Prairie Sunset Home

01/07/2026

An Open Letter to Residents, Families, and Friends of Prairie Sunset Home

Current as of: Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Happy New Year! Hopefully, you have been enjoying the unseasonally warm winter. As we start the new year, we remain a 5-STAR facility in the eyes of CMS. The rating applies to our Overall and Staffing comparison related to all other Kansas facilities and puts PSH in the top 10% of the state. The really good news is that in CY-2025 we cut staffing turnover by almost one half. It may be that our 401(K)-retirement plan had a bigger impact on retention than expected.
I always try to spend 20-30 minutes with each new employee during their first day of orientation. My primary point of emphasis is the requirement for each person to understand how serious we are about providing superior service. It can be as simple as common courtesy and respect for your elders. Being nice to everyone is pretty rare and goes a long way in helping us to distinguish our service delivery and competence from potential competitors. Additionally, we ensure the new team member gets a history lesson about the Prairie Sunset Home campus.
It is a fact that adult care homes operate in a demanding and punishing regulatory environment! We serve three important groups of customers, each with significantly different wants, needs, desires, and expectations: RESIDENT; FAMILY; and GOVERNMENT. The trick is keeping all three groups satisfied. Not surprising to those of us who have been in the profession for any length of time, research indicates an “almost inverse relationship” when expectations and importance are matched against what the federal government thinks is MOST IMPORTANT and what the family and RESIDENT feel is MOST IMPORTANT. That torsion seems to pull us in a direction that works against what other important customers view as the most important.
If you have not yet gotten the seasonal flu shot, we recommend you do so ASAP. It is not too late!! It has been all over the news that Kansans with flu and flu-like symptoms now have us in the RED-HIGH category. As a reminder, if you do not feel well or have a temperature, we ask that you please postpone your visit.
We are only six (6) weeks away from the Annual Meeting of the stockholders of Prairie Sunset Home, Inc. The meeting will be held on Saturday afternoon, February 21, 2026. Rather than conducting the official meeting at the Pretty Prairie Middle School auditorium, we will host it here at PSH in the Assisted Living Great Room. The business meeting will begin at 1400 hrs (2:00 pm). Tom Goering, current President of the Board, and Dick Kollhoff will be rotating off the board in 2026. The Nominating Committee has submitted, and the board accepted a slate of stockholders who have agreed to stand for election to the 2026 board. The nominees include: Allan Grilliot; Katie Johnson; Royce Krehbiel; and Jody Schwartz
This year, the PSH Board of Directors we will use the annual meeting as an occasion to celebrate the “Grand Re-Opening” of the adult care home twenty-five (25) years ago. Over the past couple of months, we have given the building a refreshed look in anticipation of the 25-Year celebration. Over the years, stockholder attendance at the annual meeting has ranged from a low of 57 to a high of 70, which represents 20-25% of the membership. It provides an opportunity for stockholders and other friends who have not been inside PSH recently, to have an “in person look” to see the “sticks and bricks” and get a sense of the superior team and services provided.
Today we have several rooms available for occupancy in the skilled nursing unit and two available in assisted living. We will have a cottage available for occupancy as well. If you are aware of someone who is dissatisfied and fed-up with the quality of medical care, service, food, or policies at their current nursing home or are considering moving into an adult care home very soon, either assisted living or skilled nursing, please encourage them to call (620-459-6822) or visit us. Thank you again for your referrals and continued support. For more information about PSH happenings, go to our FACEBOOK page. Working together, we make Prairie Sunset Home a great place to live and work!
Aaron D. Kelley Jr.
Administrator

A group of adventurous residents enjoyed the winter sunshine and the opportunity to participate in outdoor activities last week on the newly installed turf surface in the PSH courtyard.

Pic 1: Front kneeling: Tara Schwartz, volunteer; Ashley Patterson, CMA, Activity Director. (L-R) Valeta Vogt; Donna Burgess; Peggy Gammill; Amity Snyder, youth volunteer; Marilyn Stucky; Sharon Attebery; Karen Kinsey; Holly Henning, CNA, Exercise & Fitness Dir.

Pic 2: (L-R) Sharon Attebery, Karen Kinsey, Valeta Vogt and Donna Burgess take turns throwing Co****le bags on the new courtyard turf surface. Holly Henning watching.

12/23/2025

We had some very entertaining reindeer games and as always, the PSH residents amazed us with their sharp shooting talents. These folks mean business and I want them all on my team if we ever gave a nerf war.

12/23/2025

Celebrated National Cupcake day last week with our friend Kasey Voss from Rivercross Hospice. Yum! We don't know who is in the world is in charge of coming up with these national days... but keep it up!

12/21/2025

Santa came dashing in to visit for our family Christmas party and suprisingly everyone made it on to his "nice" list this year. Here are a few of our favorite photos. Enjoy!

