Community Services

Adult day services are provided at adult day centers. At these centers, people with functional and/or cognitive impairments receive services designed to meet their needs, based on an individual plan of care. Participants socialize, eat nutritious meals and sometimes receive health services. They return home each night.

What are adult day services?

Adult day care centers provide a variety of services, from health care to recreation. Centers are usually open during working hours and may stand alone or be located in senior centers, adult care homes or religious organizations. Adult day care staff may monitor medications, provide hot meals and snacks, and social activities. Currently, adult day care centers are licensed by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.

Who do I call for more information?

For more information reference the ADRC Regional Map of Locations for regional phone numbers, contact your public health department, local hospital, doctor or senior center, or look in the county specific statewide online directory of licensed Adult Day Care Providers.

What should I look for in an adult day center?

It is important to visit the center, talk with staff, and speak with other families who use the center to make sure that the center is able to meet your needs.

How do I pay for adult day services?

Adult day services can be a cost-effective way to receive therapeutic and rehabilitative services and to interact with peers. Costs range varies depending on the services offered and geographic region. Some long term care insurance policies cover adult day services, but recipients usually pay for adult day services themselves.

Related links:

• National Adult Day Services Association
• Administration on Aging
  

Meal programs are designed to meet the nutritional needs of elderly and disabled persons who have difficulty preparing meals on their own.

What are meal programs?

Home-delivered meals are available in many Kansas communities to individuals who have been determined to meet established eligibility criteria. Meals are nutritious and tasty and are delivered by volunteers. Frozen or “shelf-stable” meals requiring minimal preparation may be available in some areas. Some providers deliver two meals daily, but most deliver only one. Special diets may be available to those who need them. In some areas of the state, (e.g., remote, rural areas) a multi-day supply of meals may be delivered.

How do I pay for a meal program?

A donation is suggested for meals, but is not a condition for receiving a meal. Spouses, regardless of age, can also receive a meal on a contribution basis if it is in the senior’s best interest.

Where do I go for more information?

For more information reference the ADRC Regional Map of Locations for regional phone numbers.

Senior centers provide older people with a wide variety of social, recreational, and educational opportunities at little or no cost. Their purpose is to enhance seniors' well-being and independence and encourage involvement in the community.

What are senior centers?

Senior centers are often gathering places for seniors in Kansas communities. They’re a good place to receive information about senior adult services and enjoy a variety of activities with friends and neighbors. Actual hours of operation vary in each community. While there are usually social activities that may be free of charge, some senior centers provide services on a contribution basis. Others may charge for certain services. You can call the senior centers listed in the county specific directory of services to find out more information.

Who do I call for more information?

Reference the ADRC Regional Map of Locations for regional phone numbers to get more information and to find out if transportation is available to and from the senior center or nutrition site in your community.

How do I pay a senior center?

The activities and/or meals provided at senior centers are usually free or inexpensive. These centers are often subsidized by federal, state, and/or local government. Many centers offer sliding scale pricing to make their programs affordable to anyone.

Support and self-help groups are usually small groups of people who have something in common, like caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or someone who is recovering from a stroke. Participants get together, usually once a month, to discuss their situations and concerns. Some groups have a professional social worker or nurse who coordinates the group, while others operate on their own.

Support groups are usually free of charge, while some with professional coordinators may ask for a small donation (which can usually be waived if necessary) to cover the cost of the professional’s time.

Where can find more information?

For information about various support and self-help groups in your area, reference the ADRC Regional Map of Locations for regional phone numbers, or contact your doctor’s office or the Self-Help Network. The Self-Help Network is a nonprofit, statewide information center that can give you more information about support groups in your area. Currently, the network can provide referrals to Kansas and national support groups, organizations and help lines.

800-445-0116 (Self-Help Network)

Early intervention for infants and toddlers with disabilities is a range of services provided to children with developmental disabilities from birth to 3 years of age that helps minimize the need for special education and related services, reduces the need for institutionalization, maximizes the child's potential for independent living, and provides support and assistance to the family.

What is early intervention for infants and toddlers with disabilities?

The term "early intervention" refers to many different services. Children who are experiencing a developmental delay or disability include those who have been diagnosed by a multidisciplinary team as having a significant delay in one or more of the following areas of development: physical, including gross and fine motor, hearing and vision; cognitive; communication; social or emotional; and adaptive skills. Appropriate testing, observations and informed clinical opinion shall be used to identify a developmental delay or disability. Early intervention services can take place in the home, in therapeutic settings or in integrated day care programs.

Over the years, the early intervention program has proven to support the healthy development of infants and toddlers with disabilities, and minimizes the potential for developmental delays. If a parent suspects his/her child may have a developmental delay, a pediatrician or primary health care provider should be consulted as soon as possible.

What should I look for in an early intervention program?

Federal laws mandate the following components in early intervention services: identification; evaluation; procedural safeguards; case management; speech, physical and occupational therapies; audiological services; nutrition services; psychological services; social work and transportation services. Some states offer additional services to developmentally disabled children and their families.

If a child is found to have a developmental delay requiring early intervention services, the Service Coordinator works with the family to develop an Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP).

The IFSP includes the infant/toddler's level of development; family resources, priorities and concerns; measurable progress goals, with criteria, procedures and timelines; the specific services necessary to meet the needs of the child and his/her family; projected dates of initiation and duration of services; the name of the service coordinator responsible for implementing the IFSP; steps necessary to help the child transition to preschool or other services.

How do I pay for early intervention services?

Through a federal grant, funds are available to pay for services identified on the child's IFSP, after the IFSP team has determined eligibility for the program and service needs. Also some services can be paid for through Medicaid, if the child is eligible.