therapy: Helps evoke memories and reduce agitation.
• Art and craft sessions: Encourages creativity and fine motor skills.
• Pet therapy: Provides emotional comfort and companionship.
• Memory games and puzzles: Aids in cognitive retention and stimulation.

5. Nutritious Dining Options

Facilities often provide specialized dining programs tailored to meet the dietary needs of residents. Meals are typically served in a communal setting to encourage social interaction, and staff assist those who require help with eating.

6. Comfortable Living Spaces

Rooms and common areas are designed with dementia-friendly layouts, featuring clear signage, calming colors, and minimal clutter. These thoughtful designs help reduce confusion and create a home-like atmosphere.

7. Medication Management

Trained staff oversee and manage medications to ensure residents take their prescriptions as prescribed, minimizing the risk of missed doses or incorrect administration.

8. Family Support and Education

Many facilities in Kansas offer resources and support groups for families. These services provide education about dementia care and create opportunities for family members to connect and share experiences.

9. Access to Healthcare Services

Memory care facilities in Kansas often collaborate with healthcare providers to ensure residents have access to medical, dental, and therapeutic services. On-site visits by doctors and therapists are common.

10. Social Opportunities and Events

Social interaction is a key part of memory care. Facilities host events such as holiday celebrations, group outings, and recreational activities to foster a sense of community and belonging among residents.

Memory Care vs Dementia Care in Kansas

When exploring care options for individuals with cognitive decline, it's essential to understand the distinctions between memory care and dementia care, especially in Kansas, where facilities may offer specialized services tailored to local needs. Both types of care cater to individuals with memory-related conditions, but they differ in their approach, level of care, and focus.

Memory Care in Kansas

Memory care is a specialized type of long-term care designed for individuals dealing with various forms of memory loss, including Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, and other age-related memory conditions. Memory care facilities in Kansas typically offer:

• Structured Environments: These facilities provide secure settings with carefully designed layouts to reduce confusion and wandering risks.
• Specialized Staff: Caregivers are trained in techniques to assist with memory impairments, ensuring patients are supported with dignity.
• Daily Activities: Programs are designed to enhance cognitive function and maintain engagement, including music therapy, art classes, and light physical activities.
• Medical Support: Many facilities coordinate with healthcare providers to manage medications and monitor the progression of memory conditions.

Kansas's memory care facilities often include secure outdoor spaces and community areas where residents can safely socialize and engage in sensory activities.

Dementia Care in Kansas

Dementia care encompasses a broader range of services tailored to individuals with all stages of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. It addresses both memory loss and other cognitive challenges, such as impaired judgment, behavioral changes, and the inability to perform daily tasks. Key features of dementia care in Kansas include:

• Comprehensive Support: Dementia care often goes beyond memory issues to address physical health, behavioral management, and emotional well-being.
• Person-Centered Care Plans: Facilities create individualized care plans based on each resident’s history, preferences, and medical needs.
• Advanced Behavioral Support: Staff members are trained to manage mood swings, aggression, and other dementia-related behavioral symptoms.
• 24/7 Supervision: Dementia care units provide round-the-clock supervision to ensure residents’ safety and immediate assistance when needed.
• Therapeutic Approaches: Many Kansas dementia care facilities incorporate therapies like reminiscence therapy, sensory stimulation, and cognitive behavioral approaches.

Key Differences in Kansas Facilities

1. Scope of Care: Memory care focuses specifically on memory-related issues, while dementia care encompasses a broader range of cognitive and physical challenges.
2. Level of Specialization: Memory care units may cater to earlier stages of cognitive decline, whereas dementia care often serves individuals with more advanced conditions.
3. Cost: Dementia care is often more intensive and may involve higher costs due to the greater level of support required.

Choosing the Right Option in Kansas

When deciding between memory care and dementia care, consider the individual’s specific needs and the stage of their condition. Visiting facilities in Kansas and asking questions about staff training, security measures, and available therapies can help determine the best fit.

Memory Care Admission Requirements

In Kansas, Alzheimer’s care facilities are mandated to provide for the care and services that are drawn in the service plan of the resident. This service plan is created during the admission of the resident. There are certain requirements in place for memory care admission.

