M. Sue Verdegem

President & CEO
United Zion Retirement Community
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.

Samantha Victor-Alvarado

VP of Human Resources
Presbyterian LIving
Skokie, IL, USA

Seth Vilensky

CEO
Kendal at Oberlin
Oberlin, OH, USA
  • 14-K. What’s Best for All? Making Inclusive Technology Decisions

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

    14-K. What’s Best for All? Making Inclusive Technology Decisions

    Technology adoption can be more challenging when senior living residents and staff feel disconnected from the process of selecting and implementing suitable high-tech platforms. Kendal at Oberlin tackled this challenge by incorporating resident input into every stage of its technology selection and implementation process. This session will provide an overview of how the organization’s collaborative model empowered residents while ensuring the chosen platform met their unique needs. You’ll gain tools to ensure that your new technology enhances your community’s quality of life, improves resident engagement and satisfaction, streamlines operations, and sets the stage for future technology upgrades. Discover practical strategies for promoting inclusive decision-making and leveraging resident feedback while implementing technology.

Brit Vipham

Director of Project Management
The Admiral at the Lake
Chicago, IL, USA
  • 67-J. How to Make Every Team Member a Sales and Marketing Expert

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    67-J. How to Make Every Team Member a Sales and Marketing Expert

    Marketing senior living communities isn’t the sole responsibility of your sales and marketing team. Providers will achieve significantly better outcomes by encouraging team members across departments to collaborate on reaching shared sales goals. This session will show you how to engage all team members in boosting resident satisfaction, strengthening your organization’s reputation, and identifying new growth opportunities. Presenters will demonstrate how to incorporate everyone’s unique input into discussions about what makes your community special. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover how tailored marketing approaches can help you achieve more inclusive and effective results and why breaking down barriers among departments is essential for achieving sales success.

Robin Visser

Director of Marketing and Digital Strategies
Christian Living Communities
Englewood, CO, USA
  • 4-C. How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Aging Services

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    4-C. How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Aging Services

    Three years ago, few people were aware of large language models like ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool capable of understanding, generating, and manipulating human language. This session will explore how far we have progressed in 36 months. Presenters will provide an overview of how AI is reshaping aging services by enhancing efficiency, communication, and workforce support. They will also highlight how providers use AI to streamline operations, improve the resident experience, and empower staff. Whether new to AI or looking to refine your approach, you’ll gain a practical perspective on leveraging these powerful technologies to enhance your operations.

Jill Vitale-Aussem

President and CEO
Christian Living Communities
Englewood, CO, USA
  • 31-E. Engage Residents as Partners to Help Your Community Thrive

    • Monday, November 03, 2025

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    31-E. Engage Residents as Partners to Help Your Community Thrive

    Are you looking to enhance your community’s operations, reduce costs, and attract new residents? This session will help you enlist your most effective allies the older adults living in your community to support this effort. Presenters will demonstrate how to achieve lasting success by creating a living environment that inspires resident enthusiasm for your community’s mission. That enthusiasm can spur authentic resident advocacy and resident-driven initiatives that will help enhance your community’s vitality, cultivate meaningful connections, and generate heartfelt word-of-mouth referrals. Discover how to engage residents as active partners in improving service delivery, optimizing costs, and fostering a positive community image.

Justine Vogel

CEO/President
The RiverWoods Group
Exeter, NH, USA
  • 120-I. Can State Statutes Protect Life Plan Communities from Bankruptcy?

    • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    120-I. Can State Statutes Protect Life Plan Communities from Bankruptcy?

    *Closed to Press* The rare occurrences of bankruptcy among life plan communities in recent years have raised a compelling and provocative question: What role should state laws play in protecting these communities from insolvency? This session will explore that question. Presenters will provide an overview of the bankruptcy protections that certain states extend to life plan communities through existing statutes. They will also discuss the effects of state actions that either prevent a life plan community’s bankruptcy or worsen a community’s fragile financial position. Don’t miss this opportunity to join experts in the field as they delve into thought-provoking questions about the financial health of life plan communities.

