Facility #1, Interview with Sabrina

August 4, 2025

Phone interview transcript with Sabrina

Facility #1


Well, right before the pandemic, my mom decided—and thankfully, she was very open and frank with her abilities and with us about what her abilities were—she felt that she was no longer able to live independently. My parents are divorced; they have been for quite some time. So she had been living on her own at least 15, probably 20-plus years.


We moved her into assisted living first, and that was in February of 2020, so right before everything shut down. Everything was marching along quite well. You know, we would have periodic visits with her when we were in town.


At some point, she started having more frequent falls where staff would find her on the ground, or she wouldn't necessarily report that she fell. I guess that was also what we were told—which I do believe might be the case. Once she had several falls like that, and those were happening more frequently, she was requiring more care. As a result, she wound up hospitalized.


And this is where it kind of gets interesting, because having some background in the medical field, I didn't really see exactly, medically, what was putting her in the hospital. But anyway, she was hospitalized, and I already saw it coming from afar. I knew that she was not going to be able to go back to assisted living. I could just feel it. That, again, is from some of my previous experience working in hospitals. I mean, I knew—I knew what was going to happen. I knew that the reason why they wanted to hospitalize her, or what I felt was the reason, was so that they could transition her to long-term care and no longer have her in assisted living.


And it's true—she really was probably ready to be in long-term care. She was certainly becoming more dependent, less mobile, and so forth.


Fast forward, I get a call: “She's going home on this Wednesday, and you need to figure out where she's going to go, because she can't come back here (to the assisted living facility).” I mean, it was rather abrupt. If I did not have the knowledge that I had, I would have been completely taken off guard. Like, “Wait, what are you talking about?” You didn't leave this conversation in a way that would let me feel that we were getting to this point. There were a couple of allusions to that, but nothing that I felt, in my eyes, was a direct type of communication—like, “Hey, you know the hospitalization was going to be the trigger to transition.”


That was very stressful, especially living afar. I quickly flew in, and I wound up selecting the nursing home that I did for a couple of reasons. A) She was already in the “system” (of facility #1), and so that sort of limited us. While I did feel that my mom did a lot to prepare financially for this time—taking out long-term care insurance when she was probably my age (I'm 53, so she maybe even started paying for it earlier)—she was definitely ready to be able to finance long-term care.


I selected facility #1 because I loved that it was smaller. That was one of my big things. When I toured it, the staff were quite receptive to talking to me, and the folks who were in charge then (and are no longer in charge now)—I mean, I don't even know how many times the leadership has changed in that regard, but I think it's been quite a few times. The nurses who were there are not necessarily the nurses that are there now. There's at least one I know of who is still there.


So that's pretty much how we arrived at facility #1. And I guess that was—I think—in 2022 or 2023.


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KABC Testifies before the Kansas Silver Haired Legislature

By Libby Hastings • October 19, 2026
KABC Testifies before the Kansas Silver Haired Legislature Kansas Advocates for Better Care (KABC) is urging state leaders to provide additional funding to eliminate the waitlist for the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Frail Elderly (FE) Waiver, which helps older Kansans access the services they need to remain in their homes and communities. In testimony submitted to the Kansas Silver Haired Legislature (KSHL) on October 6 th in Topeka, KABC Executive Director Dan Goodman emphasized the importance of preserving access to in-home care and preventing older adults from entering nursing facilities before they need that level of care. The FE waiver waitlist, implemented July 6, 2026, has already affected hundreds of older Kansans. Without additional funding, more people could face delays in receiving essential services, potentially accelerating health declines and increasing the likelihood of premature nursing home placement. KABC is recommending $31 million in additional funding for the FE waiver in fiscal year 2027 to address projected funding shortfalls and help eliminate the waitlist. Kansas Silver Haired Legislature Sets 2027 Priorities On October 7 and 8, 65 delegates representing regions across Kansas gathered on the floor of the Kansas House of Representatives in Topeka for the Kansas Silver Haired Legislature's annual session. During the session, delegates approved five resolutions outlining their legislative priorities for 2027. The resolutions focus on supporting older Kansans' independence, financial security, access to care and participation in civic life. The five priorities are: Fund senior transportation Protect in-home care Increase funding for the FE waiver to help older Kansans receive care in their homes and communities. KABC supports this priority and is urging the state to add $31 million in funding for fiscal year 2027 to eliminate the FE waiver waitlist. Strengthen Medicaid Raise the Personal Needs Allowance Increase the Personal Needs Allowance for nursing home residents who receive Medicaid Protect senior voting rights These priorities address interconnected challenges facing older Kansans, from accessing transportation and affordable care to maintaining independence and financial security. The Importance of Care at Home The FE waiver was established to help older Kansans access community-based services that allow them to remain in their homes for as long as possible, delaying or avoiding the need for more costly institutional care. These services can make a significant difference in an older adult's ability to maintain independence, health and quality of life. When needed support is unavailable, however, individuals and families may have fewer options for managing care at home. Kansas already faces challenges in this area. According to the United Health Foundation's America's Health Rankings, Kansas ranks 47th in the nation for placing low-care residents in nursing facilities. KABC is concerned that limiting access to home- and community-based services could contribute to further premature institutionalization. The Cost of Delayed Access The potential impact of the waitlist is significant. According to KABC's testimony, the state faces a projected $31 million shortfall for the FE waiver in fiscal year 2027, putting access to critical in-home services at risk. Historical data also illustrate the potential scope of the problem. In 2003, a similar FE waiver waitlist affected approximately 20% of eligible participants. The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) reports that 9,306 Kansans are currently eligible for the waiver. Applying that historical 20% figure to today's eligible population suggests that approximately 1,861 older Kansans could be affected in fiscal year 2027. While this estimate is based on a historical comparison, it underscores the potential consequences of insufficient funding. Investing in Older Kansans  The goal is to help older Kansans receive the services they need when they need them, rather than risk declining health or entering institutional care because community-based options are unavailable. As Dan Goodman emphasized in his testimony, investing in home- and community-based services offers an opportunity to support older adults' independence while potentially avoiding the greater costs associated with premature institutionalization. The Kansas Silver Haired Legislature's 2027 priorities provide a framework for addressing the needs of older Kansans across the state. KABC's support for increased FE waiver funding aligns with the Legislature's call to protect in-home care and ensure older adults have meaningful choices about where and how they receive care. KABC will continue advocating for policies and resources that protect older Kansans' access to quality long-term care, wherever they call home.