Rod Wendt

Resident
Piper Shores
Scarborough, ME
  • 63-F. Two Campuses, One Community: The Piper Shores Story

    • Monday, October 28, 2024

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    63-F. Two Campuses, One Community: The Piper Shores Story

    Piper Shores, Maine’s first and only nonprofit life plan community, experienced solid growth, impressive financial performance, and positive Fitch ratings during its first 21 years of operations. After evaluating the community’s long-term stability, the Piper Shores board of directors and senior management decided that it made sense to expand the organization by building a new 45-acre campus called The Meadows across the street. This session will showcase the strategic, development, financial, and operational plans that preceded this major expansion. Presenters will share how they made decisions about the expansion and how residents worked together to build a sense of community across two campuses.

Marsha Wesley Coleman

Dir of Leadership Development & Training
Friends Services Alliance
Blue Bell, PA
  • 26-A. Helping Frontline Caregivers Navigate Microaggressions

    • Sunday, October 27, 2024

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    26-A. Helping Frontline Caregivers Navigate Microaggressions

    Many frontline professional caregivers have experienced microaggressions at one time or another while working in senior living organizations. These everyday slights, insults, and putdowns generally come from well-intentioned individuals who may be unaware they have engaged in demeaning ways. Intended or not, microaggressions can profoundly impact individuals across a wide range of identities. This session will delve into the nature of microaggressions and offer actionable strategies to help individuals and leaders address them. Presenters will demonstrate a mindfulness technique that helps professional caregivers proactively address and cope with microaggressions. You’ll return home better able to recognize the manifestations and impact of microaggressions and create a proactive and supportive environment for frontline caregivers in your organization.

Ian Wiesner

Senior Vice President of Facilities Advancement
Presbyterian Villages of Michigan
Southfield, MI
  • 95-H. Developing New Section 202 Housing: A Primer for Providers

    • Tuesday, October 29, 2024

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    95-H. Developing New Section 202 Housing: A Primer for Providers

    Looking for ways to develop affordable housing through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 202 program? Then this session is for you. A financing expert and housing consultant will walk you through the Section 202 application process, explain scoring criteria, review estimated timelines, and examine the variety of financing sources that can come together to fill out a project’s capital stack. Presenters will pay special attention to the benefits of combining Federal Housing Administration-insured 221(d)(4) debt with a new Section 202 Capital Advance and the importance of the RAD for PRAC Conversion program in structuring new Section 202 developments. Learn how owners and developers have used the Preservation Rent Increase to overcome gaps in funding or reduce deferred developer fee requirements.

Ty Wiggins

Global Lead, CEO and Transitions Practice
Russell Reynolds Associates
  • 46-G. How to Excel as a New C-Suite Leader

    • Tuesday, October 29, 2024

    8:15 – 9:15 a.m.

    46-G. How to Excel as a New C-Suite Leader

    Becoming a C-suite leader can be an exciting and daunting career milestone. Rising leaders may have proven themselves to be exceptional and trustworthy mid-level managers. Still, they may be unfamiliar with how to carry out unique C-suite responsibilities like growing and developing their team, delegating appropriately, and nurturing relationships with horizontal colleagues. This session will offer guidance on how C-suite leaders can adopt a learning orientation that allows them to develop the social capital they need to thrive. Ty Wiggins, an expert in leadership transitions and executive onboarding, will offer session participants the advice, support, and insight they need to excel as they carry out their new C-Suite responsibilities.

Sonya Williams

Recreational Therapist
A.G. Rhodes Health & Rehab Cobb
Marietta, GA
  • 113-I. Community Partnerships That Advance Person-Directed Care

    • Tuesday, October 29, 2024

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    113-I. Community Partnerships That Advance Person-Directed Care

    How can providers of aging services develop mutually beneficial community partnerships that enhance resident engagement, encourage team building, and expand volunteer opportunities? This session will show you how. Representatives of A.G. Rhodes in Atlanta, GA, will describe how they partnered with a youth development organization to create an intergenerational program that could fit any organization’s structure and goals. Presenters will identify factors that make for a thriving community partnership and offer tips for incorporating the principles of person-directed care into volunteer programs. You’ll be surprised by how you can enhance quality of life for residents and employees by being more intentional about forming meaningful partnerships with other community-based organizations.

