Evon Bergey

Vice President of Operations/ COO
Landis Communities
Lititz, PA
  • 53-A. Senior Living: Revitalizing and Energizing Communities

    • Sunday, October 27, 2024

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    53-A. Senior Living: Revitalizing and Energizing Communities

    Nonprofit senior living organizations are redefining themselves as catalysts that revitalize and energize the communities in which they operate. This session will explore how Landis Communities has taken steps to revitalize and energize its Lancaster County, PA community. Presenters will describe how the organization’s affiliation strategy fueled its sustainability in a community it has served for over a century. They’ll explain how Landis Communities developed a satellite middle-market product and how it adopted a more holistic approach to dementia care so it could serve people with cognitive impairment who are living in their own homes. Review the historical evolution of this nonprofit senior living organization and learn from its example how your organization can remain relevant, robust, and innovative.

Adam Berman

President
Legacy Lifecare
Chelsea, MA
  • 89-B. Accelerate Improvement through Collaborative Learning

    • Sunday, October 27, 2024

    2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

    89-B. Accelerate Improvement through Collaborative Learning

    Legacy Lifecare is a network of charitable, nonprofit senior care organizations with a common managerial infrastructure. Founded in 2018 by Chelsea Jewish Lifecare and JGS Lifecare, the network gives its nonprofit affiliates access to managerial resources usually available only to large, proprietary organizations. This session will explore how the Legacy Lifecare Management System takes a collaborative learning and continuous improvement approach to connecting each organization’s mission with its strategic direction. Presenters will offer guidance to help you analyze how your organization does its work, find new ways to collaborate internally and externally and adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Get an up-close view of how operational expertise and continuous improvement methodologies can help your organization address complex challenges.

Jim Bettendorf

President & CEO
Vista Prairie Communities
Champlin, MN
  • 47-H. Giving Board Members an Incentive to Serve

    • Tuesday, October 29, 2024

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    47-H. Giving Board Members an Incentive to Serve

    Nonprofit providers of aging services require strong and capable boards of directors to help them make crucial decisions about the future of their organizations. Unfortunately, providers are finding it increasingly difficult to attract and recruit community leaders, stakeholders, and experts to serve on their boards. Some organizations have addressed this challenge by using incentives to help recruit, retain, and engage board members and trustees. This session will explore how incentive-based recruitment can help organizations strengthen their governance. LeadingAge members will share their experiences with incentive-based recruitment models, describe the difference incentives have made in the governance of their organizations, and share the lessons they learned along the way.

Vipin Bhardwaj

CEO
NuAIg
Edison, NJ
  • 9-H. Embracing Innovation through a Tech Center of Excellence

    • Tuesday, October 29, 2024

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    9-H. Embracing Innovation through a Tech Center of Excellence

    How can an aging services organization create a mechanism for continuous innovation through new technology? Establishing a Center of Excellence (COE) could be an excellent first step. This session will explore the role of COEs in long-term digital transformation planning. Presenters will delve into the pivotal role that artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and analytics play in helping providers overcome staffing shortages, caregiver burnout, operational inefficiencies, software interoperability, and insufficient returns on investment. Join this session to learn how to develop a long-term digital transformation plan that analyzes the current technology landscape, explores the impact of emerging technology, and integrates new technologies into your organization.

Juliana Bilowich

Director, Housing Operations & Policy
LeadingAge
Washington, DC

LeaAnn Blanchard

Executive Director
The Orchards at Southington
Southington, CT
  • 43-D. How to Lead Your Organization Through Polarizing Situations

    • Monday, October 28, 2024

    8:15 – 9:15 a.m.

    43-D. How to Lead Your Organization Through Polarizing Situations

    Effective decision-makers in aging services recognize that diverse perspectives can help their organizations navigate the complex challenges they face. In this session, coaches from the LeadingAge Connecticut Leadership Academy will define contrasting yet interrelated viewpoints called polarities that leaders must recognize and manage so they can foster a resilient culture in their organizations. Presenters will show you how to lead your teams through polarizing situations by inviting opposing perspectives and outcomes. Learn how to use polarities to manage opposing forces, make effective decisions, and welcome diversity of thought. You’ll return home with a new appreciation for the inherent complexity of issues and the value of balancing multiple perspectives.

Ben Blankenship

Executive Director
Westminster Village West Lafayette
West Lafayette, IN
  • 97-I. How Do You Maximize Resident Satisfaction and Boost Outcomes? Ask Them!

