Katy Barnett

Director, Home Care & Hospice Operations and Policy
LeadingAge
Washington, DC, US
  • 101-F. Surviving Uncertainty to Fulfill the Home Health Promise
  • Monday, October 26, 2026

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    101-F. Surviving Uncertainty to Fulfill the Home Health Promise

    Home health agencies have faced significant financial, regulatory, and program integrity challenges for years. At the same time, demand for home-based services among Medicare beneficiaries has grown exponentially, straining the already limited capacity of home health providers. This session will explore how we reached this point. Presenters will examine threats to the sector’s sustainability, including the declining number of home health providers, the six-month nationwide moratorium on new Medicare enrollments for home health agencies, and ongoing negative payment adjustments. You’ll gain a clearer understanding of these threats and learn about new policy opportunities that could spur a reimagination of the home health benefit.

  • 104-I. Hospice Under Scrutiny: The Impact of Federal Oversight
  • Tuesday, October 27, 2026

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    104-I. Hospice Under Scrutiny: The Impact of Federal Oversight

    Hospice programs nationwide have been singled out this year as examples of fraud in the Medicare program. This session will review federal efforts to strengthen regulatory safeguards in the hospice field and share LeadingAge’s position on the need to address fraud while reducing the burden on legitimate providers who deliver essential services. Presenters will examine how fraud concerns have impacted the ability of high-quality hospice providers to expand and serve the most vulnerable older adults. They’ll detail the challenges facing nonprofit hospice agencies, highlight bright spots in the fight against fraud, and describe promising efforts to preserve a meaningful hospice benefit.

  • 106-J. Identifying Risk and Strengthening Compliance
  • Wednesday, October 28, 2026

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    106-J. Identifying Risk and Strengthening Compliance

    Identifying your organization’s fraud and abuse risks and building effective programs to mitigate them can be challenging. Fortunately, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can help. This session will review a set of voluntary, nonbinding resources the OIG compiled to help providers strengthen their compliance programs, understand their fraud and abuse risks, and prepare for new compliance expectations. Presenters will review OIG’s general compliance guidance, examine its sector-specific guidance for skilled nursing and managed care, and discuss hospice guidance currently being updated. You’ll gain practical insights to help your organization enhance the quality of care, strengthen internal controls, and foster a culture of organizational integrity.

Brent Bartell

Principal
Hart Gaugler + Associates
Dallas, TX, USA
  • 128-D. Weathering the Storm: Resilient Senior Living Design
  • Monday, November 03, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    128-D. Weathering the Storm: Resilient Senior Living Design

    Well-designed senior living communities provide a valuable and reassuring sense of stability to residents and team members. However, those feelings of security can be threatened, sometimes in an instant, by natural or human-made disasters that disrupt daily life and damage or destroy buildings. This session will showcase practical building design and emergency preparedness strategies to help your organization prepare for, adapt to, endure, and recover from adverse events. Presenters will familiarize you with the fundamental principles of resilient building design and guide you through proven methods to safeguard occupants and structures from natural disasters. They will also examine how evolving building codes, insurance requirements, and other factors influence resilient design.

Tom Bartlett

Senior Associate + Managing Landscape Architect
THW Design
Atlanta, GA, USA
  • 126-F. Reimagining Outdoor Space as a Healthy Aging Infrastructure
  • Monday, October 26, 2026

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    126-F. Reimagining Outdoor Space as a Healthy Aging Infrastructure

    Traditional wellness and therapy spaces often fall short of meeting the needs of older adults, especially those with mobility limitations or cognitive decline. Fortunately, that’s changing. This session will explore how SeniorScapes, Inc., is creating environments that help older adults move, socialize, and thrive outdoors with dignity and safety. Presenters will showcase the nonprofit’s flagship project at Asbury Communities in Frederick, MD, and explain how it supports fitness, mobility, and brain health. You’ll learn which design and program elements to include in age-friendly public spaces and explore the broader role of parks as social infrastructure that promotes connection and equity for older adults.

