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.

Life plan community leaders, financial officers, and strategic planners must have a solid understanding of credit ratings before they can help their organizations secure financing on favorable terms. During this session, Fitch Ratings, along with a diverse panel of providers from multi-site and single-site communities will present an overview of credit ratings, explain how to obtain one, and offer guidance on incorporating credit rating considerations into your strategic planning. You’ll receive tips for aligning capital projects and funding needs with your community’s credit profile, identifying and mitigating risks that could negatively impact your rating, and implementing practices that enhance credit strength. Prepare to improve your community’s credit profile and secure the resources necessary for growth and sustainability.

A life plan community seeking to meet the growing demand for new housing options often encounters a frustrating roadblock: a lack of available space for expansion on campus. Some organizations address this challenge by developing satellite communities to reach untapped or underserved markets. This session will showcase a variety of satellite communities, including those located in walkable neighborhoods and on college campuses, and those catering to residents with specific income levels, cultures, and special interests. Discover how satellite campus planning can help you meet current and future growth demands, capitalize on partnership opportunities, and explore new markets. You’ll learn how to leverage the resources of your main campus to support satellite campus development.

Growth is a popular topic among leaders of aging services organizations striving to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding older population. However, these leaders must remember that growth brings the prospect of significant change for organizations and the boards that govern them. This session will help ensure that your board is fully prepared for growth, whether your organization is expanding its services, footprint, or customer base. Presenters will offer strategies to help guide your board as it evaluates your organization’s capacity for growth, determines how it should grow, and develops the decision-making processes needed to manage growth. You’ll return home with practical strategies to help your organization establish the strategic governance required for future success.

The dynamic and high-stakes nature of senior living environments requires robust strategies for crisis and issue management. This session, designed for senior living executives and legal compliance professionals, will explore best practices for navigating scenarios that can threaten operational stability, reputational integrity, and regulatory compliance. Presenters will offer practical insights into managing crises, including data privacy breaches and ransomware attacks. Participants will engage in an interactive game-show-like format to address scenarios involving regulatory scrutiny, media pressure, and internal investigations. Learn how to minimize liability and safeguard organizational trust while preserving confidentiality in privileged communications, managing relationships with third-party vendors, and addressing allegations of workplace misconduct.

The next generation of senior living residents will seek aesthetically pleasing homes and apartments that support their independence, adapt to their evolving needs, and preserve their dignity. This session will explore innovative designs for active-adult and independent living that will help you meet the preferences of current and future consumers. Presenters will draw on insights from design, marketing, sales, and therapy experts to help you envision life plan community homes and apartments that quickly adapt to residents’ needs, balance safety and autonomy, and maintain a non-institutional feel. They’ll also examine the latest in-home technology, including voice-activated controls, automated lighting, and fall detection sensors. Discover how to design your community’s dwellings to support aging and choice while discreetly addressing residents’ changing needs.

Enhancing the independent living options on your campus could help keep your organization competitive in today’s market. This session will show you how. The chief administrative officer of a multi-site organization will discuss how their organization is diversifying its independent living offerings to include standalone ranch homes, duplexes, converted loft residences, and conventional apartments. An architect will review design trends and considerations for various price points. A financing expert will outline how to model and evaluate different independent living options. Whether you’re facing low occupancy in older inventory or exploring new options to meet growing demand, you’ll leave this session with fresh ideas for strategic campus planning.

EverTrue, formerly Lutheran Senior Services, is proud of its 165-year legacy of caring for older adults. However, this legacy hasn’t prevented the nation’s 12th-largest nonprofit aging services provider from embarking on a transformative journey driven by innovation. This session will highlight how the St. Louis-based organization expanded housing options and in-home services to serve a broader demographic, implemented innovative service models like palliative care, diversified its revenue streams, adjusted its residential mix, embraced technology, and adopted systems to manage data more efficiently. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear the EverTrue management team discuss how they embraced the future while honoring their organization’s past. You’ll take home valuable tips for keeping your brand fresh while preserving what makes you special.

Immanuel, a multi-site senior living provider based in Omaha, NE, operates independent living, assisted living, and memory support communities, in addition to three Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). This session will focus on how the organization developed a unique approach to managing care transitions in its PACE program and then applied that model to all its locations and campuses. Presenters will describe the service gaps that prompted Immanuel to establish the roles of a Care Transition Nurse Manager in its PACE programs and Care Navigator in its communities. You’ll learn how the care transitions initiative was developed and its impact on costs, staff satisfaction, and quality of life for residents and participants.

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.

The senior living sector has experienced significant growth in acquisitions and affiliations over the past few years. This session will highlight trends in mergers and acquisitions while exploring how for-profit and nonprofit buyers differ in their approaches to valuing assets and implementing ownership changes. You’ll hear the stories of a Dallas-based senior living organization that acquired a senior living community in Fort Worth and a Florida-based multi-site organization that divested several campuses. Get the guidance you need to navigate the acquisition/disposition process, including steps you should take after concluding that certain components of your organization are not contributing value to the enterprise.

