David Lafferty

CIO
The RiverWoods Group
Durham, NH, US
  • 15-L. Using Technology to Meet Immediate and Long-Term Goals

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

    15-L. Using Technology to Meet Immediate and Long-Term Goals

    Should aging services providers view technology as a strategic imperative that drives innovation and long-term growth, or as a tactical solution for addressing immediate operational challenges? This session will explore these questions, and the answers may surprise you. Presenters will suggest that the digital revolution presents an unprecedented opportunity for aging services organizations to integrate technology into their core vision, enabling them to transform operations, improve care quality, and ensure long-term sustainability. Additionally, these technologies can serve as tactical solutions that help organizations address specific operational challenges, resulting in immediate and measurable improvements. Discover how to take an integrated, strategic approach to deploying technology solutions that can support long-term transformation and innovation while meeting immediate needs.

Kim LaFountain

Director of Health and Wellness
Dunwoody Village
Newtown Square, PA, USA
  • 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.

Laura Lamb

President & CEO
Episcopal Retirement Services
Cincinnati, OH, USA

Morgan Lamphere

Senior Director of Communications, Marketing, and Sales
The Kendal Corporation
Newark, DE, US
  • 62-B. Crafting Messages that Advance Age and Ability Inclusion

    • Sunday, October 25, 2026

    2:45 – 3:45 p.m.

    62-B. Crafting Messages that Advance Age and Ability Inclusion

    Senior living marketing and communications professionals often rely on unrealistic stock photos and messaging that idealize “super agers” while ignoring the diverse realities of aging. These choices, whether intentional or not, reinforce narrow, often damaging stereotypes about how older adults should look, live, and behave. This session will examine the drivers of ageist and ableist messaging and the risks these biases pose to older adults and the aging services field. Presenters will share strategies and practical tools to help you audit your current communications materials, identify and correct harmful biases, and build campaigns rooted in authenticity, respect, and representation. You’ll learn to craft messages that resonate more deeply with your target markets.

Christin Lampkowski

Emerging Technologies Librarian
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC, US
  • 4-D. Can Technology Advance Compassion in Hospice Care?

    • Monday, October 26, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    4-D. Can Technology Advance Compassion in Hospice Care?

    The quality of hospice care depends heavily on caregivers’ relational skills. Yet hospice caregivers often face emotional fatigue, communication challenges, and varying levels of preparedness. This session will explore how hospice staff training can leverage emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR), to enhance caregiver empathy, strengthen communication and connection with patients and families, and improve the patient experience. Presenters will share a case study of one hospice agency’s journey from technology exploration to implementation. You’ll learn how to create a technology implementation roadmap, explore evidence-based strategies for using AI and VR, and consider ethical concerns and safeguards for deploying technology in sensitive care settings.

Cheryl Lampkowski-Sowle

AVP Home Health and Hospice
Otterbein SeniorLife
Lebanon, OH, US
  • 4-D. Can Technology Advance Compassion in Hospice Care?

    • Monday, October 26, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    4-D. Can Technology Advance Compassion in Hospice Care?

    The quality of hospice care depends heavily on caregivers’ relational skills. Yet hospice caregivers often face emotional fatigue, communication challenges, and varying levels of preparedness. This session will explore how hospice staff training can leverage emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR), to enhance caregiver empathy, strengthen communication and connection with patients and families, and improve the patient experience. Presenters will share a case study of one hospice agency’s journey from technology exploration to implementation. You’ll learn how to create a technology implementation roadmap, explore evidence-based strategies for using AI and VR, and consider ethical concerns and safeguards for deploying technology in sensitive care settings.

