Jennifer Sodo

Senior Living Market Leader
Eppstein Uhen Architects
Milwaukee, WI, USA
  • 127-C. Refresh and Expand Your Independent Living Offerings

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    127-C. Refresh and Expand Your Independent Living Offerings

    Enhancing the independent living options on your campus could help keep your organization competitive in today’s market. This session will show you how. The chief administrative officer of a multi-site organization will discuss how their organization is diversifying its independent living offerings to include standalone ranch homes, duplexes, converted loft residences, and conventional apartments. An architect will review design trends and considerations for various price points. A financing expert will outline how to model and evaluate different independent living options. Whether you’re facing low occupancy in older inventory or exploring new options to meet growing demand, you’ll leave this session with fresh ideas for strategic campus planning.

Maddie Spearman

Attorney
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings
Nashville, TN, USA
  • 109-C. SNF Regulations: Get the Clarity You Need to Succeed

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    109-C. SNF Regulations: Get the Clarity You Need to Succeed

    Regulatory changes and survey trends impact all skilled nursing facilities (SNF) across the nation. This session will review and evaluate significant regulatory developments from the past year. Presenters will provide updates on the minimum staffing standards and other long-term care regulations. They will also identify current survey trends by reviewing the top survey citations issued regionally and nationally. Throughout the session, you’ll be encouraged to discuss common regulatory challenges in skilled nursing and share best practices related to regulatory developments and survey trends. You’ll also learn how to anticipate and prepare for future regulatory developments and surveys.

Mary Cate Spires

Vice President of Marketing & Digital Strategy
The Arbor Company
Atlanta, GA, USA
  • 57-A. Messaging Roadmap: Aligning Corporate and Community Branding

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    57-A. Messaging Roadmap: Aligning Corporate and Community Branding

    It can be challenging for a marketing team to strike the right balance between promoting a provider organization’s corporate brand and advancing the brand identity of one of its senior living communities. During this session, a multi-site senior living leader and a marketing consultant will team up to present primary research on how prospective residents perceive corporate senior living brands compared to the brands of individual communities. Presenters will share a roadmap to help you refine your brand identity, boost occupancy, and create a unified, compelling message that reflects both corporate values and local charm. You’ll take home tips for ensuring your brand stands out in a competitive senior living market.

Sarah Starcher-Lane

COO/Executive Director
Byron Health Community
Fort Wayne, IN, USA
  • 139-A. Training the Next Generation of Caregivers in Aging Services

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    139-A. Training the Next Generation of Caregivers in Aging Services

    Byron Health Center in Fort Wayne, IN, addresses the needs of individuals with complex medical conditions through a range of Medicaid-funded care and services. This session will highlight how the community has engaged local young people in its volunteer program and enrolled high school students in a work-based learning initiative to help them explore careers in aging services. Two Byron executives will describe how these young volunteers work alongside residents aged 20 to 98 who live with dementia, traumatic brain injuries, severe and chronic mental illnesses, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. They will explain how they train young people, the lessons learned, and their plans for the future.

Bob Stillman

CFO
Ohio Living
Columbus, OH, USA
  • 135-I. Design and Construction: A Better Way to Keep Budgets on Track

    • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    135-I. Design and Construction: A Better Way to Keep Budgets on Track

    High interest rates and construction costs have many organizations struggling to complete senior living projects within budget. Unfortunately, budget overruns often occur late in the construction process, forcing project teams to cut building costs after making significant investments in the design process. This session will present a better approach. Senior living construction experts will demonstrate how to use pre-design programming to set your projects up for success. You’ll learn how to transform financial projections, market demand data, and consumer preferences into detailed project requirements, identify essential construction process components and how each contributes to the total cost, and establish a realistic project scope. This practical guidance will help ensure your project objectives align with your budget.

Robyn Stone

SVP, Research/Co-Director, LTSS Center
LeadingAge
Washington, DC, USA
  • 141-B. How Direct Care Supervisors Can Improve Employee Retention

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    2:45 – 3:45 p.m.

    141-B. How Direct Care Supervisors Can Improve Employee Retention

    Nursing supervisors in aging services play a critical role in motivating, teaching, and mentoring certified nursing assistants (CNAs) who provide direct care to nursing home residents. A strong, positive relationship between a nurse supervisor and a CNA boosts job satisfaction and reduces turnover. This session will explore actions that nursing supervisors can take to develop the leadership skills they need to work with CNAs so that the entire team can deliver high quality care. Presenters will also emphasize the critical role that a supportive organizational culture, aligned structures and policies, and consistent reinforcement from leadership play so that supervision strategies are effectively integrated into daily practice. Learn about programs that help nursing supervisors create a supportive workplace culture and become effective leaders of CNAs and teams.

  • 145-E. How a Trauma-Informed Approach Can Promote Workforce Wellness

    • Monday, November 03, 2025

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    145-E. How a Trauma-Informed Approach Can Promote Workforce Wellness

    Many older Americans will experience at least one traumatic event that affects their physical, mental, and social health. This session will propose that trauma also affects the people who care for older adults, and that a person-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) approach can enhance the health and well-being of these caregivers. Presenters will describe the implementation of PCTI, highlight the model’s potential to improve workforce wellness, and offer solutions to reduce staff vacancies, decrease turnover, and attract new talent. You’ll take home practical tips for integrating PCTI principles into organizational policies and procedures that benefit team members, care recipients, family caregivers, volunteers, and organizations providing care.

