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 national 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.
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.
Paul Blymire
- 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
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.
Susan Bogan
- 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.
Ted Bolles
- 41-D. Design Strategies for Transformational Repositioning
Monday, October 26, 2026
8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
41-D. Design Strategies for Transformational Repositioning
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.
Alice Bonner
- 142-H. A Collaborative Strategy for Developing the CNA Workforce
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
142-H. A Collaborative Strategy for Developing the CNA Workforce
A Collaborative Strategy for Developing the CNA Workforce
Educators, providers, policymakers, and workforce leaders nationwide are rethinking how aging services providers recruit, train, support, and retain frontline caregivers. This session will highlight this collaborative effort. Presenters will describe a recent national meeting that examined the potential for multi-state collaboration to standardize certified nursing assistant (CNA) career pathways through state-based Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Programs. They’ll share lessons learned from convening stakeholders across education, workforce development, aging services, finance, policy, and care delivery systems to discuss workforce solutions. You’ll discover how stakeholder collaboration can drive system-wide changes in policy, practice, and workforce development.