Aside from having dementia, these are the requirements for residents to be admitted:

• Have physical, mental, or developmental incapacities and circumstances
• Have traumatic brain injuries
• Needs assistance from 3rd party providers

These are the stipulated reasons why an Alzheimer’s suffering patient might be refused admission to a memory care unit:

• Requires 24/7 professional nursing care
• Has chronic conditions that would need two or more people to manage or assist
• Is incapable or unwilling to manage continence
• Is immobile or needs full support in clearing from the facility
• Has behavioral symptoms that are beyond the facility’s capability
• Has clinical conditions that would need physical limitations

Secured Memory Care Facilities in Kansas

Memory care facilities in Kansas are designed to provide a safe and secure environment for individuals with memory-related conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. These facilities implement several security measures to ensure the safety and well-being of residents. Below are some of the key security measures typically in place:

1. Secure Building Entrances and Exits

• Facilities are equipped with controlled access systems to monitor and restrict entry and exit points.
• Keypad locks, access cards, or biometric systems are often used to prevent unauthorized access.
• Some facilities feature double-door entryways or vestibules for added security.

2. Emergency Alert Systems

• Residents often wear wearable devices with emergency call buttons that alert staff immediately if assistance is needed.
• Facilities are equipped with centralized alarm systems to notify staff of emergencies, such as falls or wandering.

3. 24/7 Video Surveillance

• Security cameras monitor common areas, hallways, and exterior spaces around the clock.
• This helps ensure that any unusual activity or emergencies are promptly addressed.

4. Wander Management Systems

• Many memory care facilities use electronic monitoring systems to track residents’ movements and prevent wandering.
• Sensors and alarms may be installed on doors and windows to alert staff if a resident attempts to leave designated areas.

5. Safe and Secure Outdoor Spaces

• Outdoor areas are typically enclosed with fences or walls to allow residents to enjoy fresh air without risk of wandering.
• Gates are locked or monitored to ensure safety while maintaining accessibility for staff.

6. Staff Training and Supervision

• Staff are trained in dementia care, including techniques to handle behavioral challenges and prevent elopement (wandering away from the facility).
• Adequate staff-to-resident ratios ensure close supervision and immediate response to safety concerns.

7. Fire and Disaster Preparedness

• Facilities are equipped with fire alarms, sprinkler systems, and clearly marked evacuation routes.
• Emergency preparedness plans are tailored to the needs of memory care residents, with regular drills conducted to ensure staff readiness.

8. Medication and Hazard Control

• Medication management systems prevent unauthorized access to potentially harmful substances.
• Dangerous items, such as sharp objects or cleaning chemicals, are stored securely out of residents’ reach.

9. Individualized Care Plans

• Security measures are often personalized based on the cognitive and physical abilities of each resident.
• Frequent assessments allow staff to adapt care plans and security measures as residents’ conditions evolve.

These measures are crucial in providing a supportive and secure environment that ensures the dignity, safety, and quality of life for residents in memory care facilities throughout Kansas.

Memory Care Regulations in Kansas

Specific to the state of Kansas, every memory care facility has outlined service plan, facility, medication management, and staffing regulations implemented across the state.

Service Plan

Before the resident’s admission, an assessment and screening will be done by the memory care facilities’ licensed nurse. The purpose is to conduct a thorough evaluation of the health care requirements of the resident and identify if the facility is capable of providing it. Based on the results of the assessment, the facility will work with the dementia-stricken individual and the family or legal representative like a case manager so a service plan can be uniquely created. The service plan is developed by the licensed nurse and should carefully outline the services that the facility will provide, the individual or organization that will be providing the services, and the payment owners. An annual review is required or whenever it is requested by any of the involved service providers. If a nutritionist is required to help the, a quarterly review of the service care plan is required.

Facility

Kansas memory care units that are housed in assisted living facilities are advised to follow an apartment-style set-up with a living area, storages spaces, and fully accessible bathrooms. Kitchens with appliances, doors that can be locked, and a window are also advised. If the memory care facility is part of a residential health care building, it is not mandated to have kitchens but private bathrooms with a shower or tub are. Moreover, the facility’s entry and exit points must be controlled in the least limiting way possible.

