elderly

Vanessa Woods, a former professional ballet dancer, suffered an injury that ended her career. So she formed a company, Vitality in Motion, that brings movement classes to retirement communities, while also providing work for dancers when they're not performing.

Experts worry hoarding is on the rise in Kansas amid a lack of support for those who struggle with it, straining families and communities.

Senior citizens who want to live in the same rural towns where they grew up face a growing problem: how to get around. Unreliable transportation means many seniors have trouble shopping for groceries, visiting family and getting to medical care.

Federal law requires states conduct an unannounced comprehensive inspection for each long-term care facility at least every 15 months to assess compliance with health and safety rules. Of the 510 nursing homes in Missouri, 126 have not been inspected in at least two years — one of the longest backlogs in the country.

Missouri lost 6,000 workers across nursing and residential care facilities during the coronavirus pandemic, and the state ranks 51st in hours of care nursing home residents receive from nurses. Experts and advocates say inadequate staffing endangers residents.

Hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil spilled out of the Keystone Pipeline in north-central Kansas, and cleaning it up will be especially difficult. Plus: Kansas nursing homes are facing allegations of neglect, even after receiving rewards for more thoughtful care.

A Kansas program that awards nursing homes millions of dollars for providing thoughtful care doesn’t weed out those with a history of deficiencies. Critics say it’s just one way the state fails to adequately regulate the long-term care industry.

Cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, have been surging among children in the Kansas City area and around the country. But locally, cases could start heading in the opposite direction.

A shortage of health care workers in Kansas has created a crisis at nursing homes, which are closing even as the state’s population continues to age.

Missouri ranks 50th in the nation in hours of care nursing home residents receive from workers each day. Advocates for nursing home residents say the Biden administration's plans to call for increased staffing could help residents.

Advocates say the ordinance will protect vulnerable members of the community including immigrants and those who are homeless. Supporters are also hopeful the new measure will encourage collaboration with law enforcement.

A federal mandate will soon require all U.S. nursing homes to vaccinate their workers or risk losing government funding. But some worry vaccine mandates will worsen staff shortages.