Teffie Landmann

Director of Dementia-Friendly Experience
Landis Communities
Lititz, PA, USA
  • 102-J. Balancing Autonomy and Safety for People with Dementia

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    102-J. Balancing Autonomy and Safety for People with Dementia

    Many residential care settings are reevaluating traditional views about the relationship between resident safety and autonomy. This session will outline practical decision-making frameworks that can help your organization determine the best approach to providing services and supports to older adults living with dementia. Presenters will incorporate the perspectives of various stakeholders as they explore options for honoring residents’ autonomy through the built environment, operations, and technology. You’ll hear from two organizations currently weighing their options as they decide how best to serve older people living with dementia. Attend this session to gain tools not pat answers to help you make thoughtful, responsible, and respectful decisions that benefit the older adults you serve.

Brett Landrum

CEO
Procare HR
Minneapolis, MN, US
  • 97-D. Navigating M&A: The Critical Role of Insurance

    • Monday, October 26, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    97-D. Navigating M&A: The Critical Role of Insurance

    As mergers and acquisitions (M&A) continue to reshape the senior living landscape, organizations need specialized knowledge and tools to navigate these complex transactions. During this session, a representative from LeadingAge Gold Partner EPIC Senior Living will review the M&A due diligence process and highlight the critical role insurance plays in protecting buyers and sellers by uncovering hidden liabilities and ensuring coverage continuity throughout the transaction lifecycle. Whether your organization is expanding, consolidating, or exploring strategic partnerships, this session will help you make informed decisions that safeguard your mission, residents, and financial future.

Meg LaPorte

Co-Founder
Art Against Ageism
  • 62-B. Crafting Messages that Advance Age and Ability Inclusion

    • Sunday, October 25, 2026

    2:45 – 3:45 p.m.

    62-B. Crafting Messages that Advance Age and Ability Inclusion

    Senior living marketing and communications professionals often rely on unrealistic stock photos and messaging that idealize “super agers” while ignoring the diverse realities of aging. These choices, whether intentional or not, reinforce narrow, often damaging stereotypes about how older adults should look, live, and behave. This session will examine the drivers of ageist and ableist messaging and the risks these biases pose to older adults and the aging services field. Presenters will share strategies and practical tools to help you audit your current communications materials, identify and correct harmful biases, and build campaigns rooted in authenticity, respect, and representation. You’ll learn to craft messages that resonate more deeply with your target markets.

Traci Larson

CEO/President and Partner of Global Care Recruiters
Guardian Angels Senior Services
Elk River, MN, US
  • 140-B. International Perspectives: Creating Pipelines for Foreign-Born Workers

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    2:45 – 3:45 p.m.

    140-B. International Perspectives: Creating Pipelines for Foreign-Born Workers

    The demand for qualified caregivers is rising worldwide, and workforce shortages in aged care are intensifying. Domestic solutions are critical, but the aged care sector must also embrace innovative global partnerships. This session will examine how providers in Minnesota are working with the Kenyan State Department of Diaspora Affairs to create sustainable pipelines for foreign-born workers. Discover how similar initiatives can strengthen the U.S. healthcare workforce, enhance global skillsets, and improve healthcare outcomes. You’ll learn the steps necessary to engage in international recruitment, navigate complex immigration systems, and foster partnerships that prioritize workforce needs and advance global healthcare.

James Larson

Managing Director – Healthcare Consulting
Forvis Mazars
Atlanta, GA, USA
  • 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.

David Lawlor

Chief Financial Officer and President, Management & Consulting Division
Masonicare
Wallingford, CT, US
  • 44-E. Secure Your Future: Restructure and Reimagine

    • Monday, October 26, 2026

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    44-E. Secure Your Future: Restructure and Reimagine

    Executive teams update their strategic plans annually to refine the traditional continuum model they’ve offered for decades. These organizations now face unprecedented challenges as more for-profit developers enter the field, consumer preferences shift, and government payments decline. Tweaking the continuum won’t be enough to secure the future. Instead, this session will show you how to restructure your organization and reimagine the continuum. Presenters will offer guidance on selling or repurposing assets to advance your mission, collaborating with and learning from investors, restructuring your debt, and addressing your legal issues. Let a turnaround manager and an investment banker help you develop an achievable restructuring plan that will appeal to investors and secure your organization’s future.