Medication Management

As long as the licensed nurse gave a clear signal that the resident is capable of doing so, self-administering their medications are allowed. But if unable to do so, the facility’s licensed nurse or medication aide can administer the medicines. The medication aide though cannot administer subcutaneous or intravenous medicines.

Staffing and Ratio

All dementia care facilities in Kansas must have a full-time operation, administrator, and a 24-hour staff that is awake and active. A registered nurse is also required and should be available to supervise the facility’s licensed nurses.  There is no specified ratio, but the facility should have more than enough direct staff members to provide assistance and service to every resident following their service plan. The staff of the facility is trained on how to treat the behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

When Is It Time to Move to a Memory Care Facility in Kansas?

As your loved one’s memory further deteriorates, as a family you will also experience the overwhelming feeling of having to chase time and make some decisions all to prioritize your senior’s well-being. Sure, you’d want them to stay at home with familiar people and things surrounding them, but reality teaches you firsthand that this set up is usually not practical and it is very difficult.

Observing the signs and changes happening with your senior may make you decide that they are ready for memory care. Here are the signs that can make you feel more confident that despite their moving, it is still their overall safety and health-being that you are thinking of.

Their overall health is declining

Dementia itself is difficult to battle but with it, comes a ripple of health concerns. Due to the forgetfulness, getting prescriptions may be delayed including taking the medications promptly. The lapses in cognitive thinking will also lead to not being able to prepare nutritious meal plans and with age, seniors are more susceptible to getting sick. The overwhelming changes might also lead to some mental depression. If these are slowly accumulating, considering a memory care unit in Kansas is a good idea.

Compromised safety

Confusion and disorientation often lead to safety risks. Loved ones who have dementia might wander off and lose their way home or venture too far from home. Those who are still driving might forget the traffic regulations and not just risk their safety but that of everyone else on the streets. The simple acts of going down the stairs or crossing the street might prove too risky for them. If there were repeated instances of these situations and instances of getting hurt, then they may be ready for a Kansas memory care facility.

Degeneration in cleanliness

Maintaining one’s hygiene is a basic rule but for our seniors with dementia, it can be a huge blow if they start forgetting how to bathe, change clothes, brush their teeth, and other activities about their cleanliness.  This is embarrassing for them and would lead them to feel that they are already fully incapable. The feeling of not being capable especially for their hygiene can cause mental anguish and may lead to some other health concerns so should there be signs that there is a decline happening in this area, a memory care expert might be necessary.

Weariness for everyone

Always remember that the immediate family of a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s is also affected by the changes and would need to adjust. Physical supervision is required around-the-clock, our seniors overwhelmed with what’s going on would have behavioral changes and emotional outbursts. Everyone will eventually be on edge and that feeling of anxiety is not healthy for anyone. Too much stress over what’s happening would cause more harm than good and if this is your current set-up then you owe it to your senior and to yourself to get additional help from a memory care community.

Your gut feeling says “Go”

If your gut feeling is telling you that your loved one will be better-taken care of and more secured if moved to a memory care facility in Kansas then, by all means, go. You might have just been procrastinating but the time has come and your loved one might be more ready than you.

What Questions Should I Ask Memory Care Communities in Kansas During a Tour?

You have to keep an open mind and try to view things from a wider angle when you are doing a memory care tour. Keeping in mind that memory care communities provide an avenue for you and your loved ones to reclaim a little bit of normalcy and a little bit of the past but in a new environment. Asking the correct questions may help make your tour productive and informative helping you in making the right decision about the future of your loved one.

Grouped into three categories, these are some of the questions that you can ask and further discuss during the tour:

Questions related to staffing:

1. Does the facility have a medical director?
2. How many RNs and/or LPNs does the facility have? Are they onsite 24/7?
3. What is the staffing ratio for every shift?
4. What are the medical services that the facility can provide?
5. Are the staff trained and uptrained with dementia care policies and approaches?

Questions related to policies including fees:

1. What are inclusive of the monthly fee?
2. What is the policy for letting family members know, should there be drastic changes in the resident and emergencies?
3. What happens if the resident wants to leave the facility?

Questions related to amenities and activities:

1. What are the daily, weekly, and monthly activities for the residents?
2. Are outside activities done?
3. Can we choose a private room instead of a shared one? What’s the cost difference?