Michael Rethage

Chief Operating Officer
Uniguest
Nashville, TN, USA
  • 5-D. Using Technology to Foster Meaningful Relationships

    • Monday, November 03, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    5-D. Using Technology to Foster Meaningful Relationships

    Research suggests that strong social connections can help reduce loneliness and depression, ease emotional challenges, support cognitive function, and enhance life satisfaction and fulfillment. This session will showcase how technology engagement platforms facilitate these vital connections in senior living communities by providing opportunities for meaningful interactions, offering residents personalized content, and encouraging their active participation in community events. You’ll learn about the steps taken by other communities to implement these platforms and how residents use them. Take home tools to help your team create a stronger, more connected community that nurtures meaningful relationships among residents, their peers, and team members.

Iris Rilea

Executive Director
Villa Maria Manor
Nashville, TN, USA
  • 118-H. Modernizing Your Approach to Affordable Housing Operations

    • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    118-H. Modernizing Your Approach to Affordable Housing Operations

    Affordable housing providers will soon be required to navigate significant changes in the rules governing who lives in federally subsidized communities, the federal rental assistance each household receives, and how providers communicate with, screen, and accommodate applicants and residents. This session will encourage you to view these upcoming changes as opportunities for modernization and optimization. Presenters will introduce effective practices to help you achieve the mission of affordable housing while adhering to new rules and policies. They will discuss mission-driven approaches to implementing the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA), recommend adjustments to criminal background screening, and help you foster positive resident outcomes and streamline workflows for housing staff.

Marcus Riley

Chairman
Ballycara Retirement Living Complex
Redcliffe, QLD, Australia
  • 98-H. International Perspectives: Ageing Stages Aligning Healthspan and Lifespan

    • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    98-H. International Perspectives: Ageing Stages Aligning Healthspan and Lifespan

    Imagine a future in which health span the years an individual spends free of significant disease or disability aligns more closely with a person’s lifespan. During this session, presenters from Australia and the United States will unveil new, previously undefined stages of ageing and explore how an understanding of these stages could guide you in implementing innovative care solutions and forward-thinking policies that address the biological, social, and psychological changes that older people experience. You’ll gain a new perspective on aging that will help you challenge traditional care models and create new opportunities for your organization and the people it serves.

Martin Rix

CEO
Belong
Nantwich, UK
  • 125-A. International Perspectives: Lessons from Household Care Models

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    125-A. International Perspectives: Lessons from Household Care Models

    In 2023, Australia’s HammondCare, the United Kingdom’s Belong Group, and The Green House Project in the United States established the Household Model International Consortium to promote the benefits of small-scale congregate settings for older adults. During this session, representatives from the consortium’s three founding members will share the history of the household model and discuss its physical design and operational philosophy. Presenters will highlight key features of the household model, including privacy, connections to nature and the outdoors, consistent staff assignments, fresh food, and a care model that places residents at the center of every decision. You’ll learn strategies for incorporating household model design and operational principles into your operations, even if large-scale renovations or new construction aren’t feasible for your organization.

Kendra Roberts

Vice President of Operations
HumanGood Inc.
Duarte, CA, USA
  • 26-K. Mentorship: The Key to Developing Your Next Leaders

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

    26-K. Mentorship: The Key to Developing Your Next Leaders

    Senior living organizations must cultivate skilled, compassionate, and forward-thinking leaders to meet the growing demand for quality care and innovative solutions. Mentors seasoned professionals who help mentees navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and grow personally and professionally are the cornerstone of any initiative aimed at achieving this goal. This session will provide tools for structuring mentorship programs that align with organizational goals and emphasize measurable outcomes like leadership readiness and employee retention. Presenters will explore strategies for establishing sustainable leadership pipelines by identifying and nurturing leadership potential within diverse teams, creating inclusive pathways for growth, and addressing barriers to leadership opportunities.