Senior living communities often face two marketing challenges: filling one-bedroom and studio apartments and increasing diversity within their resident populations. This session will explore how communities can achieve both goals by reaching out to solo agers, including those from diverse cultural backgrounds, the LGBTQ+ community, and other historically underrepresented groups. Presenters will examine the unique needs and aspirations of solo agers while sharing effective marketing strategies designed to attract them to senior living communities. You’ll gain tips for hosting marketing events that showcase smaller residential units that have traditionally remained vacant and acquire insights to help you connect with prospective residents from the Black, Latino, Asian, and LGBTQ+ communities.

Today’s property market remains fractured, unstable, and increasingly expensive. This is especially true for properties in geographic regions at greater risk for severe natural disasters or other events that can cause significant damage and lead to double-digit increases in property insurance rates. This session will help you understand the current property market, how insurance rates are determined, and strategies for combating rising costs. Panelists will share their predictions for the future and outline the opportunities that a chaotic insurance market might present for your organization.

*Closed to Press* What does it mean to be a nonprofit organization in the United States? Recent White House executive orders, shifting agency priorities, and Congressional activities may soon influence your answer to that question. This session will provide insights into the evolving policy and legal landscape for nonprofits and the risks these changes may pose for your organization. Presenters will examine the potential for increased scrutiny of nonprofits and emerging threats associated with the perceived missions and activities of specific groups. They’ll also outline legislative and regulatory changes affecting tax-exempt status and charitable donations. Stay informed about recent developments, explore what may lie ahead, and consider actions your organization can take to mitigate potential risks.

Life plan communities strive to maximize resident independence and well-being by providing multiple levels of care and service so residents can avoid hospital admissions when their needs change. This session will introduce a critical step toward achieving that goal: employing healthcare practitioners to deliver primary care and care coordination through on-site clinics, home visits, and telehealth services. Presenters will demonstrate how on-site primary care can help reduce resident hospitalizations and facilitate transitions between service levels while improving access to medication reconciliation, behavior management, advanced care planning, and palliative care. You’ll discover the types of on-site medical services residents expect and how an on-site healthcare team can build trust in your organization.

Good governance entails more than simply assembling a diverse group of board members with the skills and background necessary to advance your organization’s mission. It also requires organizational leaders to help board members fully grasp their fiduciary responsibilities. During this session, you’ll discover strategies for enhancing the financial acumen of board members, enabling them to develop a thorough understanding of your organization’s financial and operational health. This understanding will allow all board members to engage in strategic planning, participate in nuanced discussions about the ramifications of financial decisions, and make informed decisions. If your board is seeking ways to promote open, informed discussions that foster effective governance and accountability, this session is for you.

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.

*Closed to Press* 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.

Looking to boost revenue by serving older adults before they move to your life plan community? Friendship Village Senior Services in St. Louis, MO, has a few ideas for you. This session will showcase two Friendship Village membership programs that offer prospective residents the opportunity to participate in social events, use community amenities, and access comprehensive campus-based health services. These members also have access to a personal concierge and an exclusive member only app. Discover how these programs shorten the sales cycle, reduce barriers to senior living residency, help fill hard-to-sell small apartments, and increase downstream revenue for ancillary services like home care, private duty, and hospice.

Providence Place, a retirement community in High Point, NC, faced a pivotal moment in January 2024 as it navigated the retirements of its chief executive officer and chief operating officer while grappling with financial challenges and initiating an acquisition process. This session will detail the 10-month journey leading to the community’s acquisition by EveryAge, a multi-site provider based in Newton, NC. Presenters will highlight the strategies, challenges, and lessons learned during the acquisition process and explore how collaboration, mission-driven leadership, and stakeholder commitment ensured a smooth transition for both organizations. They will offer advice on maintaining organizational stability during leadership transitions and financial challenges, fostering teamwork during an acquisition, and successfully linking two middle market organizations with complementary visions.

Are you seeking ways to transform the challenges facing your senior living campus into opportunities to address local service gaps and shape a brighter future for your organization? This session will provide a roadmap to help you make that happen. Presenters will demonstrate how strategic design, financial planning, and market analysis can ensure your community’s long-term sustainability while creating a vibrant and welcoming environment that exceeds the expectations of older consumers. You’ll gain actionable strategies for exploring current trends and opportunities in senior living, aligning your existing spaces with emerging trends, and developing a strategic repositioning plan that balances resident needs, financial goals, and operational priorities.

Affiliation has become an indispensable tool for nonprofit senior living organizations facing complex challenges. This session will include case studies where organizations enhanced operational efficiency, stabilized finances, improved care quality, and strengthened recruitment and staff development after affiliating with a network of charitable, nonprofit senior care organizations. Presenters will provide practical strategies for examining various collaborative models. You’ll take home a framework for evaluating when affiliation might be beneficial, criteria for identifying and selecting suitable partners, and tips for ensuring that an affiliation aligns with your organization’s mission and goals. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore a strategy that could help secure your organization and its mission.