Katie Reilly

Corporate Director of Cognitive Well-Being
Acts Retirement-Life Communities, Inc.
Fort Washington, PA, USA
  • 89-B. Thriving Your Way: Supporting Person-Directed Living Across the Continuum

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    2:45 – 3:45 p.m.

    89-B. Thriving Your Way: Supporting Person-Directed Living Across the Continuum

    Senior living professionals aspire to implement holistic, person-centered living in their communities. But how can this be achieved most effectively? During this session, leaders from Acts in Fort Washington, PA, will describe practices to help team members know, value, and connect with residents as unique individuals. You’ll examine common barriers to creating a more inclusive community culture, underscore the importance of breaking down silos between levels of living to promote inclusive engagement, and underscore the role all team members can play in supporting person-directed living. This session will emphasize the value of offering holistic engagement opportunities and well-being practices across the living continuum.

Daniel Reingold

Board Vice Chair
RiverSpring Living
Riverdale, NY, USA
  • 35-L. Thriving Amid the Turbulence by Managing Change

    • Wednesday, October 28, 2026

    11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

    35-L. Thriving Amid the Turbulence by Managing Change

    The aging services sector is facing upheaval that will inevitably affect the services we offer, the settings where we provide care, and the structure of our organizations. In response, we must be willing to abandon old approaches and rely on creativity, perseverance, and stakeholder engagement to chart a new course. During this lively, interactive discussion, two senior living leaders will introduce you to change management models and offer guidance on applying them in various situations. You’ll hear about organizations that couldn’t let go of the past and those that have made significant changes with meaningful results. Discover how to thrive amid the turbulence by understanding the changes and opportunities ahead and learning to manage them at a rapid pace.

Julian Reisenthel

Homecare Director
Full Life Care
Seattle, WA, US
  • 51-I. Surviving the HCBS Squeeze: Sustainability Solutions

    • Tuesday, October 27, 2026

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    51-I. Surviving the HCBS Squeeze: Sustainability Solutions

    Sixty percent of home and community-based service (HCBS) providers have faced negative margins or program closures over the past three years because of stagnant reimbursement rates and rising costs. This session will offer several solutions to help your HCBS program survive the squeeze. Presenters will share how their agency navigated severe reimbursement challenges, made tough program decisions, and used innovative practices to restore its financial health. Discover how they implemented geographic clustering of clients to improve staffing efficiency and leveraged a remote global administrative workforce to reduce overhead. You’ll gain strategies to right-size your agency, maximize your bottom line, and better support clients and communities amid funding challenges.

Melissa Ressler

Executive Director
Lancaster Downtowners
Lancaster, PA, USA
  • 47-E. A Community-Based Partnership to Enhance Quality of Life

    • Monday, November 03, 2025

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    47-E. A Community-Based Partnership to Enhance Quality of Life

    Villages are nonprofit, community-based, grassroots organizations created by caring individuals to help older neighbors age in their homes and communities. Villages offer social and educational programs, health and wellness activities, technology coaching, and volunteer assistance with transportation and light home maintenance. This session will explore how villages and life plan communities collaborate and the benefits their affiliation offers both entities. Join representatives from several life plan communities and the 300-member Village to Village Network to learn how partnerships with villages can enhance a life plan community’s mission and growth. You’ll also hear about evidence-based programs that have enriched these partnerships.

Michael Rethage

Chief Operating Officer
Uniguest
Nashville, TN, 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.

David Richart

Executive Director
Full Life Care
Seattle, WA, US
  • 51-I. Surviving the HCBS Squeeze: Sustainability Solutions

    • Tuesday, October 27, 2026

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    51-I. Surviving the HCBS Squeeze: Sustainability Solutions

    Sixty percent of home and community-based service (HCBS) providers have faced negative margins or program closures over the past three years because of stagnant reimbursement rates and rising costs. This session will offer several solutions to help your HCBS program survive the squeeze. Presenters will share how their agency navigated severe reimbursement challenges, made tough program decisions, and used innovative practices to restore its financial health. Discover how they implemented geographic clustering of clients to improve staffing efficiency and leveraged a remote global administrative workforce to reduce overhead. You’ll gain strategies to right-size your agency, maximize your bottom line, and better support clients and communities amid funding challenges.

Eric Riguerra, RN

Director of Nursing Services
Jewish Home at Rockleigh
Rockleigh, NJ, USA
  • 113-E. Improving Dementia Care with AI-Powered Pain Assessment

    • Monday, October 26, 2026

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    113-E. Improving Dementia Care with AI-Powered Pain Assessment

    Pain is often underrecognized and undertreated in older adults with dementia, many of whom cannot reliably self-report their discomfort. This communication barrier leads caregivers to rely on subjective observations, resulting in inconsistent assessments and missed opportunities for intervention. This session will explore how AI-powered pain assessment tools combine automated facial recognition with structured digital checklists to accurately and consistently identify pain-related behaviors in nonverbal individuals. Presenters will demonstrate how to use these tools to improve clinical decision-making and reduce falls, frailty, and inappropriate drug use. Join this session to discover how technology and human care can work together to ensure a pain-free future for older adults.

