Kansas Christian Home (KCH) is raising the bar for what high-quality, resident-centered senior care can look like. In a time when long-term care communities everywhere are caring for residents with more complex needs, KCH stands out by using creativity, research, and teamwork to improve quality of life in ways that truly matter.
One of the best examples of our innovative approach comes from a recent study we completed in partnership with academic researchers at KU School of Medicine. We took a close look at 54 residents living with dementia to better understand their diagnoses and how often medications—especially those used for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, or behavioral symptoms—were being prescribed. This kind of self-evaluation is not something most long-term care organizations take on themselves, but KCH chose to do it because we believe that real improvement starts with honest, detailed information.
The results were encouraging and showed that our approach is working.
Even though many residents have dementia or other mental-health-related challenges, we found no connection between more severe memory loss and higher use of psychotropic medications. In simple terms, residents who had more advanced dementia were not automatically given more medications. This is important because overuse of these medications is a growing national concern, and it can lead to side effects like sleepiness, falls, or confusion. Our data suggests that our teams are finding other, more supportive ways to meet residents’ needs instead of relying on medication as the first option.
This reflects a key part of our innovation: using non-drug approaches first—such as calming activities, personalized routines, improved environments, and close teamwork among nurses, aides, therapists, life enrichment, social services, and dining teams. These strategies take more effort and collaboration, but they lead to better outcomes and better daily life for residents.
KCH’s commitment to using real data to guide decisions, working closely across departments, and constantly asking “How can we do better?” sets us apart. By choosing to study ourselves, learn from the results, and improve our care practices, we are creating a model that others in the field can follow.
Most importantly, this innovation shows up where it counts: in the lives of the people who call KCH home. Through teamwork, compassion, and a forward-thinking approach, we are not only meeting residents’ needs—we are going above and beyond to help them thrive.
Read about the other nominees: Meet the Wichita Business Journal’s Innovation Awards honorees – Wichita Business Journal