Keith Robertson

Managing Director
Ziegler
New York, NY
  • 44-C. Expanding an Affordable Housing Community to Reach the Middle Market

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    44-C. Expanding an Affordable Housing Community to Reach the Middle Market

    West Hartford Fellowship Housing is implementing a comprehensive campus expansion which will broaden its mission to meet the needs of middle-market consumers. Presenters will outline steps the Connecticut-based housing provider has taken to protect the rights of current residents and preserve existing lower rent structures while also serving a slightly different income demographic. They’ll share architectural design strategies that helped reduce the cost of new construction and a multi-source financing plan that incorporates Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and existing federal subsidies. Whether you’re a seasoned affordable housing provider or new to the field, this session will equip you to reach new middle- and lower-middle markets.

  • 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.

Geert Roggeman

Managing Director, Het Heiveld
City of Ghent Public Services
Gent, Belgium
  • 136-J. International Perspectives: Providing “Invisible” Care for Urban Older Adults

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    136-J. International Perspectives: Providing “Invisible” Care for Urban Older Adults

    Providers of public services for the ageing in the city of Ghent, Belgium, are taking steps to shift aged care back to local communities from large, centralized care settings. This session will explore how older adults, neighborhood residents, service providers, and policymakers in Ghent are coming together to investigate how providers might offer “invisible” aged care that fits seamlessly within the surrounding community. Their model would enable older people to live in staffed, small-scale houses near community centres offering additional amenities like green spaces, on-site grocery stores, restaurants, and childcare for neighborhood residents. Discover what it will take to implement a model that involves “giving care back to the community and bringing the community into care.”

Jack Rollins

Director, Federal Policy
National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD)
Washington, DC, 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.

Tess Romain

President
Partners Community Health

Aline Russotto

Executive Director
Orchard Cove
Canton, MA, USA
  • 85-J. Let Residents and Team Members Reimagine the Continuum

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    85-J. Let Residents and Team Members Reimagine the Continuum

    Orchard Cove, a life plan community in Canton, MA, began reimagining its continuum of care in early 2021 in response to sweeping changes in the field of aging, feedback from residents, and business priorities. This session will detail the organization’s planning and implementation process, led by a multidisciplinary group of team members and residents. Presenters will describe how the Orchard Cove team developed a health and well-being navigation program, actively promoted the well-being of residents and team members, reimagined skilled nursing, and introduced a new array of services to maximize independence and enhance quality of life. You’ll gain valuable insights to help you engage with stakeholders as you launch a similar process.

Susan Ryan

President & CEO
AgingIN (formerly Center for Innovation)
Linthicum, MD, United States
  • 125-A. International Perspectives: Lessons from Household Care Models

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    125-A. International Perspectives: Lessons from Household Care Models

    In 2023, Australia’s HammondCare, the United Kingdom’s Belong Group, and The Green House Project in the United States established the Household Model International Consortium to promote the benefits of small-scale congregate settings for older adults. During this session, representatives from the consortium’s three founding members will share the history of the household model and discuss its physical design and operational philosophy. Presenters will highlight key features of the household model, including privacy, connections to nature and the outdoors, consistent staff assignments, fresh food, and a care model that places residents at the center of every decision. You’ll learn strategies for incorporating household model design and operational principles into your operations, even if large-scale renovations or new construction aren’t feasible for your organization.

Colleen Ryan Mallon

Vice President of Marketing and Advancement
Frasier
Boulder, CO, USA
  • 55-K. Finding New Places Where Your Organization Can Grow

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

    55-K. Finding New Places Where Your Organization Can Grow

    Growth is the most effective strategy for nonprofit organizations seeking long-term sustainability in the senior living sector. But where should you establish a new project, and which senior living offering will best meet the needs of older adults in your chosen locale? This session will help you tackle the formidable task of identifying and prioritizing new locations where your organization can grow. Presenters will guide you to think strategically about potential sites for new growth and show you how to use data tools to prioritize where to conduct detailed site searches and market analyses. You’ll also learn to leverage market-driven information to select the type of project most likely to succeed in your chosen area.