http://www.prairiesunsethome.org/

Prairie Sunset Home, 601 E Main Street, Pretty Prairie, KS (2026)

02/20/2026

We are so proud of Lucy Gorges CNA. She is an outstanding member of our team and we just learned that she has received a full scholarship to Fort Hayes from the Rudd Foundation. Congratulations Lucy! We are all so excited for you.

02/18/2026

An Open Letter to Residents, Families, and Friends of Prairie Sunset Home

Current as of: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

This week is the final installment of a four-part series to chronicle 25 years of PSH challenges that were overcome along with other milestones leading up to the 25th year anniversary of the re-opening of the adult care home. As a reminder, the series was related to the challenges faced after the 1998 closure of the PSH adult care home, and subsequent re-opening as a Not-For-Profit 501(c)(3) corporation and licensure as a nursing facility on January 18, 2001. Don Durflinger got the building open and licensed. Don stayed here ten (10 months before leaving in July 2001. His departure was followed by a parade of six (6) “Interim” and/or short-term administrative place holders until Rex Maris was hired in February 2003.

Rex Maris ably served for the next 13 years. Rex brought organizational stability such that a $3,300,000 addition and expansion was built in 2012. It added 12 Assisted Living units and Memory Care. It was wonderful for the campus. However, the cumulative load of the new mortgage and increasing expenses led to Rex’s resignation in the spring of 2016.

I followed Rex in June 2016. CMS had PSH rated as an Overall 2-STAR facility. Inspections were 2-STAR; Quality as 1-STAR and Staffing was 5-STAR. Several problems required immediate attention. First, discontinue use of expensive “temporary” agency staffing. Licensed nurses and all direct care staff began to get trained and tightened up the resident assessment (MDS) process. At the same time, we hired Key Rehab as our new skilled therapy provider so we could provide extensive Ultra-High-level therapy. By July 2017, PSH was in the top 10% of the state related to documenting and payment for care based upon resident acuity. The CNAs/CMAs were finally getting acknowledged for the great work they were doing.

Then in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic threw new challenges at everyone. The lockdown and no-visitation guidance were harmful and should never be repeated! We came through it better than most facilities. We still DID NOT cave-in and use temporary agency staffing. Because of our staff stability and success at keeping residents safe, PSH was awarded over $1 million dollars in funding from various categories. The board of directors routinely awarded bonuses and “Hazard Pay” to all team members because the federal incentive monies were being paid due to the extra effort and success of the entire team. Throughout the past five (5) years we have enjoyed growing success and staff stability. The average seniority for the 89 staff members is 5.9 years. Today, CMS rates PSH as an Overall 5-STAR facility. Inspections are now 4-STAR; Quality is 3-STAR and Staffing remains 5-STAR.

A special note of thanks goes to Deb Cable, who is helping us organize and improve our adult volunteer program. We will be announcing upcoming training and orientation sessions for interested volunteers within a week or two. We hope to add several dozen folks to our list of active adult volunteers. Volunteers can brighten the day for many residents living here. Their value cannot be measured in dollars and cents. Because we are never complacent with success, we continue to ask PSH residents, their families, volunteers and other interested friends, to provide recommendations and ideas that will help us to grow, evolve, and improve in every aspect of our operation.

Saturday is our annual stockholders’ meeting. You should consider becoming a Prairie Sunset Home stockholder. We are, by far, the largest employer in southern Reno County. Most

stockholders have had some level of moral or financial commitment to the success of PSH in the past. Support from some of our stockholders goes back as far as 50 years and beyond. You can purchase one (1) share now and another when you can.

As a reminder, if you are aware of someone who is dissatisfied or fed-up with the poor quality of medical care, unresponsive service, food choices, or policies at their current nursing home or are considering a move into an adult care home very soon, either assisted living or skilled nursing, please encourage them to call (620-459-6822) or visit us. Today we have five (5) skilled nursing beds ready for occupancy. A couple of ALF units are available as well. The three (3) cottages will be available very soon.

Your referrals are important to us and the finest compliment we can be paid! For more information about PSH happenings, go to our FACEBOOK page. Working together, we make Prairie Sunset Home a great place to live and work!