Emily Waddington

Long-Term & Community-Based Care Coach
Alzheimer’s Association
Chicago, IL, USA
  • 101-I. Implementing Evidence-Based Practices to Improve Person-Centered Dementia Care

    • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    101-I. Implementing Evidence-Based Practices to Improve Person-Centered Dementia Care

    The Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Care Practice Recommendations offer 56 guidelines for professional care providers working with individuals living with dementia. This session will review the report’s recommendations, which are based on a comprehensive review of evidence, best practices, and expert opinions. Presenters will explore several programs across the country that are implementing practices to enhance the quality of care for residents living in residential care settings. You’ll get a close-up look at one coaching program that helps long-term care communities implement system-changing best practices in dementia care. Don’t miss this chance to explore the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from coaching initiatives in both urban and rural communities.

Daniel Waldron

General Manager, Strategy and Business Improvement
Mercy Health
Melbourne, VICTORIA, Australia
  • 94-E. International Perspectives: Embracing Holistic, Community-Centered Care Models

    • Monday, November 03, 2025

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    94-E. International Perspectives: Embracing Holistic, Community-Centered Care Models

    It’s time to rethink traditional care environments and embrace holistic, community-centered models that enhance older adults’ well-being and quality of life. That’s the message you’ll hear during this session, led by a leader from Mercy Health in Melbourne, Australia. The presenter will showcase innovative approaches to care, including small household living, dementia-specific programs, and intergenerational initiatives. You’ll learn about the benefits of creating self-contained environments called “precincts” that integrate aged care services, healthcare settings, housing, and community spaces to help older adults maintain independence, stay connected to a broader social fabric, and receive tailored healthcare support. Your organization will gain strategies for adopting integrated approaches that prioritize individual needs while encouraging engagement with the community.

Susan Wallace

President and CEO
LeadingAge Ohio
Columbus, OH, USA
  • 87-L. How to Align Quality Improvement and Financial Success

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

    87-L. How to Align Quality Improvement and Financial Success

    A collaborative Quality Incentive Payment program implemented by an Ohio-based aging services provider resulted in a $14 million increase in Medicaid reimbursements and a 70% improvement in quality measure points. Attend this session to learn how the organization achieved this remarkable feat. Presenters will discuss the critical need to align clinical and financial goals, especially now that federal and state programs increasingly tie funding to quality outcomes. They will provide an overview of federal and state quality-based payment programs and show you how improved quality outcomes can drive clinical excellence and financial sustainability. You’ll learn how to navigate quality-based payment programs, implement evidence-based performance improvements, and leverage facility-specific data to create positive changes.

Annmarie Wallis

Vice President of Marketing and Communications
EverTrue
Saint Louis, MO, USA
  • 46-D. Keep Your Brand Fresh While Preserving What Sets You Apart

    • Monday, November 03, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    46-D. Keep Your Brand Fresh While Preserving What Sets You Apart

    EverTrue, formerly Lutheran Senior Services, is proud of its 165-year legacy of caring for older adults. However, this legacy hasn’t prevented the nation’s 12th-largest nonprofit aging services provider from embarking on a transformative journey driven by innovation. This session will highlight how the St. Louis-based organization expanded housing options and in-home services to serve a broader demographic, implemented innovative service models like palliative care, diversified its revenue streams, adjusted its residential mix, embraced technology, and adopted systems to manage data more efficiently. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear the EverTrue management team discuss how they embraced the future while honoring their organization’s past. You’ll take home valuable tips for keeping your brand fresh while preserving what makes you special.

Kristen Wanner

Quality Assurance Manager – Resident Services
HumanGood Inc.
Duarte, CA, USA
  • 70-A. That Data You Collect for HUD? It Can Help Your Residents

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    70-A. That Data You Collect for HUD? It Can Help Your Residents

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires service coordinators in affordable senior housing communities to submit periodic reports containing a wide range of data about housing residents and their needs for services and supports. This session will show you how to use this data to enhance your community’s service coordination program, forge partnerships with community partners, and advocate for residents. Presenters will introduce you to the service coordinator data guide recently released by the American Association of Service Coordinators. You’ll also meet the quality assurance manager of a LeadingAge member organization that uses the data it collects for HUD to maximize resident well-being outcomes and improve program effectiveness.