Zehra Abid-Wood

President & CEO
Lasell Village
Auburndale, MA, USA
  • 20-E. Every Voice: Creating Inclusive Senior Living Communities

    • Monday, November 03, 2025

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    20-E. Every Voice: Creating Inclusive Senior Living Communities

    Lasell Village in Newton, MA, is implementing a resident-driven, employee-engaged framework called “Every Voice” that fosters inclusion and belonging by integrating voices across generations, backgrounds, and identities. This session will describe how residents and team members of the life plan community worked together to embed belonging into daily life through inclusive policies, respectful dialogue, and change-oriented programming. Presenters will offer guidance to help you build a culture of inclusion that aligns with your organization’s values, engages community members, and measures progress. You’ll return home with the tools you need to ensure that your community reflects the richness of the world while it continues working toward a more diverse future.

Addie Abushousheh

Gerontologist Consultant
Independent
Murrieta, CA, USA
  • 133-G. Integrating Intergenerational Principles into Your Projects

    • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    133-G. Integrating Intergenerational Principles into Your Projects

    Intergenerational connections can enhance both the design and operation of senior living environments. This session will offer practical strategies to help you create meaningful and sustainable multigenerational environments that give owners, developers, and designers a competitive edge in today’s evolving market. Presenters will share a roadmap developed by the Joint Intergenerational Task Force convened by SAGE, AIA Design for Aging, and the Center for Health Design. They will unveil the task force’s new findings, case studies, and actionable strategies. You’ll gain valuable insights into the challenges you may encounter as you integrate intergenerational principles into your projects and operations. You’ll also gain strategies that can lead to successful outcomes.

Alyssa Adam

VP of Sales and Marketing
Buckner Retirement Services, Inc.
Dallas, TX, USA
  • 59-C. How Important are Placement Agencies to Your Marketing Program?

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    59-C. How Important are Placement Agencies to Your Marketing Program?

    Placement agencies can help senior living communities attract new residents. They can also serve as a valuable resource to older adults seeking housing, services, and supports. How can providers evaluate an agency to ensure it shares their values and goals? This session will help you answer that question. Presenters will examine the influence of placement agencies on the senior living sector, the benefits and drawbacks of using these agencies, and strategies for establishing mutually beneficial partnerships with them. A panel representing placement agencies and providers will discuss common challenges related to agency fees, competition, market dynamics, transparency, and resident choice. Discover how to effectively collaborate with placement agencies to streamline the referral process and increase your occupancy rate.

Todd Adams

Director, Health Legislative Affairs
LeadingAge
Washington, DC, USA
  • 116-G. How Will Federal Policy Changes Impact Your Nursing Home?

    • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    116-G. How Will Federal Policy Changes Impact Your Nursing Home?

    Every new federal administration reshapes the country’s policy landscape in ways that can significantly impact the daily operations of nursing homes nationwide. During this session, the LeadingAge advocacy team will discuss recent policy developments from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the current administration. Presenters will help you understand how these developments are likely to affect your organization. They’ll also identify resources and advocacy opportunities that can keep you informed about future changes.

Anita Adkins

Director Strategic Growth
Westminster Canterbury Richmond
Richmond, VA, USA
  • 49-F. Strategic Success: Engage Stakeholders and Measure Progress

    • Monday, November 03, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    49-F. Strategic Success: Engage Stakeholders and Measure Progress

    Westminster Canterbury Richmond took deliberate steps to enhance transparency and collaboration during its 2022 strategic planning process, which laid the groundwork for a major campus expansion. During this session, the organization’s chief executive and director of strategic growth will describe how they engaged workgroups of organizational leaders, board members, residents, and staff to set organizational priorities and identify desired outcomes. Presenters will showcase the accountability tool they used to check in regularly with more than 35 of the organization’s leaders. They’ll also present two case studies detailing the organization’s recommitment to strategic growth and its evolving approach to wellness and fitness. Learn how to implement a strategic planning process that engages stakeholders, measures progress, and ensures accountability.

Tom Akins

President & CEO
LeadingAge North Carolina
Durham, NC, USA
  • 27-A. Leading in a Crisis: Lessons from Hurricane Helene

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    27-A. Leading in a Crisis: Lessons from Hurricane Helene

    On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene brought unprecedented challenges to western North Carolina as it destroyed homes, caused severe flooding, and left thousands without electricity, cell service, or water. During this session, a panel of CEOs from three senior living organizations in the storm’s path will reflect on their experiences during and after the storm and share the essential leadership lessons they learned. Listen as they recount how they supported one another, how they adapted or rewrote their emergency plans in real-time to address the storm’s catastrophic impacts, and how assistance from other LeadingAge members helped them navigate the crisis. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into the critical role leaders play in guiding their organizations through natural disasters.

  • 120-I. Can State Statutes Protect Life Plan Communities from Bankruptcy?

    • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    120-I. Can State Statutes Protect Life Plan Communities from Bankruptcy?

