John Bassounas
- 9-I. A Mission-Aligned Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
9-I. A Mission-Aligned Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence
A Mission-Aligned Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence
Are you intrigued by the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) but concerned about adopting it responsibly? Let representatives from a life plan community walk you through the process they used to deploy AI while staying true to their nonprofit values. This session’s presenters will describe how they launched a structured, mission-aligned AI initiative to enhance the resident experience, improve workforce efficiency, and strengthen operational resilience. You’ll learn how they conducted visioning workshops, cross-departmental discovery sessions, and data-readiness assessments, and how they addressed governance, ethics, and long-term sustainability. By the end of this session, you’ll feel empowered to launch an ongoing, measurable, and responsible AI transformation at your organization.
Kim Beasley
- 114-F. Creative Programs That Connect Generations
Monday, October 26, 2026
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
114-F. Creative Programs That Connect Generations
Creative Programs That Connect Generations
Intergenerational programs and community partnerships can enhance the well-being of older adults across care settings. This session will introduce purpose-driven engagement options that improve residents’ quality of life and enable them to share their wisdom with younger generations. Presenters will describe a summer camp for teens and older adults that offers opportunities for connection and storytelling; a LEGO-based engagement initiative; and a classroom experience that enables college students to conduct research informed by older adults. You’ll learn how to develop and scale these purpose-driven practices by identifying the right community partners, tailoring engagement strategies to residents with diverse cognitive and physical abilities, and integrating engagement into daily life.
Dillon Beck
- 77-C. Building a Culture of Quality: The ELITE Quality Program
Sunday, October 25, 2026
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
77-C. Building a Culture of Quality: The ELITE Quality Program
Building a Culture of Quality: The ELITE Quality Program
A growing number of aging services organizations are building systems to consistently improve outcomes and experiences for the older adults they serve and their families. This session will showcase the ELITE Quality Program, a state-based initiative that helps organizations strengthen leadership alignment, embed continuous improvement practices, and build a strong culture of quality. Presenters will share how ELITE provides the foundational framework organizations need to proactively identify risks, improve quality and safety, and strengthen stakeholder confidence. You’ll gain practical insights from leaders who are implementing the program and learn strategies you can use to build sustainable systems that support exceptional care.
Daren Bell
- 132-L. Satellite Options: Could an Off-Site Location Work for You?
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
132-L. Satellite Options: Could an Off-Site Location Work for You?
Satellite Options: Could an Off-Site Location Work for You?
It’s no secret that the next generation of older adults seeks flexibility, lifestyle, and choice. Satellite campuses smaller, independent-living-focused communities near a flagship campus can help life plan communities meet these preferences and expand into desirable markets without building an on-site continuum of care. This session will explore the satellite campus trend, explain the strategic rationale for satellite developments, and assess their benefits and risks. Presenters will outline steps for evaluating satellite locations and assessing a project’s feasibility and market demand. You’ll learn how to leverage your organization’s brand, culture, and expertise across multiple sites, potentially opening new pathways to growth, revenue diversification, and enhanced market positioning.
Fred Bentley
- 58-L. CMMI Models: Can Your Organization ELEVATE, ACCESS, and LEAD?
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.
Karalyn Bere
- 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
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.
Evon Bergey
- 2-B. Build a Strategic Roadmap for AI Adoption
Sunday, October 25, 2026
2:45 – 3:45 p.m.
2-B. Build a Strategic Roadmap for AI Adoption
Build a Strategic Roadmap for AI Adoption
You’ve undoubtedly heard about the “transformative power” of Artificial Intelligence (AI). But what would an AI-fueled transformation look like for your organization, and what tools would you need to make it a reality? This session will guide you through a comprehensive, multi-week AI assessment to help your organization evaluate its technology maturity, identify quick wins, and build a realistic three-year AI roadmap. Three senior living providers will share strategies to help mid-size and smaller organizations use AI to manage change, expand internal capacity, and focus on outcomes for residents and staff. You’ll gain tools to adopt AI solutions gradually and in ways that fit your organization’s unique circumstances.
Vipin Bhardwaj
- 2-B. Build a Strategic Roadmap for AI Adoption
Sunday, October 25, 2026
2:45 – 3:45 p.m.
