11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Medicare Home Health and Hospice: Where Do We Go from Here?

In 2025, the federal government proposed deep, destabilizing cuts to home health payments and implemented a new hospice assessment tool that could affect future payments. Where do we go from here? This session will address that question. Staff from Capitol Hill offices, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the LeadingAge Policy Team will discuss the future direction of Medicare benefits for home health and hospice. They will also examine legislation affecting home health and hospice providers, palliative care, home health payment reform, and program integrity efforts. Discover how you can advocate to preserve these essential services so Americans can age in place if they choose.

3:30 – 4:45 p.m.

Micro-Credentialing: An Emerging Workforce Development Model

The aging services sector continually strives to deliver high-quality care despite acute shortages of certified nursing assistants (CNA) and other frontline caregivers. “Micro-credentialing” could help address that challenge. This emerging workforce development model enables direct care professionals to participate in short-term learning experiences, have their knowledge assessed by a trusted third party, and earn micro-credentials in various aspects of geriatrics-informed care. During this session, representatives from a university and a retirement community in Maine will describe their efforts to use micro-credentialing to help CNAs build knowledge and skills, gain recognition, advance in their careers, and potentially increase their wages. They’ll also explain how micro-credentialing can help provider organizations reduce turnover, improve quality metrics, and enhance residents’ quality of care and quality of life.

11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Honoring the Care Preferences of Older Adults

When healthcare practitioners overlook the care preferences of older adults, those patients are more likely to experience stressful hospital visits, higher medical costs, and a loss of trust in the healthcare system. Conversely, listening to and honoring patient preferences improves health and quality of life, reduces avoidable costs, and helps reduce health disparities. This session will provide an overview of research from the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston—including focus groups with physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants—that illustrates how healthcare professionals are engaging in shared decision-making, navigating barriers to honor patient preferences, and adapting these strategies across diverse populations. Join us to learn how health outcomes can be optimized by ensuring patients feel heard and that their care preferences and needs are considered.

3:30 – 4:45 p.m.

The Transformative Power of Repositioning

Providers of aging services face a range of challenges as they seek to deliver high-quality services and supports to more older adults. Securing capital for new construction projects and land purchases is becoming increasingly expensive. Suitable land bordering or near existing campuses is increasingly scarce. As a result, most providers invest in repositioning and expanding capacity at existing campuses rather than building new ones. LeadingAge providers and their architects will offer insights to help you update your organization’s aging assets to meet the needs and preferences of new cohorts of older adults. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about transformational repositioning projects, reflect on their successes, and apply the lessons providers have learned along the way.