November is Long-Term Care Awareness Month, an annual event to raise awareness about long-term care and to encourage people to plan for their future needs. The Area Agency on Aging provides CARE assessments to individuals seeking a permanent move to a Kansas Medicaid- certified nursing facility.

The Client Assessment, Referral and Evaluation (CARE) program, more commonly referred to as Nursing Facility Assessment, was created in 1994 by the Kansas Legislature as the state response to the federally mandated Pre-Admission Screening and Resident Review program. A CARE assessment is needed when a person is considering long-term placement in a Kansas nursing facility that accepts Medicaid.

The CARE assessment determines if the person meets the functional criteria for an institutional placement. It’s also intended to help identify individuals who need specialized care due to severe and persistent mental illness or an intellectual/ developmental disability. The in-person assessment is completed in various locations: a person’s home, nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, correctional settings and hospitals. Providing resource information about available community resources is included with the CARE assessment visit.

Emily Hankinson has been with the Johnson County Area Agency on Aging since March 2024 as the CARE coordinator. She helps to ensure a CARE assessment is completed for all individuals considering placement into a Medicaid-approved long term care facility. As the CARE coordinator, she works closely with AAA’s Eligibility and Options Specialists and the nursing facilities throughout Johnson County. It is her job to understand the CARE assessment process as well as to help interpret the CARE manual.

Her day-to-day role includes completing intakes from the public and nursing facilities, assigning assessments to the EOS team, filing, entering data and answering any questions regarding the CARE program.

Long-term care planning can be daunting, and people may not know where to start. To start the process, please call Emily at 913-715-8809 and ask for an assessment. The assessment is assigned to a trained and knowledgeable EOS team member who will explain the process, complete the assessment and answer questions about long-term care options.

While the AAA cannot make specific recommendations on nursing facilities, they can point the individual to resources available to help them make an informed decision.