2-B. Build a Strategic Roadmap for AI Adoption
Build a Strategic Roadmap for AI Adoption
You’ve undoubtedly heard about the “transformative power” of Artificial Intelligence (AI). But what would an AI-fueled transformation look like for your organization, and what tools would you need to make it a reality? This session will guide you through a comprehensive, multi-week AI assessment to help your organization evaluate its technology maturity, identify quick wins, and build a realistic three-year AI roadmap. Three senior living providers will share strategies to help mid-size and smaller organizations use AI to manage change, expand internal capacity, and focus on outcomes for residents and staff. You’ll gain tools to adopt AI solutions gradually and in ways that fit your organization’s unique circumstances.
Tracy Biesecker
- 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.
Juliana Bilowich
- 39-C. The Housing Challenge: Building Resilience in Complex Times
- 92-A. Updates on Federal Funding and Policy
- 93-B. Affordable Senior Housing: The Federal Outlook
Sunday, October 25, 2026
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
39-C. The Housing Challenge: Building Resilience in Complex Times
The Housing Challenge: Building Resilience in Complex Times
Affordable housing developers often struggle to fulfill their missions as funding sources evolve, interest rates fluctuate, and compliance requirements grow more complex. This session will help providers navigate the challenges and opportunities shaping the sector today, including new federal initiatives, financing hurdles, and sustainability imperatives. Presenters will share insights into emerging financial trends reshaping project feasibility, long-term asset management, and organizational sustainability. They’ll offer practical strategies for responding to capital market shifts, restructuring deals, and leveraging new funding while maintaining transparency. You’ll be reminded that resilience in affordable housing requires both innovation and a firm purpose and you’ll gain the tools to achieve both.
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.
Sunday, October 25, 2026
2:45 – 3:45 p.m.
93-B. Affordable Senior Housing: The Federal Outlook
Affordable Senior Housing: The Federal Outlook
The affordable housing crisis is intensifying across America. This session will focus on the challenges and opportunities facing mission-driven housing providers seeking to support older adults with low incomes who want to age in the community. Presenters will offer insights into the ever-changing landscape of federal affordable housing programs for older adults. They’ll also review developments in subsidized multifamily housing, including significant new federal funding for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, potential threats to federal rental assistance programs, and reductions in funding for supportive services and benefits. Let LeadingAge housing experts guide you as you work to achieve your affordable housing mission.
Brian Black
- 31-H. Affiliation Strategies that Balance Autonomy with Collaboration
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
31-H. Affiliation Strategies that Balance Autonomy with Collaboration
Affiliation Strategies that Balance Autonomy with Collaboration
Affiliation can help nonprofit senior living organizations achieve long-term sustainability, foster innovation, and remain true to their core mission and values amid today’s operational challenges. This session will explore the affiliation process that united two life plan communities under a shared governance structure while preserving their individual identities. Presenters will outline steps for building a successful affiliation, including establishing a robust legal and governance framework, drafting bylaws that reflect shared values and priorities, and addressing board composition and responsibilities. Whether you’re considering affiliation, engaged in partnership talks, or refining an existing relationship, you’ll learn how to build an affiliation that promotes stability, improves services, and ensures long-term success.
Haleigh Blackburn
- 82-F. Early Warning: Using Proactive Risk Awareness to Delay Decline
Monday, October 26, 2026
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
82-F. Early Warning: Using Proactive Risk Awareness to Delay Decline
Early Warning: Using Proactive Risk Awareness to Delay Decline
Providers of aging services face increasing pressure to help residents and clients maintain their highest level of wellness in the most appropriate, lowest-cost setting. Unfortunately, subtle health and functional changes often go unnoticed until decline triggers care transitions. This session will show you how to delay residents’ decline by shifting from reactive care management to proactive risk awareness. Presenters will explain how everyday observations, care documentation, and caregiver insights can help care teams identify emerging health issues and intervene earlier to prevent unnecessary transitions. They’ll also offer strategies for managing unavoidable care transitions more effectively. You’ll understand why earlier risk awareness is becoming a foundational capability for sustainable, person-centered care.