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
Durham, NH, US
  • 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, US
  • 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, US
  • 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, US
  • 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.

Grant Warner

Owner
BKV Group, Inc.
Washington, DC, 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.

Lisa Warnock

Founder and Principal
Glow Interior Designs
Portland, OR, USA
  • 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.

Anne Weaver

Resident
North Hill
Needham, MA, US
  • 19-D. Enhancing Inclusion through English Language Training

    • Monday, November 03, 2025

    8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

    19-D. Enhancing Inclusion through English Language Training

    After conducting a campus-wide inclusion survey in July 2024, North Hill in Needham, MA, enlisted the help of life plan community residents to develop an English as a Second Language (ESL) program for team members with limited English proficiency. This session will focus on the inclusion survey and the ESL program it inspired. Presenters will describe how trained resident volunteers provide language instruction to team members during work hours, helping North Hill invest in employee skills, reduce turnover, enhance engagement, and foster a culture of inclusion and respect. Residents and ESL trainees will share their experiences working together in an individualized ESL program tailored to each student’s unique communication level, job, and learning needs.

Danielle Webb

Vice President Marketing and Community Relations
Community First Solutions
Hamilton, OH, USA
  • 58-B. Communicating Through Change: Marketing Your Acquisition

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    2:45 – 3:45 p.m.

    58-B. Communicating Through Change: Marketing Your Acquisition

    Marketing and communication can’t pause when your organization begins preparing for an acquisition. Quite the opposite! This session will demonstrate how your organization’s marketing team can effectively navigate a change in ownership by ensuring that communication and marketing messages remain ongoing, clear, carefully worded, and reassuring to all stakeholders. Presenters will teach you how to maintain customer trust, brand strength, and market momentum by positioning your organization’s acquisition as a strategic growth opportunity. You’ll learn essential lessons to help you develop a strategic marketing plan that effectively engages stakeholders as you promote your company’s acquisition.

Zoe Weinrobe

Chief of Real Estate Development
2Life Communities
Brighton, MA, US
  • 123-L. Seeking Tax Credit Funding? Study Your State’s Allocation Plan

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

    123-L. Seeking Tax Credit Funding? Study Your State’s Allocation Plan

    The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program is the most significant federal source of financing for affordable housing. Join this interactive session led by the National Housing Trust and 2Life Communities to learn about the tax credit program and gain insights into how your state’s Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) outlines the criteria and priorities used to guide the selection of affordable senior housing projects for LIHTC funding. Presenters will draw on the National Housing Trust’s forthcoming examination of 53 allocation plans to explore how states are adapting their QAPs to meet the need for affordable senior housing. You’ll learn to leverage your state’s QAP to build, preserve, and protect affordable, climate-ready senior housing.