Marcus Riley

Chairman
Ballycara Retirement Living Complex
Redcliffe, QLD, Australia
  • 98-H. International Perspectives: Ageing Stages Aligning Healthspan and Lifespan

    • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    98-H. International Perspectives: Ageing Stages Aligning Healthspan and Lifespan

    Imagine a future in which health span the years an individual spends free of significant disease or disability aligns more closely with a person’s lifespan. During this session, presenters from Australia and the United States will unveil new, previously undefined stages of ageing and explore how an understanding of these stages could guide you in implementing innovative care solutions and forward-thinking policies that address the biological, social, and psychological changes that older people experience. You’ll gain a new perspective on aging that will help you challenge traditional care models and create new opportunities for your organization and the people it serves.

Martin Rix

CEO
Belong
Nantwich, UK
  • 125-A. International Perspectives: Lessons from Household Care Models

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

    125-A. International Perspectives: Lessons from Household Care Models

    In 2023, Australia’s HammondCare, the United Kingdom’s Belong Group, and The Green House Project in the United States established the Household Model International Consortium to promote the benefits of small-scale congregate settings for older adults. During this session, representatives from the consortium’s three founding members will share the history of the household model and discuss its physical design and operational philosophy. Presenters will highlight key features of the household model, including privacy, connections to nature and the outdoors, consistent staff assignments, fresh food, and a care model that places residents at the center of every decision. You’ll learn strategies for incorporating household model design and operational principles into your operations, even if large-scale renovations or new construction aren’t feasible for your organization.

Kendra Roberts

Vice President of Operations
HumanGood Inc.
Duarte, CA, US
  • 26-K. Mentorship: The Key to Developing Your Next Leaders

    • Wednesday, November 05, 2025

    10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

    26-K. Mentorship: The Key to Developing Your Next Leaders

    Senior living organizations must cultivate skilled, compassionate, and forward-thinking leaders to meet the growing demand for quality care and innovative solutions. Mentors seasoned professionals who help mentees navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and grow personally and professionally are the cornerstone of any initiative aimed at achieving this goal. This session will provide tools for structuring mentorship programs that align with organizational goals and emphasize measurable outcomes like leadership readiness and employee retention. Presenters will explore strategies for establishing sustainable leadership pipelines by identifying and nurturing leadership potential within diverse teams, creating inclusive pathways for growth, and addressing barriers to leadership opportunities.

  • 118-H. Modernizing Your Approach to Affordable Housing Operations

    • Tuesday, November 04, 2025

    3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    118-H. Modernizing Your Approach to Affordable Housing Operations

    *Closed to Press* Affordable housing providers will soon be required to navigate significant changes in the rules governing who lives in federally subsidized communities, the federal rental assistance each household receives, and how providers communicate with, screen, and accommodate applicants and residents. This session will encourage you to view these upcoming changes as opportunities for modernization and optimization. Presenters will introduce effective practices to help you achieve the mission of affordable housing while adhering to new rules and policies. They will discuss mission-driven approaches to implementing the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA), recommend adjustments to criminal background screening, and help you foster positive resident outcomes and streamline workflows for housing staff.

Keith Robertson

Managing Director
Ziegler
New York, NY
  • 44-C. Expanding an Affordable Housing Community to Reach the Middle Market

    • Sunday, November 02, 2025

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

    44-C. Expanding an Affordable Housing Community to Reach the Middle Market

    West Hartford Fellowship Housing is implementing a comprehensive campus expansion which will broaden its mission to meet the needs of middle-market consumers. Presenters will outline steps the Connecticut-based housing provider has taken to protect the rights of current residents and preserve existing lower rent structures while also serving a slightly different income demographic. They’ll share architectural design strategies that helped reduce the cost of new construction and a multi-source financing plan that incorporates Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and existing federal subsidies. Whether you’re a seasoned affordable housing provider or new to the field, this session will equip you to reach new middle- and lower-middle markets.

  • 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.

Keith Robinette

Career Coach
Givens Communities
Asheville, NC, US
  • 145-K. Growing From Within: The Power of Career Coaching

    • Wednesday, October 28, 2026

    10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

    145-K. Growing From Within: The Power of Career Coaching

    When team members see a future for themselves at your organization, they will stay, grow, and thrive. This session will show you how in-house career coaching makes that possible by establishing clear career pathways, building trust-based coaching relationships, and supporting skill development. Presenters will outline a scalable career-coaching model used by a life plan community to foster workforce engagement, increase retention, and improve organizational culture. You’ll gain tools to build your own coaching program, including strategies for identifying champions, defining success metrics, and embedding coaching into everyday workflows. Don’t miss this opportunity to create a future where every team member thrives.