The 5 Best Assisted Living Communities in Kansas City, Missouri

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Many seniors find that remaining in their own homes gets more difficult as the years go by, even though they don’t need the 24-hour supervision and care of a nursing home. For these seniors, assisted living communities can be an ideal place to live. Staff at assisted living facilities can help seniors with activities of daily living, cleaning up, meal prep and other chores, while still leaving them with as much privacy and independence as they can manage.

If you’re looking for excellent care and a community that is a good fit for yourself or a loved one, it can be difficult to know where to start. To help you get started, this article lists five of the best assisted living communities in Kansas City, Missouri. For each we’ve highlighted some of the best features to get you started in your journey.

The Gardens at Barry Road – Best Grounds

Key Features:

  • Pets welcome

  • Medication management

  • Overnight and mealtime guests

Tucked away not far from Amity Woods Nature Park, The Gardens at Barry Road is one of Kansas City’s more scenic locations. Visiting friends and family members can park in the guest parking spaces and take a short stroll around the grounds on the well-manicured walking trails, or they can head off-site to visit the surrounding nature park and conservancy. The streets are quiet in this part of KC, and resident transportation is available for longer-distance trips.

Senior Star at Villa Ventura – Best Rooms

Key Features:

  • VA benefits consultation

  • Library

  • Nurse on staff

Senior Star at Villa Ventura is next to the small campus of Avila University and nearly surrounded by the greenery of Santa Fe Trace Park to the south. Seniors who call this community home have their choice of comfortable senior-friendly floor plans, each with great private amenities they can enjoy during their downtime at home. Rooms at Senior Star all have their own kitchens or kitchenettes, plus basic cable and major utilities are included. Private and shared rooms are available.

Brookdale Wornall Place – Best Casual Atmosphere

Key Features:

  • Party space

  • Underground parking

  • Pool and spa

Seniors at Brookdale Wornall Place, located just behind Concorde Career College and across from the Viva Cafe, can take it easy or stay active with family and friends. Hanging out is encouraged in common areas such as the party space, garden and enclosed patio and the library, which is well stocked with books from every genre. There’s a coffee shop that’s great for snacks, a computer room with staff who can help out if a senior gets stuck on something, and a TV room where everybody can relax to enjoy an old movie, live sports or a scheduled movie night with friends.

Armour Oaks Senior Living – Best for Rest

Key Features:

  • Home sale assistance

  • Hiking trails nearby

  • TV room

Seniors who choose Armour Oaks Senior Living can enjoy the calm, restful atmosphere the facility maintains, both at home in their rooms and out among the shared spaces and community amenities. Rooms at Armour Oaks all have cable TV and internet wired up, so those stay-at-home days are interrupted only by the daily check-in when a staff caregiver drops by to make sure everything is okay. The community has a quiet library, a shared TV lounge and a large swimming pool that’s as good for R&R as it is for low-impact water aerobics.

Anthology of Burlington Creek – Best Activities

Key Features:

  • 24/7 care teams

  • Housekeeping, maintenance and linen service

  • Built-in personal alert systems

Anthology of Burlington Creek is a sweeping two-story building located near Riss Lake and surrounded by shopping centers where seniors can get everything from new clothes to fresh groceries and toys for the visiting grandkids. There’s a lot to do at Anthology, with staff-led events and outings that fill up the activities calendar of practically every senior in residence here. Health-oriented events include wellness checks and dental/vision clinics, while senior health classes and anti-fall training events happen from time to time. Group outings are organized on community transportation for shopping and dining out in fun local hotspots.

Back at home, residents at Anthology routinely gather in the game room for cards, board games and community fun with charades and Pictionary. Meals are served in the lavish dining hall, where special menus are available for most dietary needs. Beauty and barber services are available on-site, as are exercise and fitness classes, book clubs and discussion groups.

The Bottom Line

When you’re looking into assisted living for the first time, for yourself or for a senior you care for, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the options that are out there. Kansas City, in particular, has so many assisted living facilities that it can be hard to know where to start looking. Ideally, you’ll find a place that strikes a balance between quality of care, the newest and cleanest facilities and an affordable rate. The facilities on this list all earned their place by being among the best in the area in one way or another. For more information, or to schedule an in-person tour, contact the communities and set up an appointment for yourself or your senior loved one.

Rachel Lustbader is a writer and editor with a decade of experience working in and writing about health care, the last five of which she has focused on senior health and senior living. Before joining Caring.com, Rachel worked with websites including HealthCare.com, BiteSizeBio.com, MedicareGuide.com, and BetterHelp.com. She studied health science as an undergraduate at Boston University and continued her education in health communication at BU in 2019. She can be reached at editorial@caring.com.