Aaron D. Kelley Jr., Administrator

PSH partnered together with the Citizen’s Bank again this year for the annual Pancake race which is part of our Mardi Gras celebration. Ashley Patterson, Activity Director, awarded the “Golden Skillet” to Janie Henderson as the winner of the pancake flipping contest with 110 flips in 60 seconds. The racecourse was over and back across the SNF Dining room with participants flipping the pancake twice. Owen Anderson, representing the Pretty Prairie High School Boys Basketball team, is pictured. Maegan Lobban, Loan Assistant at Citizen’s Bank, presents a “Golden Skillet” to Braden Woods, PPHS, won the Open Race with a winning time of 5.53 sec.

02/18/2026

Just a few clips of our pancake racing fun. Enjoy!

02/18/2026

Donna won the pancake flipping competition for most flips!

02/18/2026

Today's Annual Pancake Flipping Race was a tough competition with so many participants. Janey Henderson showed off her pancake flipping skills and expertly completed 110 flips in 60 seconds. This wins her the coveted golden skillet and all of the bragging rights that go with winning!

02/11/2026

An Open Letter to Residents, Families, and Friends of Prairie Sunset Home

Current as of: Wednesday, February 11, 2026
This week is the third of a four-part series to chronicle 25 years of PSH board leadership and challenges they overcame along with other milestones leading up to the 25th year anniversary of the re-opening of the adult care home. As a reminder, Part One of the series was related to the challenges faced after the 1998 closure of the PSH adult care home, and subsequent re-opening under new management as a Not-For-Profit 501(c)(3) corporation and licensure as a nursing facility by the Kansas Department on Aging (KDOA) on January 18, 2001.
The 2001 PSH board of directors included: Homer Graber, President; Curtis Miller, Secretary; Laverne Schrag, Linda Kraus; Michael Painter; Scott Strohl; and Vickie Detter. That team of seven (7) original board members remained the same for the next three (3) years. Don Durflinger got the building open and licensed. He stayed here ten (10 months before leaving PSH in July 2001. Don’s departure in mid-summer was followed by a parade of six (6) “Interim” and/or short-term administrative place holders until Rex Maris was hired in February 2003.
Rex Maris ably served for the next 13 years. Even in Rex’s early days the finances were tight. Scott Strohl opines that there was “barely enough money to get through the month.” Steve Depenbusch, CNA, credits Rex for helping to reduce the daily turmoil. Kim Claycomb, who started working in the laundry here in late 2002, recalls most days as being pretty fun. “What I enjoyed the most was having time to sit and visit with residents. Now that we are ‘Skilled’ we don’t have the time to just sit and visit like we did before.” After she became an LPN, Kim laments that we often had to use “temporary staffing agencies to fill budgeted direct care positions, especially on weekends.”
To his credit, Rex brought enough organizational stability such that the 2008-09 Board of Directors began to consider the feasibility of a ten (10) unit Assisted Living expansion to the adult care home. In 2012, Larry Seibert, President of the Board, and Greta Snell, Board Secretary, signed loan documents with the USDA and Peoples Bank for $3.300.000. Fuqua Construction designed and built the new assisted living facility as well as Hall 2 Memory Care remodeling. The expansion grew the adult care home from 34 to 43 skilled beds (10 as Special Care Unit—Memory Care). Additionally, it changed the licensure from 8 Residential Care beds to 12 Assisted living units that could house 16 people. Upon completion, the project was coupled together with 22 independent living cottages to make Pretty Prairie an exceptionally attractive community for seniors.
The construction of a new modern adult care home was exciting for the entire community. For the leaders and managers, the expansion of capacity and new services provides ample opportunities for unintended consequences. The excitement can easily transition to a series of unexpected challenges. One of which is often, “If you build it, they will come.” That can be a big mistake if it is the primary marketing strategy. How long will it take to fill up to capacity? How many and how soon do we need the additional staff to provide acceptable services? What about training for the new team members as they are hired? Is our starting wage competitive and within our budget projections for the various departments? Are we charging enough? Are potential customers willing to pay? If not, then what do we do?