Jennifer Bartscht

Chief Marketing Officer
ThriveMore
Winston Salem, NC, US
  • 121-A. Tiny Home, Massive Lifestyle: Selling Studio Apartments
  • Sunday, October 25, 2026

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    121-A. Tiny Home, Massive Lifestyle: Selling Studio Apartments

    Does your life plan community have small studio apartments that it’s struggling to fill because they can’t be expanded or combined with larger units? This session may offer some solutions. A chief marketing officer, an interior designer, and a senior living advisor will share how they successfully marketed and quickly filled five studio apartments that had been sitting empty or used for storage. They did so by tapping into the current interest in stylish, functional tiny-home residences and giving the units a facelift with updated designs and size-appropriate furnishings. You’ll see before-and-after photos showing how the community redesigned and marketed the studio apartments as part of its successful “Tiny Home, Massive Lifestyle” campaign.

John Bassounas

President
Varsity
Wormleysburg, PA, US
  • 9-I. A Mission-Aligned Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence
  • Tuesday, October 27, 2026

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    9-I. A Mission-Aligned Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence

    Are you intrigued by the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) but concerned about adopting it responsibly? Let representatives from a life plan community walk you through the process they used to deploy AI while staying true to their nonprofit values. This session’s presenters will describe how they launched a structured, mission-aligned AI initiative to enhance the resident experience, improve workforce efficiency, and strengthen operational resilience. You’ll learn how they conducted visioning workshops, cross-departmental discovery sessions, and data-readiness assessments, and how they addressed governance, ethics, and long-term sustainability. By the end of this session, you’ll feel empowered to launch an ongoing, measurable, and responsible AI transformation at your organization.

Barbara Bauman

Resident
Goddard House Assisted Living
Brookline, MA, US
  • 131-F. Inclusive Planning and Design to Support an Expanded Mission
  • Monday, November 03, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    131-F. Inclusive Planning and Design to Support an Expanded Mission

    Goddard House, a 175-year-old single-site assisted living and memory support community in Brookline, MA, embarked on a journey in 2019 to expand a mission that already distinguished it from the competition. This session will showcase the significant physical updates that Goddard House undertook to support programs deemed essential to that expanded mission, which calls for greater engagement with the Boston community, an increased focus on the creative arts, and renewed efforts to foster a sense of belonging for everyone. Presenters will describe the community’s innovative approach to aging and examine the inclusive master plan and evidence-based design process that have enabled the Goddard House campus to create spaces tailored to support current and future residents and programs.

Kim Beasley

Director of Communications and Outreach
A.G. Rhodes
Atlanta, GA, US
  • 114-F. Creative Programs That Connect Generations
  • Monday, October 26, 2026

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    114-F. 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

Services Manager, LASPS
LeadingAge
Washington, DC, US
  • 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

    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.

Felicia Beckham

Director of Clinical & Community Engmt
Episcopal Retirement Services
Cincinnati, OH, US

Jeffery Beegle

Senior Director of Projects
Three Pillars Senior Living
Dousman, WI, US
  • 133-G. Integrating Intergenerational Principles into Your Projects
  • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    133-G. Integrating Intergenerational Principles into Your Projects

    Intergenerational connections can enhance both the design and operation of senior living environments. This session will offer practical strategies to help you create meaningful and sustainable multigenerational environments that give owners, developers, and designers a competitive edge in today’s evolving market. Presenters will share a roadmap developed by the Joint Intergenerational Task Force convened by SAGE, AIA Design for Aging, and the Center for Health Design. They will unveil the task force’s new findings, case studies, and actionable strategies. You’ll gain valuable insights into the challenges you may encounter as you integrate intergenerational principles into your projects and operations. You’ll also gain strategies that can lead to successful outcomes.

Mark Beggs

President & CEO
Edenwald
Towson, MD, US
  • 42-A. Meet Future Market Demand with a Satellite Community
  • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    42-A. Meet Future Market Demand with a Satellite Community

    A life plan community seeking to meet the growing demand for new housing options often encounters a frustrating roadblock: a lack of available space for expansion on campus. Some organizations address this challenge by developing satellite communities to reach untapped or underserved markets. This session will showcase a variety of satellite communities, including those located in walkable neighborhoods and on college campuses, and those catering to residents with specific income levels, cultures, and special interests. Discover how satellite campus planning can help you meet current and future growth demands, capitalize on partnership opportunities, and explore new markets. You’ll learn how to leverage the resources of your main campus to support satellite campus development.

Daren Bell

Director
Ziegler
Chicago, IL, US
  • 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?

    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.