SALINA, Kan. — Reflections, a senior living community offering both independent and assisted living options, has been named Equity Bank’s Business of the Month for March. The recognition highlights the facility’s growing role in Salina’s elder care landscape and its emphasis on maintaining active, engaged lifestyles for residents.
Staff and leadership at Reflections attribute much of the facility’s appeal to a sense of familiarity and comfort reported by prospective residents. According to management, individuals who tour multiple senior communities frequently describe Reflections as feeling more like home, noting its cleanliness, atmosphere, and overall environment.
The facility employs a long-standing team, with many staff members having worked there for over a decade. Leadership states that staff are motivated by a desire to support and care for seniors, and the team places particular importance on encouraging residents to remain active—physically and mentally. Weekly activities include games, puzzles, conversation groups, and exercise sessions, all aimed at promoting continued cognitive and physical engagement.
One notable program is the “Walking Club,” which resumes each spring. The grounds feature marked ½-mile and 1-mile routes, and participants’ individual mileage is tracked and displayed on a public board. The program offers incentives such as T-shirts and small prizes for regular participation. Staff members often join residents on walks, contributing to a more social and inclusive atmosphere.
The facility also reports efforts to connect with seniors in the broader community who may be facing isolation. Leadership points to the emotional and physical toll that prolonged solitude can have on older adults, particularly those who have experienced the loss of a partner or are living alone. According to Reflections, delaying the move into a senior living community can lead to mobility challenges and reduced quality of life. Staff describe instances in which new residents arrived with diminished health and activity levels that may have been mitigated had they moved sooner.
The owners of Reflections, Brian and Julie Richardson, entered the senior care sector after decades of work in commercial and residential property development and management. Initially hesitant to pursue the purchase of the facility, the couple decided to move forward following a site visit and conversations with staff and residents. Reflections, formerly McCall Manor, was purchased out of bankruptcy during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The transition took place in what leadership described as a difficult period for senior care operations nationwide.
Julie Richardson has since earned her state administrator’s license, and their son Brogen now manages operations at one of the family’s facilities in southeast Kansas. The Richardsons also oversee Morningstar Care Homes in Fredonia and Neodesha and are preparing to expand to more than 250 senior care beds in the Wichita area.
Reflections has adjusted its service offerings in response to broader shifts in the senior care industry. The facility originally included a majority of independent living units but now offers 42 assisted living and 20 independent living units. Management notes that as home health services have allowed seniors to remain at home longer, many residents are entering facilities later in life and with more complex medical needs.
In addition to traditional care, Reflections has expanded its focus on memory care. The organization currently operates one memory care facility and is expected to open another in the coming weeks. Staff in these communities work with residents experiencing dementia and other cognitive impairments, using activities such as reading, walking, and gardening to maintain a sense of routine and engagement.
According to staff, these activities are designed not only to serve clinical needs but to foster connection. “They spend time reading to them, walking with them, and just listening to a story that often doesn’t make sense to us, but it does to the residents telling the story,” said leadership.
Reflections continues to offer long-term housing solutions that allow residents to age in place with access to care as needs change. Administrators encourage prospective residents to join the waiting list early due to ongoing demand.