Last week, when Gilbert Benton, President of Financial Management, Inc. (FMI), called to discuss the upcoming annual stockholders meeting, I was surprised to learn that he became acquainted with PSH in 2003 just as Rex was coming on board as administrator. Gilbert had recently partnered with Jack Shandy and FMI. Gilbert reminded me that Jack was ALWAYS wary of spending money on expansion projects or remodeling unless it is going to generate significant additional revenue. The adult care home expansion was a wonderful addition to the Pretty Prairie community, The completion of the project and expansion of the PSH campus must have fulfilled the dreams of so many board leaders from years gone by. Within 2 ½ years the cumulative load of the new $18,500 mortgage payment and increasing expenses was beginning to compromise operations such that Rex resigned in the spring of 2016.
Next Saturday is our annual stockholders’ meeting. You should consider becoming a Prairie Sunset Home stockholder. We are, by far, the largest employer in southern Reno County. Most stockholders have had some level of moral or financial commitment to the success of PSH in the past. Support from some of our stockholders goes back as far as 50 years and beyond. You can purchase one (1) share now and another when you can. $25 puts you in it for the long run.
Most of our friends know that CMS rates us as an Overall 5-STAR facility with 5-STAR Staffing. Because we are never complacent with success, we continue to ask PSH residents, their families, volunteers and other interested friends, to provide recommendations and ideas that will help us to grow, evolve, and improve in every aspect of our operation.
Without a consistent revenue stream, it becomes more difficult to provide the superior service and clinical care you expect. As a reminder, if you are aware of someone who is dissatisfied or fed-up with the poor quality of medical care, unresponsive service, food choices, or policies at their current nursing home or are considering a move into an adult care home very soon, either assisted living or skilled nursing, please encourage them to call (620-459-6822) or visit us. Today we have five (5) skilled nursing beds ready for occupancy. A couple of ALF units are available as well. The two (2) cottages will be available very soon.
Your referrals are important to us and the finest compliment we can be paid! For more information about PSH happenings, go to our FACEBOOK page. Working together, we make Prairie Sunset Home a great place to live and work!
Aaron D. Kelley Jr., Administrator

02/09/2026

An Open Letter to Residents, Families, and Friends of Prairie Sunset Home

Current as of: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

In my message last week, I began the first installment of a four-part series related to the some of the challenges faced after the closure of the PSH adult care home in 1998, and subsequent re-opening under new management as a Not-For-Profit 501(c)(3) corporation in December 2000. But before I begin this week, you are asked and reminded to please continue to self-screen at our Kiosk when you enter to visit. Screening Kiosk helps us identify people who may be showing early flu-like symptoms. Type in your name/phone number; who you are here to see; line your face up on the screen as your temperature is automatically taken—you are IN. If you do not feel well or have a low-grade fever, please postpone your visit.

This week is the second of a four-part series to chronicle and acknowledge 25 years of board leadership and challenges faced and overcome along with other milestones leading up to the 25th year anniversary of the re-opening of the adult care home after its closure in 1998.

In December 1999, Mennonite Friendship Community handed back operational control of Prairie Sunset Home to the First Mennonite Church in Pretty Prairie, who had retained ownership of PSH the entire time. After securing financial support the First Mennonite Church board transferred Prairie Sunset Home ownership to a new 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit corporation. The board adopted Corporate By-laws and began addressing the obstacles that ultimately led to the reopening and licensing of Prairie Sunset Home as an adult care home. Don Durflinger, a Kansas licensed adult care home administrator, was hired in September 2000 to overcome any final obstacles so as to reopen the facility as soon as possible. In January 2001, the Kansas Department on Aging arrived, inspected the facility and granted a license on January 18, 2001.

The 2001 PSH board of directors included: Homer Graber, President; Curtis Miller, Secretary; Laverne Schrag, Linda Kraus; Michael Painter; Scott Strohl; and Vickie Detter. That team of seven (7) original board members remained the same for the next three (3) years. In visiting with Vickie this week she remarked, “I helped wheel someone out to the ambulance when we closed. It was awful! Heartbreaking! We had over a hundred meetings, sometimes 3-4 a week, trying to get the building reopened. I would just go home and cry!”

