11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Strategic Pathways: The Evolution of the LPC Model

The life plan community model has been undergoing significant transitions as providers pursue a variety of strategies to ensure vibrant futures for their organizations and the individuals they serve. Some providers are rebalancing service lines or adjusting the size of communities. Others are working to align consumer preferences with their organization’s mission, history, market dynamics, reimbursement rates, and projected utilization trends. This session will feature an in-depth and informed discussion with a diverse panel of providers who have chosen various paths to success. Panelists will help you understand the internal and external dynamics affecting your organization‘s journey and provide a clear vision of the options that could help secure its future.

1:45 – 3:00 p.m.

Retain Staff by Building a Culture of Engagement

Ensuring that employees feel engaged and connected to their workplace’s culture is critical to retaining team members for the long term. Yet, retention remains a significant challenge for many organizations in the aging services sector. This session will provide the guidance you need to create a workplace environment where staff are more likely to stay, contribute, and thrive because they feel valued, heard, and supported. Engage with leaders from LeadingAge member communities as they share proven strategies and best practices for improving workplace culture and fostering employee engagement. Take home actionable insights and ideas for cultivating a more supportive work environment and engaging your staff more effectively.

11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

New Research: Do Medicaid Payments Cover Care Costs?

Medicaid is the primary payer for nursing home care, covering over 60% of all residents on a typical day. Setting nursing home reimbursement rates too high can lead to excess profits at taxpayers’ expense. Yet, nursing homes need appropriate reimbursement to invest in nursing staff and other quality improvement initiatives. This session will provide new information on the relationship between Medicaid nursing home reimbursement rates and reported care costs. Presenters will share findings from their independent assessment of Medicaid reimbursement and the costs associated with Medicaid-reimbursed nursing home care. Their setting-by-setting analysis, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, revealed that the average nursing home receives only 82 cents in reimbursement for each dollar it spends providing care to a Medicaid recipient.

3:30 – 4:45 p.m.

Policy Update: Achieving Affordable Housing Goals

LeadingAge works diligently with Congress and federal housing agencies to achieve our bold policy goals to preserve, expand, and enhance affordable housing for older adults. This session will offer an overview of that work. Staff from congressional offices and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will be on hand to discuss their goals regarding housing for older adults. In addition, LeadingAge’s Advocacy Team will help you prepare for Lobby Day by exploring how congressional and HUD goals align with LeadingAge’s goals and the areas where they diverge. Join us as we review funding, policy, and operational issues affecting affordable housing, including the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, housing plus services and service coordination initiatives, asset limits, insurance, and inspections.

11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

How Mentorship Supports Professional Growth and Development

Mentorship plays a critical role in fostering professional growth and advancing careers. During this session, Nzinga Shaw, a seasoned C-suite executive with extensive mentoring expertise, will share her insights about the value of mentorship, the roles and responsibilities of mentors and mentees, and the most effective techniques for establishing meaningful and effective mentor-mentee relationships. Attendees will also learn about a mentorship workshop series that offers resources, education, and tools to help mentors and mentees develop successful relationships. Participants in the workshop series will be on hand to share their experiences and describe how the mentorship series impacted their professional development.

1:45 – 3:00 p.m.

Expand Your Mission by Becoming an Affordable Housing Provider

Can life plan community sponsors become affordable housing providers? This session will answer that question by exploring how the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program could help your organization broaden its mission, promote economic diversity and inclusion, and address a critical need. A panel of providers at various stages of LIHTC-funded projects will share their experiences with affordable housing, from initial planning to implementation. Presenters will offer their insights into the LIHTC process and help you assess how an affordable housing development project could align with your community’s mission and strategic goals. Whether new to LIHTC or looking for inspiration, this session will leave you with a better understanding of the opportunities associated with affordable housing—and practical strategies to help you seize them.

1:45 – 3:00 p.m.

Policy Update: Medicare Home Health and Hospice

2024 was a big year for the home health and hospice sectors as LeadingAge and policymakers from both parties began serious discussions about the value of reforming Medicare’s hospice benefit and elevating the value of home health. Staff members from Capitol Hill offices and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will use this session to discuss what’s next for hospice and home health. Discover how benefits for both programs might evolve and how current legislation could affect providers of aging services. Explore the growth of palliative care, the likelihood of a Medicare Advantage hospice “carve-in,” home health payment reform, and initiatives designed to improve program integrity. Presenters will share information about advocacy and engagement opportunities designed to help you participate in hospice and home health conversations.

3:30 – 4:45 p.m.

Plan for the Future by Tapping the Wisdom of Retired CEOs

The wisdom of retired leaders in aging services is an untapped resource that could help us ponder current opportunities and challenges and plan for a vibrant future. During this session, a panel of retired CEOs will reflect on a variety of topics, including what kept them up at night while leading an aging services organization, their current concerns about our sector, what issues they understand more clearly now that they are retired, what they would have done differently, and what they believe today’s aging services CEOs can do now to ensure a vibrant future for older adults and the organizations that support them. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear the reflections, insights, concerns, and hopes of our field’s retired leaders.

11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Double Duty: Advancing Policy Goals through Media Engagement

The media can be a powerful force in shaping the opinions of the various audiences that providers of aging services seek to influence. Most providers focus their media-relations efforts on reaching consumers and potential employees. Yet, successful outreach to a third audience—elected officials—can yield numerous benefits for providers and the individuals they serve. This session will help you leverage public relations tactics to garner press coverage of policy issues, promote potential solutions, and attract the attention of policymakers who can implement those solutions. This type of media outreach requires a special touch, so you’ll want to take notes as session presenters reveal their strategies for making media activities serve ”double duty” by elevating your brand while advancing your policy goals.

11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Strategic Pathways: The Evolution of the LPC Model

The life plan community model has been undergoing significant transitions as providers pursue a variety of strategies to ensure vibrant futures for their organizations and the individuals they serve. Some providers are rebalancing service lines or adjusting the size of communities. Others are working to align consumer preferences with their organization’s mission, history, market dynamics, reimbursement rates, and projected utilization trends. This session will feature an in-depth and informed discussion with a diverse panel of providers who have chosen various paths to success. Panelists will help you understand the internal and external dynamics affecting your organization‘s journey and provide a clear vision of the options that could help secure its future.

11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

How Mentorship Supports Professional Growth and Development

Mentorship plays a critical role in fostering professional growth and advancing careers. During this session, Nzinga Shaw, a seasoned C-suite executive with extensive mentoring expertise, will share her insights about the value of mentorship, the roles and responsibilities of mentors and mentees, and the most effective techniques for establishing meaningful and effective mentor-mentee relationships. Attendees will also learn about a mentorship workshop series that offers resources, education, and tools to help mentors and mentees develop successful relationships. Participants in the workshop series will be on hand to share their experiences and describe how the mentorship series impacted their professional development.

11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

How Mentorship Supports Professional Growth and Development

Mentorship plays a critical role in fostering professional growth and advancing careers. During this session, Nzinga Shaw, a seasoned C-suite executive with extensive mentoring expertise, will share her insights about the value of mentorship, the roles and responsibilities of mentors and mentees, and the most effective techniques for establishing meaningful and effective mentor-mentee relationships. Attendees will also learn about a mentorship workshop series that offers resources, education, and tools to help mentors and mentees develop successful relationships. Participants in the workshop series will be on hand to share their experiences and describe how the mentorship series impacted their professional development.