12/20/2025

Some fun moments we captured as we did silly family style photos this year. Merry Christmas from all of us at PSH.

12/17/2025

Current as of: Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Friday afternoon, we will hold our annual Staff Christmas party. This has been an exceptional year for PSH. For nearly one-half of this year, we have been rated as a 5-STAR facility by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In the summer, we had a successful licensure inspection conducted by KDADS that resulted in our INSPECTION STAR rating improving to 4-STAR. Our STAFF STAR has remained 5-STAR the entire year.

One cannot begin to think about quality unless you have a stable, well-trained team. No team can win the big game, when it routinely loses key players and keeps adding new members to the team. Over the past 6-7 years, PSH has consistently trained and retained the staff better than most others. Importantly, we have done that without the use of temporary agency staffing—even during the pandemic. Last year in October, the Board of Directors approved a 401(k)-retirement plan for our employees. We hoped it would help further stabilize our staff turnover and at the same time improve quality, service and satisfaction. It seems to have been wildly successful. This year, turnover has been reduced by 40% and average seniority is now over 5¾ years.

All 88 team members work hard every hour of every day as we endeavor to deliver an acceptable level of quality and superior service to all our customers. In our world customers include: the Residents; Families; Friends; Volunteers; Vendors; and the state and federal regulators; each with different expectations and priorities. Each team member exhibits extraordinary compassion and growing competence as the days and weeks go by. This entire team and their extra efforts have helped make 2025 a great year at PSH!

We will host our annual Christmas Open House and residents’ party this Saturday afternoon, Dec. 20. It appears that the weather will cooperate and make it easy for families, friends and volunteers to shower residents with gifts and favorite homemade holiday treats. Santa will be here. We will be taking a lot of pictures to memorialize the day.

Here is a tip that may help you during the holiday visitation “live in the moment.” Enjoy the time together, manage your expectations and be flexible during your visits. Families and friends may be surprised or alarmed at the change in appearance or mental acuity since the last time they saw their resident. Our caregivers see those subtle changes every day and are available to discuss the changes and answer questions. We are here to be supportive of residents and, at the same time, offer reassurance to families and friends.

One of the consequences of the increase in visitation during the holiday season is the added risk to our Infection Control efforts. Please self-screen at our Kiosk when you enter to visit. Type in your name/phone number; who you are here to see; line your face up on the screen as your temperature is automatically taken—you are IN. Then as an added precaution, use hand sanitizer as baseline infection control to help keep everyone safe.

Today, we have several skilled nursing beds available. This time of year, occupancy and availability can change quickly. A couple of ALF units are move-in ready. The cottages are all occupied. As a reminder, if you are aware of someone who is dissatisfied or fed-up with the poor quality of medical care, unresponsive service, food or policies at their current nursing home or are considering a move into an adult care home very soon, either assisted living or skilled

nursing, please encourage them to call (620-459-6822) or visit us. Without a consistent revenue stream, it becomes more difficult to provide the superior service and medical care you expect.

Thank you again for your referrals and continued support. For more information about PSH happenings, go to our FACEBOOK page. Keep looking in on our scheduled activities this winter. Your referrals are important to us and the finest compliment we can be paid! Working together, we make Prairie Sunset Home a great place to live and work!

From the entire team at PSH, have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Aaron D. Kelley Jr., Administrator

12/10/2025

I am so sorry, I am late in posting these photos. The family of Valeta Vogt sponsored our very own performance by Elvis. Residents, staff, and families enjoyed this special event greatly.

12/10/2025

An Open Letter to Residents, Families, and Friends of Prairie Sunset Home

Current as of: Wednesday, December 10, 2025

The holidays are upon us! There must be something in the water or in the air, because the morale of our team sky-high. Everyone is cooperating in our efforts to prepare for Christmas. The holiday season can be one of joy and celebration, kindness and sharing, and for our caregivers, a wonderful opportunity to help bring new memories to our residents and their loved ones.

We will host our annual Christmas Open House and residents’ party next Saturday afternoon, Dec. 20. It provides a perfect venue for families, friends and volunteers to shower residents with gifts and favorite homemade holiday treats. Please know that the families/friends who live farther away may prefer to visit virtually. We can easily accommodate those requests.

Here is a tip that may help you during the holiday visitation “live in the moment.” Enjoy the time together, manage your expectations and be flexible during your visits. Often, families and friends may be surprised or alarmed at the change in appearance or mental acuity since the last time they saw their resident. Our caregivers see those subtle changes every day and are available to discuss the changes and answer questions. We are here to be supportive of residents and, at the same time, offer reassurance to families and friends.