As I look at those three (3) years, I can only admire the tenacity to persevere through all the obstacles. The residents, families, friends and volunteers were subjected to a continuing parade of administrators attempting to bring order to what seemed like a Herculean endeavor. To his credit, Don Duflinger got the building open and licensed. He stayed here ten (10 months before leaving PSH in July 2001. For the next eighteen (18) months, Don’s departure was followed by a parade of six (6) “Interim” and/or short-term administrative place holders until Rex Maris was hired in February 2003. The arrival of Rex Maris as administrator brought the administrative revolving door to an end.

During interviews with both Scott Strohl and Vickie Detter last week, it became clear that the collective resolve of the board and their leadership was pivotal in getting past every stubborn obstacle. Scott and Vickie both acknowledged the role and value that Grace Graber, the business office manager, played after the nursing home was reopened in keeping the upstart company moving forward. It was almost like having secret weapon. As the team was being built, she would give an approving wink or nod related to WHO should or should not be hired. Steve Depenbusch, one of the first CNAs hired, recalled that it seemed like constant “TURMOIL!.”

Our annual stockholders’ meeting is a little over two (2) weeks away. If you have not yet chosen to be a PSH stockholder, it is not too late. You should consider becoming a stockholder in Prairie Sunset Home, Inc. Over the years, many of you have worked here. We are, by far, the largest employer in southern Reno County. We have 89 employees currently employed in full or part-time status. Readers might find it interesting that there are currently 277 current tockholders of record. Most stockholders have had some level of moral or financial commitment to the success of PSH in the past. Support from some of our stockholders goes back as far as 50 years and beyond. Many others have moved away and their interest in our success is much less apparent.

Get with Gayle and fill out the “Stockholder Purchase Request.” Buy one (1) share now and another when you can. You know you are already committed to PSH success! $25 puts you in it for the long run. Most of our friends know that we are rated as a 5-Star facility by CMS. However, we continue to ask PSH residents and their families and/or legal representatives, volunteers and other interested friends, to provide recommendations and ideas that will help us to grow, evolve, and improve in every aspect of our operation.

As a reminder, if you are aware of someone who is dissatisfied or fed-up with the poor quality of medical care, unresponsive service, food choices, or policies at their current nursing home or are considering a move into an adult care home very soon, either assisted living or skilled nursing, please encourage them to call (620-459-6822) or visit us. Without a consistent revenue stream, it becomes more difficult to provide the superior service and medical care you expect. Today we have five (5) skilled nursing beds ready for occupancy. A couple of ALF units are available as well. The two (2) cottages will be available very soon.

Thank you again for your referrals and continued support. For more information about PSH happenings, go to our FACEBOOK page. Keep looking in on our scheduled activities this winter. Your referrals are important to us and the finest compliment we can be paid! Working together, we make Prairie Sunset Home a great place to live and work!

Aaron D. Kelley Jr., Administrator

01/28/2026

An Open Letter to Residents, Families, and Friends of Prairie Sunset Home

Current as of: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Mother nature slammed the entire area and state with record snowfall last weekend. The cold and flu season continues affecting schools and communities as well. Please continue to self-screen yourself at our Kiosk when you enter to visit. Screening Kiosk helps us identify people who may be showing early flu-like symptoms. Type in your name/phone number; who you are here to see; line your face up on the screen as your temperature is automatically taken—you are IN. If you do not feel well or have a low-grade fever, please postpone your visit.

Over the next four (4) weeks in a four (4) part series, I will be sharing some of the challenges faced after the closure of the PSH adult care home in 1998, and subsequent re-opening under new management as a Not-For-Profit 501(c)(3) corporation in December 2000. I plan to acknowledge the board leaders and significant challenges they faced and/or milestones leading up to the 25th year anniversary of the re-opening of the adult care home after the closure in 1998. Part 1: 1995, pre-closing through re-opening 2000. Part 2: 2000-2003, eight (8) different administrators. Part 3: 2003-2016, Rex Maris becomes the administrator. Part 4: 2016-2026, Aaron Kelley hired as administrator.

Part 1: In the spring of 1995, the PSH board of directors felt compelled to partner together with the Mennonite Friendship Community in South Hutchinson. That decision followed the relentless pressure to comply with new expensive regulations and enforcement. The senior living market was evolving faster than the management understood. The recruitment and retention of qualified employees was and remains one of the toughest problems they face every week, month and year. By turning over operational control of PSH, it was hoped that finding new efficiencies and economies of scale would allow survival of both adult care homes. In spite of the significant improvements made to PSH over the next three years, in the end, it had not worked out but had postponed the inevitable. On November 30, 1998, all the residents were relocated, and the adult care home was closed.

