Lizzy Evens
- 1-A. Using AI to Measure Resident Well-Being
Sunday, October 25, 2026
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
1-A. Using AI to Measure Resident Well-Being
Using AI to Measure Resident Well-Being
Community engagement teams at aging services organizations prioritize the resident experience because they know residents’ voices help shape their communities. Unfortunately, not every resident speaks up. That’s where “Happy Aging” comes in. Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), the survey-driven prediction tool measures 23 observed indicators of resident well-being. This session will focus on the experiences of two life plan communities that engaged residents in a two-year research project to co-develop the “Happy Aging” tool. Presenters will describe the technology’s development process and residents’ participation in it. You’ll discover how objective behavioral data, when paired with AI, can accurately predict resident well-being and enable engagement teams to plan timely interventions.
Joe Ewert
- 28-E. Drive Growth by Aligning Governance, Operations, and Sales
Monday, October 26, 2026
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
28-E. Drive Growth by Aligning Governance, Operations, and Sales
Drive Growth by Aligning Governance, Operations, and Sales
Does your organization’s board focus on stewardship and risk, while your leaders handle operations, your marketers oversee branding, and your sales teams focus on conversions? Organizations struggle when stakeholders follow separate pathways, pursue siloed priorities, and tell different stories. This session will help you align governance, operations, marketing, and sales into a unified, credible narrative. Presenters will show you how to connect boardroom decisions to sales outcomes; what boards need to know about brand and sales; how leadership behaviors influence the brand promise; and how misalignment affects growth. You’ll learn to break down organizational silos, manage tensions, and build trust so that external messaging feels authentic and consistent.
Jodi Eyigor
- 92-A. Updates on Federal Funding and Policy
- 100-F. What Just Happened? Making Sense of Nursing Home Policy Shifts
Sunday, October 25, 2026
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
92-A. Updates on Federal Funding and Policy
Updates on Federal Funding and Policy
Are you seeking up-to-date information on how federal funding and policy decisions are likely to affect your service lines? Or are you simply curious about the broader policy landscape shaping the aging services field? Either way, you’ll leave satisfied after attending this speed round of Washington updates. The LeadingAge Policy Team will be on hand to fill you in on the latest developments affecting Medicare and Medicaid, workforce policy, affordable housing, and the federal legal landscape. You’ll also receive advocacy tips to ensure your voice is heard in Washington, DC.
Monday, October 26, 2026
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
100-F. What Just Happened? Making Sense of Nursing Home Policy Shifts
What Just Happened? Making Sense of Nursing Home Policy Shifts
Recent actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Congress have reshaped expectations for nursing home staffing, oversight, enforcement, and quality standards. This session will review key developments in federal nursing home policy and explore what providers can expect next. Join us to connect government decision-making to your daily operations and identify ways to advocate for policies that promote high-quality, person-centered care.
Sean Fahey
- 99-E. SNF Regulations: Get the Clarity You Need to Succeed
Monday, October 26, 2026
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
99-E. SNF Regulations: Get the Clarity You Need to Succeed
SNF Regulations: Get the Clarity You Need to Succeed
Regulatory changes and survey trends affect all skilled nursing facilities nationwide. During this session, two attorneys will review and evaluate significant regulatory developments from the past year. They will also examine current survey trends by analyzing the top citations issued at the regional and national levels. Throughout the session, you’ll be encouraged to discuss common regulatory challenges and share best practices for staying current with regulatory developments and survey trends. You’ll also learn to anticipate and prepare for future regulatory developments and surveys.
Amy Fairweather
- 14-B. Serving Aging Veterans: Let’s Close the Information Gap
Sunday, October 25, 2026
2:45 – 3:45 p.m.
14-B. Serving Aging Veterans: Let’s Close the Information Gap
Serving Aging Veterans: Let’s Close the Information Gap
Nearly half of U.S. veterans are 65 or older. Yet most aging services professionals lack training to address this population’s unique needs, and aging-focused resources rarely address them. This session aims to fill those gaps. Presenters will explain how military culture, trauma, service-related injuries, and the complexity of benefit eligibility shape veterans’ needs as they age. They will also discuss cultural and trauma-informed approaches to supporting veterans across housing, health, and social-service settings, including a pilot program that helps high-acuity veterans with low incomes age in place. You’ll gain insights into the program’s implementation and early outcomes and take home lessons you can adapt to your care and service settings.
Nicole Fallon
- 58-L. CMMI Models: Can Your Organization ELEVATE, ACCESS, and LEAD?
- 81-E. Medicare Advantage: Tips for Maximizing Reimbursement
- 92-A. Updates on Federal Funding and Policy
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
58-L. CMMI Models: Can Your Organization ELEVATE, ACCESS, and LEAD?
CMMI Models: Can Your Organization ELEVATE, ACCESS, and LEAD?
Three new value-based payment models from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) are reshaping how aging services providers deliver and finance care for older adults. This session will introduce you to ELEVATE, ACCESS, and LEAD and explain how providers can use these models to advance chronic care management, dementia care, prevention strategies, and technology-enabled solutions that improve outcomes for residents and clients. Presenters will help you prepare your organization to participate in these emerging models and explain what they could mean for the future of aging services.
