Innovative Dementia Care
COMFORTCARE HOMES
Our Promise: Better Dementia Care
ComfortCare Homes' legacy comes from family caregivers who sought a better model of care. Through caring for their grandparents, the Stark family developed one of the first residential dementia care programs in the country.
We partner with families by listening deeply and honoring the lifetime of knowledge they bring. That insight guides our professional care teams, who apply best practices refined over more than 30 years of work caring for those living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. With this understanding, we support each resident in living with dignity, meaning and joy throughout the dementia journey.
Guided by our commitment to Care for All, we extend care to our team and the broader community, helping build relationships rooted in trust, compassion and shared responsibility.
Alzheimer’s disease affects nearly six million Americans, a population expected to double by 2060. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative form of dementia that can impair cognition as well as physical functioning. In the early stages, it is most noticeable as memory loss.
This innovative model of care inspired the creation of the HomePlus state accreditation in Kansas. In the process, ComfortCare Homes changed the landscape of professional Alzheimer’s and dementia care in the state.
Over the past 30 years, ComfortCare Homes has served our community. We always strive to go beyond the basics. We provide innovative dementia care for residents and their families.
Throughout our time as the region’s leading dementia care provider, our work has earned recognition. We have been recognized by the Alzheimer’s Association, the State of Kansas, and the Wichita Chamber of Commerce.
ComfortCare Homes' Legacy
ComfortCare Homes pioneered the concept of residential dementia care in Wichita, Kansas. Founded by the Stark family in 1993, our story began a few years earlier after J.W. and Reola Stark were both diagnosed with dementia.
The Stark’s son, Charles, and his wife Mary Lou, felt strongly committed to keeping their parents’ care close to the family. With Charles and Mary Lou leading the effort, they enlisted the help of their own children, Doug and Leigh Ann.
The process followed a path common to many families coping with a dementia diagnosis. For a while, daily check-ins were adequate. But the elder Starks’ needs soon increased, and Charles and Mary Lou made the decision to bring J.W. and Reola to live with them.
In the process of caring for the Stark grandparents at home, the vision of ComfortCare Homes materialized.
Like any family taking on the care of loved ones with Alzheimer’s, the Starks spent time educating themselves about dementia and the best practices of care at the time. They soon came to understand that clinical care in large impersonal facilities increases stress and confusion and that most people suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia respond well to calm, familiar environments.
When the Starks opened the first ComfortCare Homes residences in 1993, they began to see their intuitive understandings create meaningful impacts on lives outside of their own family.
A Family Tradition of Care
Doug Stark
As owner and chairman of ComfortCare homes since 1995, Doug Stark has continued his family’s legacy of providing compassionate care to people living with dementia diagnoses. Under the leadership of Doug Stark, ComfortCare Homes has grown to include multiple homes in Wichita covering a comprehensive range of care options, as well as licensee locations across the state of Kansas.
Doug was named the 2025 Uncommon Citizen by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce. The award, established in 1974, recognizes individuals who have served their community year after year in an extraordinary capacity.
A native of Wichita, Kansas, he attended Wichita public schools and the University of Kansas. Community and civic involvement are core ethics of Doug Stark. He has served on several regional and local boards and member organizations, including the Wichita Downtown Rotary and the Alzheimer’s Association where he was board chair. He was a Big Brother for 12 years, and served on the board of Kansas Health Ethics as treasurer, vice president, and president.
ComfortCare Homes Leadership
Micala Gingrich Gaylord,
President & CEO
Micala is president and CEO for ComfortCare Homes. She was recognized as a Health Care Hero in 2023 and was a 40 under 40 recipient in 2019.
She is a certified dementia practitioner and trainer in the Wichita community and beyond. She is passionate about ComfortCare Homes' mission of caring for those living with dementia.
When not working with her dynamic ComfortCare team, Micala is a local artist and is deeply involved in community work in Wichita. She is vice president of the Jupiter Arts Academy board and serves on the board of Harvester Arts in Wichita. She also recently joined the Downtown Rotary Club.
She loves all things to do with community engagement and development to make Wichita better for those 9 to 99.
Kasey Breidenthal,
VP of Operations & Sales, Operator
Kasey is a Wichita native and a third-generation at ComfortCare Homes. She attended both the University of Kansas and Kansas State University. Following graduation, she worked as a landscape designer and contractor for more than a decade before starting her journey with ComfortCare Homes in early 2014.
Kasey worked in almost every aspect of the company before stepping into the role of vice president of operations and sales and operator for three of the ComfortCare Homes in Wichita.
Aside from spending time in her own garden, cooking, reading, and spending time with her husband, their two teenage boys, and friends, Kasey also serves on the KCAL boards as the Homes Plus representative. She is a longtime volunteer and board member for Beauties and Beasts Inc., a local animal rescue.
Whether it's finding the right pet, creating a beautiful garden space or making sure ComfortCare's operations are running smoothly, Kasey is passionate about creating the best environment for those living with Dementia.
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In the Community
We encourage our staff to build community wherever they are, whether that’s in one of our residences, or on the board of a local civic organization. Our executive team leads by example, participating in dozens of community, charitable and civic boards and conferences, including the Alzheimer’s Association, Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Task Force, the YMCA and the Kansas Education Conference on Dementia.