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Almost Home receives superb reviews from state
Almost Home inspections 2020
Leilani Schenkel and Almost Home staff take a break to celebrate the accomplishment of a deficiency-free survey. From left: Kammi Burroughs, Leilani Schenkel, Karley Esfeld and Roxane Biehler.

Local residential care home Almost Home has received top recognition by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services for a zero deficiency State Survey in March 2020. This week, after learning of the survey results, staff were notified that Almost Home also received a second zero-deficiency report – this time for the new Infection Control Survey for COVID-19. 

“I congratulate and recognize the hard work and effort it takes to achieve this level of compliance,” said Laura Howard, Secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging, following the annual state survey on March 18. 

Results are based on state observation of the care and services provided to residents, including help with everyday tasks as well as personal care, nutrition, overall environment, and much more. Not to mention the safety, cleanliness, and design of the place they call home.

“We are so proud of this accomplishment and the care we provide with all the comforts of home plus the highest quality of care in the area,” said Leilani Schenkel, executive director at Almost Home. “It’s thanks to our amazing staff and the care they provide that we are able to say we are deficiency free and sustain such a high resident satisfaction. We love our residents and they love us!”

The Infection Control Survey for COVID-19 was passed under Kansas House Bill 2016, during the 2020 Legislative Session. The mandate was to include all assisted living/residential health care facilities.

The survey took place on June 16, after having completed the annual state survey on March 18. During this time, the facility was not open to outside visitors, did not accept new residents and had a number of additional health and safety protocols in place to ensure residents’ health and safety amid concerns of COVID-19 in the state and county.

Results are open to the public for all care facilities.

Almost Home has been licensed and regulated by the state since 2014. It is a home-plus care facility located at 1919 Van Buren in Great Bend. For more information online, see www.almosthomeinc.org.