Monday, October 26, 2026
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
81-E. Medicare Advantage: Tips for Maximizing Reimbursement
Medicare Advantage: Tips for Maximizing Reimbursement
The rules and processes governing managed care continue to evolve as more beneficiaries enroll in Medicare Advantage plans each year. This session will bring you up to date on the program’s latest policy developments, so you’re ready to strengthen your organization’s internal processes and maximize your reimbursement. LeadingAge provider members and a managed care contracting and billing expert will be on hand to update you on Medicare Advantage policies related to prior authorization, appeals, and the complaint process for reporting noncompliance. They’ll also show you how to improve your first-pass prior authorization accuracy and accelerate clean claim submissions. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to succeed in managed care.
Sunday, October 25, 2026
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
92-A. Updates on Federal Funding and Policy
Updates on Federal Funding and Policy
Are you seeking up-to-date information on how federal funding and policy decisions are likely to affect your service lines? Or are you simply curious about the broader policy landscape shaping the aging services field? Either way, you’ll leave satisfied after attending this speed round of Washington updates. The LeadingAge Policy Team will be on hand to fill you in on the latest developments affecting Medicare and Medicaid, workforce policy, affordable housing, and the federal legal landscape. You’ll also receive advocacy tips to ensure your voice is heard in Washington, DC.
Stephen Fetyko
- 20-H. Flip the Script on Accountability
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
20-H. Flip the Script on Accountability
Flip the Script on Accountability
Most organizational leaders unknowingly sabotage their teams by treating accountability as punishment. This fear-based approach to managing teams carries hidden costs, including stifled innovation, talent exodus, and decision-making paralysis. This session will introduce you to a growth-oriented alternative called “Supportive Accountability,” which encourages team members to make voluntary commitments to an organization based on intrinsic satisfaction, curiosity, or enjoyment rather than fear of punishment. Presenters will examine why traditional accountability approaches fail and explore the science behind what truly drives responsibility. You’ll return home with a 10-step guide to implementing a supportive accountability system that builds trust, accelerates growth, and creates thriving teams.
David Fields
- 44-E. Secure Your Future: Restructure and Reimagine
Monday, October 26, 2026
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
44-E. Secure Your Future: Restructure and Reimagine
Secure Your Future: Restructure and Reimagine
Executive teams update their strategic plans annually to refine the traditional continuum model they’ve offered for decades. These organizations now face unprecedented challenges as more for-profit developers enter the field, consumer preferences shift, and government payments decline. Tweaking the continuum won’t be enough to secure the future. Instead, this session will show you how to restructure your organization and reimagine the continuum. Presenters will offer guidance on selling or repurposing assets to advance your mission, collaborating with and learning from investors, restructuring your debt, and addressing your legal issues. Let a turnaround manager and an investment banker help you develop an achievable restructuring plan that will appeal to investors and secure your organization’s future.
David Finkelstein
- 10-J. AI, Cybersecurity, and the Law: What You Need to Know
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
10-J. AI, Cybersecurity, and the Law: What You Need to Know
AI, Cybersecurity, and the Law: What You Need to Know
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming senior living and healthcare, offering unprecedented opportunities to improve care delivery, streamline operations, and enhance resident engagement. Unfortunately, AI can also heighten cybersecurity risks and create complex legal issues for your organization. This session will highlight privacy laws, liability risks, and contractual obligations that could affect your use of AI. Technology experts and a senior living provider will guide you through steps to evaluate AI opportunities and build a technology roadmap that minimizes risk and aligns innovation with compliance and security best practices. Join this session to explore evolving issues that senior living executives can’t afford to ignore.
Faith Fitzgerald
- 112-D. Fostering Connection Through Open Storytelling
Monday, October 26, 2026
8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
112-D. Fostering Connection Through Open Storytelling
Fostering Connection Through Open Storytelling
During a recent campus expansion, a life plan community’s pastoral team strengthened campus connections by organizing a series of panels featuring open storytelling on topics such as change, purpose, love, grief, and caring for others. This session will explore how the pastoral team identified topics that resonated with residents and guided panelists through months of discussions before selecting each panel’s topic. Resident panelists will explain how honest storytelling strengthens connections and encourages self-reflection, especially during periods of growth or change. You’ll learn about the vital role pastoral care teams play in life plan communities and gain tools to help you create your own open storytelling program.
Peter Fleming
- 65-E. Early Advantage Programs: Put Your Wait List to Work
Monday, October 26, 2026
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
65-E. Early Advantage Programs: Put Your Wait List to Work
Early Advantage Programs: Put Your Wait List to Work
Innovative service models are gaining traction as life plan communities navigate shifting consumer expectations and competitive pressures. This session will examine one such model: Early Advantage programs that allow waitlisted individuals to become “residents” before moving in. Two providers, an actuary, and a strategic consultant will describe these programs, which often charge consumers a fee in exchange for priority waitlist placement or early access to healthcare services. Presenters will explore how these programs benefit providers and the challenges related to pricing, operations, and policy-setting. You’ll learn what motivates prospective residents to join these programs, lessons learned by providers, and risk factors for boards to consider.
Tracy Fluhr
- 3-C. Unlocking the Power of Interoperability
Sunday, October 25, 2026
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
3-C. Unlocking the Power of Interoperability
Unlocking the Power of Interoperability
As the country’s healthcare system becomes more interconnected, the need for interoperable data exchange across care settings has never been more critical. Yet interoperability is often hindered because its meaning and benefits are unclear to the providers who could gain the most from it. This session will clear up the confusion. Presenters will demonstrate the practical advantages of interoperability and help you assess your organization’s readiness to implement it. They’ll also offer practical strategies for connecting data systems, enabling seamless data exchange with other care settings, and supporting integrated workflows. You’ll learn how one organization used interoperability to transform its operations, boost staff morale, and strengthen referral networks.