The entire Pretty Prairie community was furious and patrons felt betrayed. An ad hoc group of community leaders responded almost immediately and formed a Steering Committee with the goal to reopen the adult care home. The initial Steering Committee included: Rev. Cheryl Bell; Richard Benjes; Bill Crosley; Grace Graber; Homer R. Graber; Mark Keeny; Robert Krehbiel; Ed Merkel; Curt Miller; Jane Siebert; Jack Shandy; and Delmer Stucky.

A year later, in December 1999, Mennonite Friendship Community handed back operational control of the adult care home building and property to the First Mennonite Church in Pretty Prairie, who had been the original owners of Prairie Sunset Home. After dozens of meetings and hours of work in securing financial support to move forward, the First Mennonite Church board transferred Prairie Sunset Home ownership to a new 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit corporation. The new corporation board of directors included: Homer R. Graber, President; Scott Strohl, Vice-President; Curt Miller, Secretary; Lavern Schrag, Treasurer; Grace Graber, board member; Michael Painter, board member; and Vickie Thomas, board member. The board adopted Corporate By-laws and began addressing the obstacles that ultimately led to the reopening and licensing of Prairie Sunset Home as an adult care home. Don Durflinger, a Kansas licensed adult care home administrator, was hired in September 2000. Nurses, nurses’ aides, kitchen staff, housekeeping and laundry followed in rapid succession. Such that in December 2000, just

before Christmas, the first resident was admitted to the reopened nursing home. In early January 2001, the Kansas Department on Aging arrived to inspect the new facility and granted a license on January 18, 2001. (Next week, read Part 2)

We are asked to confront new and unexpected challenges nearly every week in the adult care home world. Despite the challenges that winter weather brings, we are attempting to recruit more adult volunteers. Deb Cable, a long-time friend of PSH, has volunteered to assist in recruitment of folks who may be willing to share their talent or visit an old-friend they have not yet met. Deb brings years of experience by having worked in the adult care home world. She is helping organize and develop a Volunteer Handbook we and new volunteers can use to help grow the participation. The goal of the initiative is to have a cadre of volunteers who add value and meaning to the lives of the residents living here. If you have an interest in learning more about volunteering at PSH please contact Deb Cable or any member of our team.

Our annual stockholders’ meeting is a month away. If you have not yet chosen to be a PSH stockholder, it is not too late. You should consider becoming a stockholder in Prairie Sunset Home, Inc. Over the years, many of you have worked here. We are, by far, the largest employer in southern Reno County. We have 89 employees currently employed in full or part-time status. Readers might find it interesting that there are currently 276 current stockholders of record. Most stockholders have had some level of moral or financial commitment to the success of PSH in the past. Support from some of our stockholders goes back as far as 50 years and beyond. Many others have moved away and their interest in our success is much less apparent.

Get with Gayle and fill out the “Stockholder Purchase Request.” Buy one (1) share now and another when you can. You know you are already committed to PSH success! $25 puts you in it for the long run. Most of our friends know that we are rated as a 5-Star facility by CMS. However, we continue to ask PSH residents and their families and/or legal representatives, volunteers and other interested friends, to provide recommendations and ideas that will help us to grow, evolve, and improve in every aspect of our operation.

As a reminder, if you are aware of someone who is dissatisfied or fed-up with the poor quality of medical care, unresponsive service, food choices, or policies at their current nursing home or are considering a move into an adult care home very soon, either assisted living or skilled nursing, please encourage them to call (620-459-6822) or visit us. Without a consistent revenue stream, it becomes more difficult to provide the superior service and medical care you expect. Today we only have three (3) empty skilled nursing beds ready for occupancy. A couple of ALF units are available. The cottages are all occupied.

Thank you again for your referrals and continued support. For more information about PSH happenings, go to our FACEBOOK page. Keep looking in on our scheduled activities this winter. Your referrals are important to us and the finest compliment we can be paid! Working together, we make Prairie Sunset Home a great place to live and work!