    • Tuesday, October 29, 2024

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    97-I. How Do You Maximize Resident Satisfaction and Boost Outcomes? Ask Them!

    Delighted residents help senior living organizations achieve positive business outcomes, including higher referral and move-in rates. This session will show you how to increase your chances of delighting residents by implementing a satisfaction research initiative that uses feedback surveys to listen and respond to the collective voice of residents and family members. You’ll learn how to engage residents in the survey process, use survey results to identify top improvement opportunities, and make changes that matter most to residents. Representatives who achieved 100% participation and exceptional satisfaction scores on resident surveys will give you advice on engaging residents in the feedback process and responding to survey findings with sincerity, purpose, and transparency.

Tracy Blaubach

VP Human Resources
Cedar Community
West Bend, WI
  • 146-H. Three Ingredients for an Engaged Workforce

    • Tuesday, October 29, 2024

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    146-H. Three Ingredients for an Engaged Workforce

    Aging services providers won’t achieve a stable workforce unless they make sure employees are engaged in their organization’s culture. In this session, professionals in the field of aging services will identify the ingredients for promoting that engagement: people, place, and technology. A human resource professional will explain how Cedar Community in West Bend, WI, nurtures a culture of belonging among the people who work there. An architect will explore how the design of physical space can foster employee engagement. Finally, a representative of WeCare Connect will show you how to use technology to collect employee feedback that could lead to organizational change. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to make employee engagement a priority in your organization.

Susan Bogan

Co-CEO
AgePop
Overland Park, KS
  • 81-H. Targeted Digital Media: The Secret to Marketing Success

    • Tuesday, October 29, 2024

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    81-H. Targeted Digital Media: The Secret to Marketing Success

    John Knox Village, a life plan community in Kansas City, MO, has succeeded in increasing the engagement of prospective residents, optimizing lead quality, increasing sales, and boosting marketing results. During this session, the community’s sales and marketing team will share the secret to its success: advanced technology and targeted digital media. Marketing and financing experts will join the conversation to describe how senior living communities nationwide can use technology tools and digital landscape navigation to generate leads, foster engagement, and guide prospects through the sales cycle. Presenters will also share lessons to help you equip and train your sales team to leverage the power of technology.

Suzy Booker

Board Chair
Presbyterian Homes of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN
  • 69-I. Changing Course on the Way to a Successful Affiliation

    • Tuesday, October 29, 2024

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    69-I. Changing Course on the Way to a Successful Affiliation

    Think there’s only one path for a struggling senior living system seeking an affiliation with another organization? Think again. During this session, representatives of LeadingAge Gold Partner Ziegler will share the experiences of one organization that changed course in the middle of its search for affiliation so it could reassess and address operational challenges more deeply. Presenters will walk you through the organization’s affiliation process, point out the pivot points that signaled the need for a mid-course correction, and identify strategies that ultimately led to success. Learn the steps the organization took to “right the ship,” including the critical conversations its leaders had with residents and team members.

Megan Bradford

VP, Middle Market & Ministry
Episcopal Retirement Services
Cincinnati, OH
  • 62-F. Serving the Middle Market: How to Expand Your Mission

    • Monday, October 28, 2024

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    62-F. Serving the Middle Market: How to Expand Your Mission

    Most older adults are “stuck in the middle.” They have too many assets to qualify for affordable housing but insufficient resources to be eligible for a traditional life plan community. Senior living providers can correct this disparity. During this session, experts in the senior living, financial, and development fields will share a variety of best practices for creating a financially viable life plan community that serves the needs of middle-income older adults. You’ll learn about creative financing solutions you can use to grow your portfolio and best practices for planning, constructing, and operating middle-market communities. Discover how to serve a more comprehensive economic range of consumers while maintaining the quality for which you are known.

Karen Brandt

VP of People
Transforming Age
Bellevue, WA
  • 152-L. How to Rally Your Team Around a Culture of Excellence

    • Wednesday, October 30, 2024

    11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    152-L. How to Rally Your Team Around a Culture of Excellence

    “Organizational culture” can be an overused, theoretical term that is often misunderstood. During this session, aging services providers from Washington State will clarify your understanding of culture and increase your appreciation for its role in your organization. Representatives of Parkshore Senior Living in Seattle will share their formula for building a great employee experience by rallying team members around a Culture of Excellence. The vice president of people at Transforming Age in Bellevue will describe how senior leaders can influence that Culture of Excellence by promoting authenticity, transparency, mission orientation, communication, and trust. Gain practical tools for activating your Culture of Excellence through everyday business practices, including hiring, onboarding, and mentoring.