Jen Wilson

Vice President of Well-Being
Carol Woods Retirement Community
Chapel Hill, NC
  • 35-I. How Dementia Care Can Intersect with Your DEI Strategy

    • Tuesday, October 29, 2024

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    35-I. How Dementia Care Can Intersect with Your DEI Strategy

    Diversity of cognitive ability and care is often overlooked as an important component of organizational DEI efforts. What if we intentionally embraced diversity, equity, and inclusion when supporting residents living with cognitive change? This session will explore how discrimination in favor of people who do not have disabilities (ableism) affects how people with dementia view themselves and how they are perceived. Together we will explore how to acknowledge personal biases in dementia care and view dementia through the lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and ableism. You’ll hear the voices of people with dementia and their care partners and be invited to consider how their lived experiences could inform your overall approach to dementia care.

Max Winters

Senior Designer
RLPS Architects
Lancaster, 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.

Jonna Wisnieski

Director of Market Research
LCS
Des Moines, IA
  • 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.

Robin Wolzenburg

Vice President of Housing & Clinical Services
LeadingAge Wisconsin
Madison, WI
  • 136-A. Resettlement Agencies: Partners in Workforce Development

    • Sunday, October 27, 2024

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    136-A. Resettlement Agencies: Partners in Workforce Development

    The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that there were 108.4 million displaced people and 35.3 million refugees worldwide at the end of 2021. More than 60,000 refugees entered the United States in 2023 alone, and the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that migration will be the primary driver of our nation’s population growth by 2030. This session will explore how providers of aging services can recruit members of growing migrant and refugee populations to fill the millions of direct caregiver openings projected for the coming decade. Presenters will share strategies for hiring and training migrants and refugees by establishing formal partnerships with refugee resettlement agencies. Learn how to prepare your organization for a new, robust pipeline of caregivers.

Michelle Wooley

Director of Philanthropy
Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community Inc
Asheville, NC
  • 67-H. Building Housing and Engagement through Partnerships

    • Tuesday, October 29, 2024

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    67-H. Building Housing and Engagement through Partnerships

    When Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community decided to build affordable housing in its hometown of Asheville, NC, it didn’t go it alone. Instead, Deerfield forged an innovative partnership with Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. Together, the two organizations coordinated the construction of 10 safe, affordable, well-built homes that received global recognition for design excellence. This session will highlight Deerfield’s innovative collaboration, how that collaboration promoted volunteerism and intergenerational engagement, and how the partners plan to continue impacting the Asheville community. You’ll take home actionable strategies for replicating this successful program and exploring the advantages of intergenerational and interfaith collaboration.

Kera Wooten

Executive Director
Westminster at Lake Ridge
Lake Ridge, VA
  • 96-I. Guiding Residents through the Life Plan Continuum

    • Tuesday, October 29, 2024

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    96-I. Guiding Residents through the Life Plan Continuum

    Nonprofit life plan communities provide residents with peace of mind about their physical, emotional, and financial futures. So why do so many life plan community residents choose to age in independent living? This session will feature life plan communities that guide independent living residents through the continuum while valuing their right to decide where they will live. Presenters will review the elements of an Independent Living Transition Strategy featuring a structured resident review process, voluntary health assessments, collaboration with external professionals, and education sessions for prospective and current residents. Learn how to ensure that you can offer current residents the support they need to thrive, welcome new residents, and preserve the long-term sustainability of your care and services.

Jack York

Founder/Chief Story Teller
TaleGate
Highlands Ranch, CO
  • 6-F. Harnessing Technology to Bring Joy to Dementia Care

    • Monday, October 28, 2024

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    6-F. Harnessing Technology to Bring Joy to Dementia Care

    Personalized engagement technology can help providers of aging services create moments of joy, connection, and stimulation for individuals living with dementia. This session will introduce you to a variety of dementia-friendly technologies, including resident engagement systems, robotic animals, virtual reality, and exergames. An aging services provider, neuroscientist, and technology vendor will share scientific research exploring the pivotal role these technologies can play in improving quality of life, mood, engagement, and frustration levels among people with dementia. Presenters will offer practical strategies to help you select and implement engagement technologies, measure success, and address problems as they arise.

  • 77-D. Transform your Brand Experience with Storytelling

    • Monday, October 28, 2024

    8:15 – 9:15 a.m.

    77-D. Transform your Brand Experience with Storytelling

    Does your brand spark feelings of connection and authenticity? If not, you may be spending too much time focusing on your logo and tagline and not enough time listening to the human-interest stories living within your senior living community. Those stories can convince prospective residents and employees that something special is happening within your walls. This session will explore how older adult storytelling can captivate audiences and encourage deeper engagement with your brand, especially when those stories go viral on social media. Presenters will give you practical strategies for harnessing the storytelling potential of residents in your community and showcasing the authenticity that today’s buyers crave.