Aaron D. Kelley Jr., Administrator

Activity Director reception.
On Monday afternoon PSH celebrated National Activity Professionals Week with a reception in the dining room. We are fortunate to have seven (7) team members with Activity Director certification. Each AD received a monogrammed, long-sleeved, pullover w/ logo. (L-R) Aaron Kelley, Administrator; Vicki Michel, Music therapist, AD; Kayte Patterson, SSD,AD; Jeremy Mohs, CMA, AD; Felisa Jorgenson, CDM, AD. Not pictured: Ashley Patterson, CMA, AD; Holly Henning, CRA, AD; Melody Lobban, CNA, AD.
Thanks

01/24/2026

Rivercross Hospice spoiled us with pies for national pie day yesterday. Everyone enjoyed having their nails done by Ashley and then headed in to enjoy some delicious pie.

01/23/2026

An Open Letter to Residents, Families, and Friends of Prairie Sunset Home

Current as of: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
It is reported that the cold and flu season is hammering communities all across Kansas. We too have seen the impact—mostly on the staff. Please continue to self-screen yourself at our Kiosk when you enter to visit. Screening at the Kiosk helps us identify folks who may be showing early signs of flu-like communicable diseases. Type in your name/phone number; who you are here to see; line your face up on the screen as your temperature is automatically taken—you are IN. If you do not feel well or have a low-grade fever, please postpone your visit.
We are asked to confront new and unexpected challenges nearly every week in the adult care home world. Despite the challenges that winter weather brings, we are attempting to recruit more adult volunteers. Deb Cable, a long-time friend of PSH, has volunteered to assist in recruitment of folks who may be willing to share their talent or visit an old-friend they have not yet met. Deb brings years of experience by having worked in the adult care home world. She is helping organize and develop a Volunteer Handbook we and new volunteers can use to help grow the participation. The goal of the initiative is to have a cadre of volunteers who add value and meaning to the lives of the residents living here. If you have an interest in learning more about volunteering at PSH please contact Deb Cable or any member of our team.
Our annual stockholders’ meeting is a month away. If you have not yet chosen to be a PSH stockholder, it is not too late. You should consider becoming a stockholder in Prairie Sunset Home, Inc. Over the years, many of you have worked here. We are, by far, the largest employer in southern Reno County. We have 89 employees currently employed in a full or part-time status. Readers might find it interesting that there are currently 284 current stockholders of record. Most stockholders have had some level of moral or financial commitment to the success of PSH in the past. Support from some of our stockholders go back as far as 50 years and beyond. Many others have moved away and their interest in our success is much less apparent. A handful of other stockholders have inherited their shares from a parent or grandparent with little appreciation about PSH value to the community at large.
Stockholders may attend the annual meeting in February and are entitled to vote for the board of directors, one-share equals one-vote. Each share of stock can be purchased for only $25, and importantly, no one can own more than 10 shares ($250).
Get with Gayle and fill out the “Stockholder Purchase Request.” Buy one (1) share now and another when you can. You know you are already committed to PSH success! $25 puts you in it for the long run. Most of our friends know that we are rated as a 5-Star facility by CMS. However, we continue to ask PSH residents and their families and/or legal representatives, volunteers and other interested friends, to provide recommendations and ideas that will help us to grow, evolve, and improve in every aspect of our operation.
As a reminder, if you are aware of someone who is dissatisfied or fed-up with the poor quality of medical care, unresponsive service, food choices, or policies at their current nursing home or are considering a move into an adult care home very soon, either assisted living or skilled nursing, please encourage them to call (620-459-6822) or visit us. Without a consistent revenue stream, it becomes more difficult to provide the superior service and medical care you expect. Today we only have three (3) skilled nursing bed empty and ready for occupancy. A couple of ALF units are available. The cottages are all occupied.
Thank you again for your referrals and continued support. For more information about PSH happenings, go to our FACEBOOK page. Keep looking in on our scheduled activities this fall. Your referrals are important to us and the finest compliment we can be paid! Working together, we make Prairie Sunset Home a great place to live and work!
Aaron D. Kelley Jr., Administrator

Prairie Sunset Home

02/20/2026

02/18/2026

02/18/2026

02/18/2026

02/18/2026

02/11/2026

02/09/2026

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