Healthcare
Caregivers in KC: A Community of Care
By 2030, it’s predicted that adults over the age of 60 will outnumber those under 18 for the first time in U.S. history. How are older residents and their caregivers equipped to meet the challenges inherent in aging in our area? Flatland looks at two organizations providing services intended to support people staying in…
Caregivers in KC: Planning for the Future
Becoming a caregiver is a responsibility that can sometimes arise unexpectedly. After the birth of a child with a disability, or the health decline of a parent or spouse, caregiving often comes with important financial considerations. Health care and supply costs for caregivers can add up quickly, and your income may be reduced as you…
Caregivers in KC: Asen’s Story
Born with a disability at birth, and with no one left to help, Asen’s family turns to Lakemary Center in Paola, Kansas. Lakemary provides educational, mental, behavioral health, and social services to children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities. We follow Asen’s approach in the classroom and interactions with his teachers and coaches, giving him the tools…
One elder abuse investigator has 70 cases. Kansas doesn’t say how swamped other caseworkers are
Stacy Crow made sure to check the outdoor cameras at Shirley Crow’s house in Wichita every now and again. Stacy lived five hours away from her 85-year-old mother-in-law, and the video check-ins were necessary because Shirley had Alzheimer’s disease and needed regular medication. “We did like to just see her out on her porch drinking…
Long waiting lists and kidneys wasted: The state of organ transplants and how it affects Missouri and Kansas
When Carthesa Hutson’s son, Chris, finally got around to getting his driver’s license he was almost 19. She remembers being at the DMV with him when he paused on the application question about becoming an organ donor and looked to her. She told him to follow his heart. “He said, ‘Well, if I’m not here,…
Feeding Tubes and Defibrillators
Let’s begin with two stories about the growing and important field of bioethics. The first is from Ryan Pferdehirt, the newly named Flanigan Chair in Bioethics at the Kansas City-based Center for Practical Bioethics. A hospital once asked him to consult on a bioethics case in which a son thought his desperately ill, hospitalized mother…
After Tuberculosis Outbreak, Wyandotte County Parts Ways with Health Director
The director of the Wyandotte County Public Health Department is no longer with the agency, a spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. It comes after turmoil during the handling of the major tuberculosis outbreak, shown by emails obtained by the Kansas News Service. Elisha Caldwell had been head of the local health department while an outbreak of TB grew…
A New Way to Pay for Long-Term Care Insurance
Here’s a potential solution for folks who want to buy long-term care insurance but don’t have the cash to cover premiums.
The Overlooked Downsides of Aging in Place
A recent study indicates that 88% of adults 50 and older say they want to age in place. But there are overlooked downsides to aging in place.
Beating the Heat: Help for Households Without Air Conditioning
More than 10,000 Kansas City area households have no air conditioning, and many others struggle to maintain their units. Here are some programs that can help.