  • 152-K. International Perspectives: Addressing Workforce Shortages While Enhancing Global Justice

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

    152-K. International Perspectives: Addressing Workforce Shortages While Enhancing Global Justice

    By 2040, employers worldwide will need an additional 13.5 million professional caregivers to serve a growing population of older adults. Unfortunately, not enough native-born workers are available to fill the required positions. This session will explore global workforce shortages and describe sustainable labor mobility programs aimed at addressing worker scarcity while reducing poverty and enhancing global justice. Learn how two international organizations Labor Mobility Partnerships and the Global Ageing Network have joined forces to encourage better public policies and private-sector practices by creating a database containing migrant workers’ priorities and perspectives. Discover how quality overseas jobs in developed economies can provide economic mobility for the globally disadvantaged while benefiting employers, consumers, and economies around the world.

Wendy Strain

Director of Consulting
Polaris Group
Tampa, FL, USA
  • 82-H. Financial and Clinical Collaboration in Nursing Homes

    • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    82-H. Financial and Clinical Collaboration in Nursing Homes

    Ensuring financial sustainability while delivering high-quality care presents an ongoing challenge for today’s nursing homes. This session will present an effective way to address this challenge: developing a close working relationship between your Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) team and Minimum Data Set (MDS) coordinators. Presenters will share several case studies illustrating how RCM-MDS collaborations within an organization can enhance accuracy in resident assessments, optimize reimbursements, and ensure regulatory compliance. You’ll gain insights to help you align your financial and clinical management systems to improve operational efficiency and financial performance outcomes while maintaining regulatory compliance and avoiding penalties.

  • 113-E. How to Ace Your 2025 Annual Recertification Survey

    • Monday, November 03, 2025

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    113-E. How to Ace Your 2025 Annual Recertification Survey

    Are you dreading your upcoming annual state survey? Take a deep breath and then attend this session to gain expert tips for preventing surveys from causing stressful disruptions to your operations. Presenters will suggest practical strategies for managing the state survey process, such as conducting a comprehensive mock survey that identifies compliance gaps and assesses high-risk areas. Learn how a mock survey helped one provider improve survey outcomes and strengthen operational compliance. You’ll discover how this approach can foster a culture of continuous improvement by helping all team members understand compliance requirements and feel a shared responsibility for survey readiness.

Kelly Stranburg

Vice President of Health Aging and Longevity
Westminster Communities of Florida, Inc.
Orlando, FL, USA
  • 5-D. Using Technology to Foster Meaningful Relationships

    • Monday, November 03, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    5-D. Using Technology to Foster Meaningful Relationships

    Research suggests that strong social connections can help reduce loneliness and depression, ease emotional challenges, support cognitive function, and enhance life satisfaction and fulfillment. This session will showcase how technology engagement platforms facilitate these vital connections in senior living communities by providing opportunities for meaningful interactions, offering residents personalized content, and encouraging their active participation in community events. You’ll learn about the steps taken by other communities to implement these platforms and how residents use them. Take home tools to help your team create a stronger, more connected community that nurtures meaningful relationships among residents, their peers, and team members.

Brad Straub

Executive Vice President
Greystone
Irving, TX, USA
  • 50-G. The Senior Living Imperative: Prepare for Sustained Growth

    • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    50-G. The Senior Living Imperative: Prepare for Sustained Growth

    Senior living providers are experiencing unprecedented demand for housing and services from a changing consumer base. Providers can respond most effectively by identifying and capitalizing on new growth opportunities. During this session, experts from the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care, NIC MAP, and Greystone will discuss relevant analytics and research findings related to market absorption, occupancy rates, and revenue growth in the senior living sector. Presenters will identify markets poised for expansion, help you assess financial performance and growth opportunities, and show you how to act on data trends and market dynamics to prepare your organization for sustainable growth. You’ll acquire the tools and insights to transform today’s market complexities into tomorrow’s successes.

Mark Sunderman

Director of Rehabilitation
Eastmont Towers Community
Lincoln, NE, USA
  • 126-B. Innovative Designs for Active Adult and Independent Living Communities

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    2:45 – 3:45 p.m.

    126-B. Innovative Designs for Active Adult and Independent Living Communities

    The next generation of senior living residents will seek aesthetically pleasing homes and apartments that support their independence, adapt to their evolving needs, and preserve their dignity. This session will explore innovative designs for active-adult and independent living that will help you meet the preferences of current and future consumers. Presenters will draw on insights from design, marketing, sales, and therapy experts to help you envision life plan community homes and apartments that quickly adapt to residents’ needs, balance safety and autonomy, and maintain a non-institutional feel. They’ll also examine the latest in-home technology, including voice-activated controls, automated lighting, and fall detection sensors. Discover how to design your community’s dwellings to support aging and choice while discreetly addressing residents’ changing needs.

Tom Symondson

Chief Executive Officer
Ageing Australia
East Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Lee Syria

President and CEO
EveryAge
Newton, NC, USA
  • 39-K. Navigating Transition: The Providence Place Acquisition Story

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

    39-K. Navigating Transition: The Providence Place Acquisition Story

    Providence Place, a retirement community in High Point, NC, faced a pivotal moment in January 2024 as it navigated the retirements of its chief executive officer and chief operating officer while grappling with financial challenges and initiating an acquisition process. This session will detail the 10-month journey leading to the community’s acquisition by EveryAge, a multi-site provider based in Newton, NC. Presenters will highlight the strategies, challenges, and lessons learned during the acquisition process and explore how collaboration, mission-driven leadership, and stakeholder commitment ensured a smooth transition for both organizations. They will offer advice on maintaining organizational stability during leadership transitions and financial challenges, fostering teamwork during an acquisition, and successfully linking two middle market organizations with complementary visions.