Assisted living in Kansas City, MO

Missouri licenses 72 assisted living and residential care facilities in Jackson, Clay, Platte and Cass counties: 50 assisted living facilities and 22 residential care facilities, with room for 4,101 residents in total. 30 list an Alzheimer's special care unit.

Missouri licenses both. Residential care facilities (RCF) provide 24-hour shelter, board and protective oversight, which can include managing medications, and residents must be able to reach safety on their own in an emergency. Assisted living facilities (ALF) also help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, eating and walking, provide health care supervision under a licensed physician, and must have a licensed nursing home administrator. An ALF may accept residents who need minimal help to evacuate; those marked ALF** may admit residents who need more, if they meet extra staffing and evacuation-plan rules.

Missouri law requires the Department of Health and Senior Services to inspect every licensed facility at least once a year, unannounced, and it also investigates complaints. 52 of the 72 local facilities have a state inspection on file from the past 12 months.

39 of 70 facilities with reports on file had no citations at their most recent inspection. The local average was 2.0 citations.

No. Medicare does not pay for room and board in assisted living. Most residents pay privately, sometimes with long-term care insurance or veterans benefits. Missouri residents on MO HealthNet who live in a licensed residential care or assisted living facility may qualify for the Supplemental Nursing Care program, which pays the facility a monthly cash amount ($156 for residential care, $292 for assisted living) and leaves the resident a $50 personal allowance.