WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Kansans want the best care for their aging loved ones, but a new survey released this week shows they don’t necessarily agree on how to accomplish that.
The Kansas Speaks Fall 2024 survey gathered responses from 656 Kansas adults. It shows that 84.3% of them want their elderly family members to be able to stay in their hometowns to get long-term care services, while only 0.7 % disagree. The remaining 15% were neutral on the topic or didn’t know.
Opinion: Kansans who need long-term care should be able to get it in their own community.
| Strongly agree | Somewhat agree | Neutral | Somewhat disagree | Strongly disagree | Don’t know |
| 53.3% | 31% | 13% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 2% |
More than 77% of respondents said Kansas lawmakers play a key role in ensuring the well-being of elderly Kansans. About 4% disagreed.
Opinion: State policymakers have an important role in ensuring elderly Kansans are cared for.
| Strongly agree | Somewhat agree | Neutral | Somewhat disagree | Strongly disagree | Don’t know |
| 45.5% | 31.9% | 16.4% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 2.2% |
Of those surveyed, 77% want more to be done to develop workers in long-term care services. Most also believe larger investments are needed in services and care. The survey did not specify whether that meant an investment of time or money.
Opinion: Kansas should invest more in developing workers for long-term care services.
| Strongly agree | Somewhat agree | Neutral | Somewhat disagree | Strongly disagree | Don’t know |
| 39.2% | 37.8% | 18.1% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 3.3% |
Opinion: Larger investments are needed in services and care for elderly Kansans.
| Strongly agree | Somewhat agree | Neutral | Somewhat disagree | Strongly disagree | Don’t know |
| 38% | 34.1% | 18.7% | 3.1% | 1.9% | 4.2% |
The majority of those surveyed also want to see mental health support for their aging loved ones.
Opinion: Supporting the mental health needs of older Kanans is important.
| Strongly agree | Somewhat agree | Neutral | Somewhat disagree | Strongly disagree | Don’t know |
| 57.9% | 25.8% | 13.5% | 0.7% | — | 2.1% |
Of the 656 people who responded to the Kansas Speaks survey, 36.3% know someone who requires long-term care and support. Almost 30% have close family members who need care and support, and 63.8% help provide care for their aging loved ones.
The survey also asked if current state regulations for nursing homes are about right, too much or too little. Most people said they didn’t know (33.5%), while 30.5% leaned toward too little, 24.2% thought about right, and 11.9% felt there is too much regulation.
The final question was about helping older Kansans stay at home as they age. It asked if the state offers the right amount of support or too little support. Most people said the state offers too little support (51.7%), while 16.1% said the support level is about right. The rest (32.2%) didn’t know.
Opinion: State support for people to remain home as they grow older is:
| About right | A little bit too little | Far too little | Don’t know |
| 16.1% | 18.7% | 33% | 32.2% |
The Docking Institute at Fort Hays State University conducts the Kansas Speaks survey to measure statewide public opinion on key issues. The Wichita Journalism Collaborative — which is funded by the Wichita Foundation — joined the institute as a co-sponsor of the poll.
For a complete explanation of the methodology, see page 13 of the 2024 survey.
This article was produced as part of the Wichita Journalism Collaborative, which includes KSN-TV and 10 other organizations and community groups.