Rural Kansas Seniors to Receive 24/7 Connected Health Safety Net Through $300,000 Grant

Safely.Living joins forces with the Patterson Family Foundation and AskSAMIE to transform senior housing safety and care in Wilson County.

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A $300,000 grant from the Patterson Family Foundation is funding a comprehensive aging-in-place program in federally subsidized rural senior housing. Operating in Wilson County, Kan., the initiative replaces aging pull-cord systems with modern call-for-aid technology, pairing 24/7 monitoring with virtual occupational therapy and home modifications.

The Connected Aging in Place: Rural Home Safety Partnership is administered by Community Capital Fund (CCF) alongside AskSAMIE, Safely.Living, and Dr. Jennifer Bacani McKenney. It launches in local USDA Rural Development and HUD Section 202 senior housing communities.

Wilson County faces significant health challenges, with 2,233 Medicare beneficiaries, a 70.7% rate of seniors living alone, and a 62.9% disability rate served by a single home health agency. Avoidable emergency transports average $2,204 per trip.

"The Rural Health Transformation Program represents a crucial shift toward proactive, value-based infrastructure," said Jeff Prough, Senior Partner of Safely.Living. "Combining connected health with expert home modifications turns rural senior housing into a preventive foundation for healthcare."

The program features two layers: a preventive layer replacing pull-cords with wireless buttons connected to 24/7 navigation with twice-monthly resident outreach, and an interventional layer offering virtual OT evaluations and up to $2,000 in installed adaptive equipment per resident.

Building on a pilot showing a 27% reduction in rehospitalizations, the partnership will deliver at least 100 OT evaluations and home modification installations over 12 months, accompanied by 24/7 response coverage.

"Bringing connected technology, live human response, and expert occupational therapy into senior housing creates permanent health infrastructure for rural Kansas," said Amy Hampton, Program Officer at the Patterson Family Foundation.

"Safely.Living's platform provides the early warning signal needed to identify residents before a crisis, allowing us to prevent falls rather than treat them after," said Dr. Brandy Archie, founder and CEO of AskSAMIE.

About Safely.Living
Safely.Living helps owners and operators of HUD Section 202 and USDA Rural Development senior housing keep residents safe, healthy, and in place. Its connected platform pairs modern wireless call-for-aid with a 24/7 Care Center and licensed specialists, so incidents are caught early and every response is documented for HUD and USDA compliance. Learn more at www.safely.living.

About AskSAMIE
AskSAMIE helps older adults and people with disabilities stay living safely at home by connecting them to adaptive equipment, resources and occupational therapy support. AskSAMIE is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Capital Fund. Learn more at www.asksamie.com.

About Community Capital Fund
Community Capital Fund is a 501(c)(3) community development corporation headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. Since 2012, it has deployed more than $7.5 million to neighborhoods, grassroots nonprofits, small businesses and fiscally sponsored projects. Learn more at www.ccfkansascity.org.

About Patterson Family Foundation
The Patterson Family Foundation, based in Kansas City, Missouri, is a family-led foundation that extends the legacy of Neal and Jeanne Patterson. Its mission, "Working together to help rural communities thrive," guides strategic grantmaking and collaborative initiatives serving rural counties across Kansas and western Missouri. This project is supported in part by a 2026 grant from The Patterson Family Foundation.

Contact:
Eliot Arnold
720.412.6830
[email protected]

SOURCE Safely.Living