Cynthia Thurlow Cruver

President
3rd3rd
Vashon, WA, United States
  • 42-D. Underdog Strategies for Single-Site Life Plan Communities

    • Monday, October 26, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    42-D. Underdog Strategies for Single-Site Life Plan Communities

    To affiliate u2026 or not to affiliate? That is the question many single-site life plan communities are asking. This session will appeal to mavericks who prefer to remain independent yet recognize they must improve at every level to thrive in a consolidating market. Leaders from successful single-site communities will share how they resisted affiliation by strengthening operations, culture, and finances. They’ll also recommend strategies to keep communities stable and future-ready. Whether you’re committed to independence or considering affiliation, this session will offer fresh perspectives on how a strong single-site brand can enhance market perception, attract mission-aligned staff, and build trust among residents, prospects, and referral sources.

Jamie Timoteo

Partner
Plante Moran
Chicago, IL
  • 40-C. Strategic Growth and Entrance Fee Alignment

    • Sunday, October 25, 2026

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    40-C. Strategic Growth and Entrance Fee Alignment

    Every life plan community strives to develop growth plans that support the organization’s mission while maintaining profitability and marketability. Presenters of this session will argue that independent living entrance fees pose significant risks to achieving those goals. They’ll outline the widening gap between entrance fees and replacement costs, evaluate the long-term risks of outdated pricing strategies, and offer approaches to adjusting those fees while overcoming internal and external resistance to price increases. You’ll gain additional strategies including phased development plans and creative financing to help you strengthen your financial position, ensure operational success, and align projects with the preferences of current and future consumers.

Sarah Tipton

President & CEO
Bishop Gadsden
Charleston, SC, US
  • 37-A. Delivering a Successful Nursing Replacement Project

    • Sunday, October 25, 2026

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    37-A. Delivering a Successful Nursing Replacement Project

    With thoughtful planning, senior living communities can integrate skilled nursing into their growth strategies. That’s the primary message of this session, which will showcase a life plan community that built a financially sustainable, consumer-focused replacement for its skilled nursing and memory care building. Community representatives will discuss how they planned, designed, and constructed the new building, which features 32 memory care apartments, 68 long-term nursing units, and a 32-unit short-term rehabilitation center. You’ll learn how to combine financial planning metrics, innovative design, and proactive management to deliver high-quality nursing care that aligns with your organization’s mission and economic expectations.

Harriet Tolpin

Resident
North Hill
Needham, MA, US
  • 23-K. How Residents with Dementia Transform a Community’s Culture

    • Wednesday, October 28, 2026

    10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

    23-K. How Residents with Dementia Transform a Community’s Culture

    A dementia diagnosis can heighten stigma and withdrawal, leading older adults to experience social isolation and a loss of purpose. This session will explore how a life plan community developed an innovative adult day program that encourages residents living with dementia to plan twice-weekly volunteer initiatives that draw on their strengths. You’ll learn how the program fosters belonging by integrating support from other residents and offering adult day participants meaningful service opportunities, such as creating artwork for Alzheimer’s research, preparing meals for unhoused people, and arranging flowers for hospice patients. Discover how inclusion initiatives can transform campus culture and how residents can empower one another to build connection and campus-wide unity.

Jennifer Truppa

Director of Social Services and Quality Assurance
Embrace Living Communities
Oak Brook, IL, US
  • 120-L. Fostering Stability and Dignity in Affordable Housing

    • Wednesday, October 28, 2026

    11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

    120-L. Fostering Stability and Dignity in Affordable Housing

    Affordable housing communities promote stability, prevent displacement, and uphold the dignity of older adults by reducing evictions, addressing lease violations, and helping residents navigate housing-related challenges. During this session, an affordable housing provider will outline how early intervention, service coordination, and wellness programs can prevent housing crises. They’ll share strategies for engaging residents when violations occur and showcase innovative programs that deliver meaningful outcomes with limited resources. You’ll learn to identify early warning signs of a housing crisis and prevent lease violations from escalating into eviction notices, all while helping residents feel respected and supported.

Shirley Turner

Director of Sales & Marketing
Hillcrest
La Verne, CA, USA
  • 42-D. Underdog Strategies for Single-Site Life Plan Communities

    • Monday, October 26, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    42-D. Underdog Strategies for Single-Site Life Plan Communities

    To affiliate u2026 or not to affiliate? That is the question many single-site life plan communities are asking. This session will appeal to mavericks who prefer to remain independent yet recognize they must improve at every level to thrive in a consolidating market. Leaders from successful single-site communities will share how they resisted affiliation by strengthening operations, culture, and finances. They’ll also recommend strategies to keep communities stable and future-ready. Whether you’re committed to independence or considering affiliation, this session will offer fresh perspectives on how a strong single-site brand can enhance market perception, attract mission-aligned staff, and build trust among residents, prospects, and referral sources.

