Verified directory
Senior Resources In Lawrence, Kansas
Not every question an older person in Lawrence has is an insurance question. This is the directory behind the rest: local offices, programs and phone numbers, each listed with the source it was checked against.
Some of what follows sits next to Medicare and some has nothing to do with insurance. A ride to a clinic. A counselor who earns no commission either way. Every address, phone number and set of hours below was checked against the source named beneath it, and those details change, so call before anyone drives across town. When the question does turn out to be an insurance one, help with Medicare in Lawrence costs nothing to ask for.
Medicare-Specific Resources
Start here for the counseling and the federal offices. Nobody in this section sells a plan. The shape of the program itself is laid out on the page about Medicare plans in Lawrence, and every enrollment window has a page of its own. If you live outside Lawrence, in Eudora, Baldwin City or Lecompton, the guide to Medicare across Douglas County says what changes with your address.
SHICK: Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas
Kansas's federally funded State Health Insurance Assistance Program. Trained volunteers, not agents, give free and confidential Medicare counseling. The number above is statewide; a Lawrence appointment is booked through the Senior Resource Center.
Source: kdads.ks.gov, SHICK
Douglas County Senior Resource Center: Medicare & Insurance Help
Where SHICK counseling appointments happen, and the place to book one during the Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 to December 7. Senior Wheels, activities and in-home support referrals run from here too.
Source: dgcoks.gov, Senior Resource Center
Medicare.gov
The federal government's own Medicare website. Its Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare compares Advantage and Part D plans sold in your Lawrence ZIP code: 66044, 66045, 66046, 66047 or 66049.
Source: medicare.gov
1-800-MEDICARE
The federal hotline for general questions, plan changes and complaints.
Source: medicare.gov contact
Social Security Administration: Lawrence Office
Part A and Part B sign-ups run through this office, along with Extra Help and Low Income Subsidy applications and Social Security retirement benefits. Book ahead; walk-in service is limited.
Source: ssa.gov office locator
Hospitals and Major Healthcare
Where the care happens, plus the two names that settle most network questions here.
LMH Health: Main Campus
Douglas County's 174-bed hospital and the area's primary 24/7 Emergency Department. It takes Original Medicare widely. Whether it takes a given Advantage plan shifts by plan and product line, so ask the hospital and the carrier.
Source: lmh.org, Locations
LMH Health: West Campus
The LMH Health campus at 6265 Rock Chalk Drive. The University of Kansas Health System lists a specialty care clinic here, which brings some KU services inside the city limits.
Source: kansashealthsystem.com
The University of Kansas Health System
The regional academic medical center, based in Kansas City and present here through the West Campus. Older residents drive up for advanced heart, cancer and transplant treatment, so KU access weighs heavily when Advantage plans are compared.
Source: kansashealthsystem.com
Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association (VNA)
A non-profit home health agency for Douglas County: skilled nursing, therapy and home health aide visits for a chronic condition or a recovery after hospital, billed under the Medicare Part A or Part B home-health benefit.
Source: kansasvna.org
Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center
The community mental health center for Douglas County. Walk-in admissions during business hours on Maine St. The Treatment & Recovery Center on W 2nd St is open 24/7, 365 days a year for crisis care. Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: dial 988.
Source: bertnash.org/contact
Transportation
Giving up the car reorders a whole week. Three services cover most of what is left.
Senior Wheels: Douglas County Senior Resource Center
Door-to-door rides for Douglas County residents 60 and over who no longer drive. Most trips are medical appointments at LMH and the West Campus, plus groceries and Senior Resource Center activities.
Source: dgcoks.gov, Senior Wheels
Lawrence Transit & T Lift (ADA Paratransit)
The city runs fixed-route Lawrence Transit buses and T Lift, the complementary ADA paratransit service for riders who cannot use a fixed route. T Lift needs an eligibility application first.
Source: lawrenceks.org, Transit
Independence, Inc. (Center for Independent Living)
A Lawrence-based independent transportation and disability services provider, and one of the three accessible transportation options the County formally lists.
Source: independenceinc.org
Financial and Legal Resources
The programs that lower a bill, and the offices that run them.
Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS)
The state agency over senior services in Kansas. It administers SHICK counseling and much of the long-term services and supports behind it.
Source: kdads.ks.gov
KanCare (Kansas Medicaid)
Kansas's Medicaid program. Some people qualify for Medicare and KanCare at once, which is what dual eligibility means and what opens the door to Special Needs Plans. Apply through KanCare; SHICK can help.
Source: kancare.ks.gov
Extra Help / Low Income Subsidy (Part D)
The federal program that lowers Part D drug premiums, deductibles and copays for people under certain income limits. Apply through Social Security at ssa.gov/extrahelp or at the Wakarusa Dr office above.
Source: ssa.gov, Extra Help
Elder Law Attorneys In Lawrence
Several Lawrence firms specialize in elder law: estate planning, durable powers of attorney, healthcare directives and Medicaid planning. The Kansas Bar Association lawyer referral service is one starting point.
Source: ksbar.org, Find a Lawyer
Community, Social and Safety
The rest of the week, and the numbers worth keeping on the refrigerator.
Senior Resource Center Activities & Calendar
Daily classes, fitness, games, lunch programs and events for Douglas County seniors. The activity calendar is published online and updated monthly.
Source: dgcoks.gov, Activities
Lawrence Public Library
One block from the Senior Resource Center. Free programming, an accessible computer lab and technology help, useful when the Plan Finder has to be worked through on screen.
Source: lplks.org
AARP Fraud Watch Network
A free helpline for anyone who suspects a Medicare scam, identity theft or phone fraud. Scam calls aimed at older residents climb during Open Enrollment, October 15 to December 7. When a call feels wrong, hang up and dial the helpline.
Source: aarp.org, Fraud Watch
Emergencies
Dial 911 for any true medical, fire or safety emergency. For non-emergency police matters, contact Lawrence Police Department dispatch via lawrenceks.org/police.
Source: lawrenceks.org/police
How Adam Can Help
This page is written as much for the son or daughter as for the person on the plan. If you are two states away holding a parent's card and a stack of unopened mail, start here. That call costs you nothing; the carrier pays the agent at enrollment.
If the plan itself looks wrong, start with reviewing or switching a parent's plan, then check the calendar on Open Enrollment in Douglas County. If the trouble is a ride, a meal or a power of attorney, Adam will say so plainly when the answer is not an insurance answer.
Not sure which of the doors above is the right one? Ask Adam and he will point you at it, insurance or not.
Call Adam (785) 247-1314 Request a callPrefer a callback? Request one here and Adam will call within one business day.
Need help connecting to the right resource?
Adam knows which door to knock on in Lawrence. No cost to ask.
Call (785) 247-1314 Or request a callback