    The rare occurrences of bankruptcy among life plan communities in recent years have raised a compelling and provocative question: What role should state laws play in protecting these communities from insolvency? This session will explore that question. Presenters will provide an overview of the bankruptcy protections that certain states extend to life plan communities through existing statutes. They will also discuss the effects of state actions that either prevent a life plan community’s bankruptcy or worsen a community’s fragile financial position. Don’t miss this opportunity to join experts in the field as they delve into thought-provoking questions about the financial health of life plan communities.

Srini Alagarsamy

CTO
Lifespace Communities, Inc.
Dallas, TX, USA
  • 4-C. How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Aging Services

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    4-C. How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Aging Services

    Three years ago, few people were aware of large language models like ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool capable of understanding, generating, and manipulating human language. This session will explore how far we have progressed in 36 months. Presenters will provide an overview of how AI is reshaping aging services by enhancing efficiency, communication, and workforce support. They will also highlight how providers use AI to streamline operations, improve the resident experience, and empower staff. Whether new to AI or looking to refine your approach, you’ll gain a practical perspective on leveraging these powerful technologies to enhance your operations.

Leesa Allen

Managing Director, Consulting
Sellers Dorsey, LLC
Harrisburg, PA, United States
  • 110-C. The Future of Medicaid

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    110-C. The Future of Medicaid

    Medicaid has been in the limelight during 2025, a year marked by significant policy debates and changes that will shape the priorities of state programs for years to come. This session will provide updates on federal Medicaid policy and how states are beginning to respond to recent changes. Presenters will also analyze the impact of federal Medicaid policy on providers across the aging services continuum. You’ll gain a clearer understanding of the challenges and opportunities you can expect to encounter as you work to sustain, expand, and enhance services for older adults.

Sophia Allwood

Corporate Director of Clinical Services
Transforming Age
Bellevue, WA, USA
  • 129-D. The Built Environment: A Tool for Preventing Falls

    • Monday, November 03, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    129-D. The Built Environment: A Tool for Preventing Falls

    Senior living providers have an obligation to protect residents and staff from falls while helping them maintain their autonomy and enhancing their quality of life. This session will explore essential, yet often overlooked, tools to help you meet that obligation: the buildings where residents and team members live and work. Presenters will demonstrate how simple modifications to existing structures or new construction in your skilled nursing, transitional care, assisted living, and memory care settings can prevent falls and improve outcomes for residents and staff. Join this session to pinpoint specific elements of your organization’s built environment that can help you prevent, detect, and protect against falls and their adverse outcomes.

Samia Amamoo

SVP, Risk Management
Mather
Evanston, IL, USA
  • 15-L. Using Technology to Meet Immediate and Long-Term Goals

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

    15-L. Using Technology to Meet Immediate and Long-Term Goals

    Should aging services providers view technology as a strategic imperative that drives innovation and long-term growth, or as a tactical solution for addressing immediate operational challenges? This session will explore these questions, and the answers may surprise you. Presenters will suggest that the digital revolution presents an unprecedented opportunity for aging services organizations to integrate technology into their core vision, enabling them to transform operations, improve care quality, and ensure long-term sustainability. Additionally, these technologies can serve as tactical solutions that help organizations address specific operational challenges, resulting in immediate and measurable improvements. Discover how to take an integrated, strategic approach to deploying technology solutions that can support long-term transformation and innovation while meeting immediate needs.

Rebecca Arbouet

Director of Adult Day Health Services
Hebrew Rehabilitation Center
Boston, MA, USA
  • 153-L. Addressing Labor Shortages and Respite Demand in a Single Program

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

    153-L. Addressing Labor Shortages and Respite Demand in a Single Program

    The aging services sector faces two significant challenges: a nationwide shortage of home health aides and a growing demand for culturally competent respite care for individuals with dementia and their caregivers. This session will explore how Hebrew SeniorLife addressed both challenges through one innovative program. Representatives from the Boston-based housing and service provider will explain how their in-home respite care program trains students and young professionals interested in clinical careers to provide cognitive support and culturally competent care to older adults. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about and replicate this workforce-building and caregiver-supporting model.

Josh Ashby

Chief Executive Officer
Fleet Landing
Atlantic Beach, FL, USA
  • 52-H. How to Identify Your Organization’s Growth Path

    • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    52-H. How to Identify Your Organization’s Growth Path

    How do progressive organizations adapt to meet growing market demand? This session will explore two approaches. You’ll learn how a Florida-based single-site life plan community implemented a strategic growth plan to establish a satellite campus, and how a Tennessee-based multi-site organization’s growth strategy led it to expand an existing campus. While both growth initiatives were similar, each organization employed unique strategies to achieve its goals. Presenters will guide you in formulating key questions to ask yourself, your board, and other stakeholders when developing market-based, mission-aligned growth strategies. You’ll also learn how market analysis, vision setting, and strategic repositioning contribute to successful growth. Don’t miss this opportunity to identify your organization’s growth path.