Paisley Valentincic

VP and Chief Marketing Officer
CJE SeniorLife
Chicago, IL, USA
  • 15-C. Preserving Human Connections in Tech-Rich Care Settings

    • Sunday, October 25, 2026

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    15-C. Preserving Human Connections in Tech-Rich Care Settings

    Smart technology systems can improve your organization’s efficiency and outcomes, but they can’t replace human interaction or the need for empathy in care settings. That’s why senior living and healthcare leaders must work relentlessly to preserve meaningful human connections, even as they expand their use of artificial intelligence, automation, and digital systems. This session will use storytelling, case studies, and audience exercises to show how empathy strengthens communication, restores residents’ dignity, improves perceptions of care, and reduces readmissions. You’ll take home strategies for integrating empathy into workflows, onboarding, leadership practices, and technology-driven environments. Don’t miss this opportunity to help your organization preserve the human experience even as it pursues innovation.

Doren Van Luvender

Personal Care Administrator
Dunwoody Village
Newton Square, PA, United States
  • 119-K. Easing Nursing Home Transitions for Residents and Families

    • Wednesday, October 28, 2026

    10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

    119-K. Easing Nursing Home Transitions for Residents and Families

    The Transitional Care Model (TCM) is an evidence-based intervention that reduces rehospitalizations and prevents recurring nursing home admissions among high-risk older adults. This session will explain how a life plan community adapted TCM to support residents’ transitions to long-term care. Presenters will describe the community’s transition team, which identifies residents who meet transition requirements and delivers a customized experience through time-sensitive touchpoints and care conferences with residents and their families. They will explain how the process prevents confusion, unclear expectations, care disruptions, and poor outcomes. Learn how TCM can improve care transitions in your life plan community, enrich the resident and family experience, and enhance communication across care levels.

Claudia Vazquez

Director of Annual Giving & Operations
Sun Health Communites
Surprise, AZ, US
  • 43-E. Community Partnerships to Enhance Giving, Engagement, and Occupancy

    • Monday, October 26, 2026

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    43-E. Community Partnerships to Enhance Giving, Engagement, and Occupancy

    No senior living organization is an island at least not if it wants to succeed. This session will offer strategies to break down silos and foster collaboration within and beyond your organization. Presenters will show you how your sales, marketing, life enrichment, and philanthropy teams can work together to improve the resident experience and drive organizational growth. They’ll also explore the importance of engaging external partners to attract charitable support, enrich resident life, and position your organization as a trusted resource. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to unlock growth, deepen stakeholder engagement, and increase community impact by building bridges at home and across the broader community.

Ke’o Velasquez

Corporate Director of Operations
Forefront Living
Dallas, TX, US
  • 76-B. Overcoming Supply Chain Hurdles in Senior Living

    • Sunday, October 25, 2026

    2:45 – 3:45 p.m.

    76-B. Overcoming Supply Chain Hurdles in Senior Living

    Nonprofit senior living organizations understand all too well how supply chain disruptions strain operations, leading to higher prices, operational disruptions, supply shortages, staff burnout, and dissatisfied residents. During this session, a representative from LeadingAge Gold Partner Value First will join LeadingAge members to share strategies for optimizing operations and overcoming supply chain hurdles. They’ll discuss the pros and cons of outsourcing operations; the impact of tariffs and workforce challenges; and how organizations can keep their supply chains open. Join the conversation to pinpoint supply chain and operational challenges and learn how your peers are tackling them.

Lindsey Viegut

Associate Executive Director
Eastcastle Place
Milwaukee, WI, US
  • 41-D. Design Strategies for Transformational Repositioning

    • Monday, October 26, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    41-D. Design Strategies for Transformational Repositioning

    Senior living providers share a common mission to serve the aging population, yet their approaches to repositioning their communities to meet that goal can vary widely. This session will feature two organizations that considered similar campus expansions but took very different paths after conducting collaborative design processes that incorporated the voices of diverse user groups. One community chose a campus refresh with renovations and new construction, while the other reallocated space on its urban site to meet immediate market demands while preparing for future construction. Join team members from both organizations to learn how their teams balanced financial constraints with stakeholder input and built consensus for final plans that suited each community.

Jill Vitale-Aussem

President and CEO
Christian Living Communities
Englewood, CO, USA
  • 21-I. From consumers into empowered citizens: Measuring the culture shift in senior living

    • Tuesday, October 27, 2026

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    21-I. From consumers into empowered citizens: Measuring the culture shift in senior living

    Christian Living Communities in Englewood, CO, has spent 15 years developing its Citizenship Modelu00ae to encourage residents to see themselves not only as consumers of housing and services but as active, empowered citizens of their senior living community. This session will present research on developing and validating a practical framework that measures this model across four key domains: purpose, inclusion, empowerment, and interpersonal connection. Presenters will offer guidance on implementing the model, discuss the development of assessment tools, share research findings, and demonstrate how organizations can use the results to advance meaningful, measurable culture change.