One of the consequences of the increase in visitation during the holiday season is the added risk to our Infection Control efforts. Please self-screen at our Kiosk when you enter to visit. Type in your name/phone number; who you are here to see; line your face up on the screen as your temperature is automatically taken—you are IN. Then as an added precaution, use hand sanitizer as baseline infection control to help keep everyone safe.

Today, we have several skilled nursing beds available. This time of year, occupancy and availability can change quickly. A couple of ALF units are move-in ready. The cottages are all occupied. As a reminder, if you are aware of someone who is dissatisfied or fed-up with the poor quality of medical care, unresponsive service, food or policies at their current nursing home or are considering a move into an adult care home very soon, either assisted living or skilled nursing, please encourage them to call (620-459-6822) or visit us. Without a consistent revenue stream, it becomes more difficult to provide the superior service and medical care you expect.

Additionally, we know that every year Medicaid DOES NOT fully cover the ongoing costs of care. CMS has us rated as a 5-STAR facility and we intend to remain that way into the future. So, as we approach the end of the year, please consider a charitable, tax deductible, donation to PSH to help us maintain our margin of excellence. Community support and referrals to this campus are what will keep Prairie Sunset Home viable in the future.

Thank you again for your referrals and continued support. For more information about PSH happenings, go to our FACEBOOK page. Keep looking in on our scheduled activities this winter. Your referrals are important to us and the finest compliment we can be paid! Working together, we make Prairie Sunset Home a great place to live and work!

From the entire team at PSH, have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Aaron D. Kelley Jr., Administrator

PICS- Jeff Babson and his crew put the finishing touches on the enclosed courtyard artificial turf. The turf will help reduce the need for periodic landscaping and w**d removal. The courtyard space and turf installation will be more usable and safer for additional outside activities.

12/05/2025

An Open Letter to Residents, Families, and Friends of Prairie Sunset Home

Current as of: Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the “nursing home compare” website. We are rated as a 5-STAR facility and expect to remain 5-STAR OVERALL at their next update. Our 5-STAR Staffing level is critical to the overall rating.

It is hard to imagine the holidays are upon us, but checking the calendar quickly brings us to that reality. The upcoming holiday season can be one of joy and celebration, kindness and sharing, and for our caregivers, a wonderful opportunity to help bring new memories to our residents and their loved ones. The Christmas holiday season also means more visitors who will bring special treats and gifts to brighten someone’s day.

Hopefully, our annual Christmas Open House and resident’s party on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 20, will provide a perfect venue for families, friends and volunteers to shower residents with gifts and favorite homemade holiday treats. Please know that the families/friends who live farther away may prefer to visit virtually. We can easily accommodate a FACETIME visit or set up a ZOOM meet upon request. If our holiday open house date does not work, consider visiting on a day and time that is more convenient. We can reserve accommodations for lunch and dinner to be enjoyed together as well.

I would offer one final holiday tip when visiting. When visiting with someone who has a moderate to advanced memory deficit, remember to simply interact and “live in the moment.” Enjoy the time together, manage your expectations and be flexible during the visits. In some cases, holidays are the only time families can come to visit their loved ones in person. Families and friends may be surprised or alarmed at the change in appearance or mental acuity since the last time they saw their resident. Our caregivers see the subtle changes every day and are available to discuss the changes and answer questions. We are here to be supportive to residents and, at the same time, offer reassurance to families and friends.

Additionally, we know that every year Medicaid DOES NOT fully cover the ongoing costs of care. So, as we approach the end of the year, please consider a charitable, tax deductible, donation to PSH. Community support and referrals to this campus, and by extension active stockholders, are what will keep Prairie Sunset Home viable into the future.

One of the consequences of the increase in visitation by families, friends and volunteers is the added risk to our Infection Control efforts. Please self-screen at our Kiosk when you enter to visit. Type in your name/phone number; who you are here to see; line your face up on the screen as your temperature is automatically taken—you are IN. Then as an added precaution, use hand sanitizer as baseline infection control to help keep everyone safe.

Today, all skilled nursing beds are full, but during this time of year occupancy can change quickly. A couple of ALF units are move-in ready. The cottages are all occupied. As a reminder, if you are aware of someone who is dissatisfied or fed-up with the poor quality of medical care, unresponsive service, food choices, or policies at their current nursing home or are considering a move into an adult care home very soon, either assisted living or skilled nursing, please encourage them to call (620-459-6822) or visit us. Without a consistent revenue stream, it becomes more difficult to provide the superior service and medical care you expect.

Thank you again for your referrals and continued support. For more information about PSH happenings, go to our FACEBOOK page. Keep looking in on our scheduled activities this winter. Your referrals are important to us and the finest compliment we can be paid! Working together, we make Prairie Sunset Home a great place to live and work!

From the entire team at PSH, have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Aaron D. Kelley Jr., Administrator

11/27/2025