Speaker: Liz Barlow, Blue & Co

Effective discharge planning can have a broad impact on the resident’s well-being, rehospitalizations, and cost. Care coordination begins prior to admission for residents through communication between the interprofessional team to assist in effective outcomes. Learn how to utilize the RAI process, resources and person-centered care to create a successful discharge and mitigate risk for future rehospitalizations.

Speakers: Jim Staed, MHA, MBA, ARM, EPIC Senior Living

Amy Snetsky, RN, BSN, CHC, CPHRM, EPIC Senior Living

Trent Sullivan, EPIC Senior Living

Aging Services organizations are exposed to a wide variety of external and internal risks. Resident safety, physical property damage, workforce injury, and technological risks are a few of the many challenges the industry faces on a daily basis. Risk management is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Understanding an organization’s risk appetite and goals is the first step to developing a risk management program that is both comprehensive and achievable. Tailoring smart tools and governance puts Aging Services at a competitive advantage for growth into the future. Come gain a full understanding of the risk management process along with the tools and strategies that will provide stability for your organization in the future.

Speaker: Krista Power, The Giving Voice Foundation

Grief is a complex experience that touches us all yet impacts everyone differently. From the death of a loved one to the loss of routine, from a failed marriage to a health crisis, from a retirement to selling a home…grief represents all types of “interruptions” and a variety of opportunities to surrender - to let go of something that once was – and to grow with each new experience of grief. As leaders in the aging industry, it is vitally important to develop a deeper understanding of the role grief plays in our personal, professional, and communal lives. It is time to grow our understanding of grief (both literal and figurative death), evolve the rich work Kubler-Ross offered 55 years ago which focused on terminally ill individuals, and lead the community through experiences of grief. As a leader in serving individuals living with a form of dementia and their caregivers, Giving Voice Foundation lends a variety of programs and experiences that honor the grieving process as well as bring hope to the current moment. Come and learn how to engage in the process of honoring the past, letting go, and “re-membering” (creating) a transformed, centered-in-self version of you in order to be present and able to serve others who are grieving - personally and professionally. This is the underlying work that once tended to and practiced routinely allows the desired KPIs, ROIs, efficiencies, and cultures to more easily come to fruition. Even better, it allows us to all be human!

Speaker: Representatives from the Indiana Department of Health and Family Social Services Administration

Hear from representatives from IDOH and FSSA

Speaker: Brendon Buckley, IMEG

As residents in senior living facilities continue to become increasingly comfortable with technological advances, their environments need to be capable of providing enhanced experiences that meet their expectations. Smart home systems, wearable devices, virtual reality, and AI have furthered the capabilities of and access to remote monitoring and telemedicine, digital therapy, and virtual health assistants. No longer cutting-edge methods, these technologies are being employed and improved at a rapid pace. Understanding how to integrate a variety of new and advanced technology and security systems with legacy systems can improve outcomes for residents and staff. An environment of integrated systems can not only simplify resident engagement, it can also benefit health and wellbeing. We are learning increasingly more about how exposure to light can contribute to overall metabolic health in a variety of ways. Even advances in design techniques, like the concept of biophilia, are being employed to reinforce natural human connections in meaningful and powerful ways. Creating a truly human-centric experience requires consideration of the ways that sensory inputs and resident interactions affect health and satisfaction in these living spaces. Thoughtful design and proper leverage of these advanced technologies and integrated building systems can also contribute to greater sustainability and savings in construction and operational costs. Building Management System (BMS) integration and AI enhanced sensors directly contribute to building energy savings, while Power over ethernet (PoE) and Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS) may help to increase response time and improve operational efficiency. In considering each of these systems and how they integrate, it’s important to understand quality, functionality, intuitiveness, aesthetics, and the owner’s specific needs and requirements. While these technology advancements are exciting, it is critical to first conduct a needs assessment with the owner to be able to select the right solution for the project. It is also important to produce a plan of implementation, including any necessary infrastructure improvements required, as well as staff and resident training at the final stages. Partnering with the right experts can ease these transitions when they know the right questions to ask and are able to focus on the most important part of the project – the people.

Speaker: Debbie Carriveau, The Living Wisdom Center for Dementia Care at Hubbard Hill

When a person is living with dementia and they experince short term memory loss their life is made up of "moments". This session is a breakdown of very specific "how to's" for caregivers to have the skills needed to walk in relationship with people who are on the dementia journey. Ways to illicit the "magic" to get more positive outcomes in your interactions and create moments of joy on a daily basis. Learn how to have the courage to try everything once. Learn to let go of your expectations of those with dementia and how to savor the simple surprises you receive along the way.

Speaker: Melissa Smalley, Marketing Essentials

To gain a competitive edge in a crowded, chaotic recruitment environment, aging service providers must diversify their recruiting strategies to attract and engage with candidates, as well as hire and retain a strong workforce. It’s time to go beyond the tried-and-true method of recruiting to attract and retain a strong workforce by using recruitment marketing. It is also time to review the hiring and retention methods to engage employees versus losing them. Join this workshop-style session to discover recruitment challenges, implement a digital marketing plan, and discover hiring and retention strategies.

Speaker: Jean Harpel, ECRI

The term "safety culture" has been defined by various organizations. In the simplest of terms, a safety culture is the combination of attitudes and behaviors toward patient safety that in the best cases, impact all of an organization’s key processes from planning to the allocation of resources to action in the form of decision making, communication, and problem solving. It creates a focus on error analysis and mitigation that is fundamental to the functions of risk management and ongoing performance improvement. Numerous studies show a link between a positive safety culture (where safety is a shared priority) and improved patient safety within a healthcare organization. The evidence is so convincing that the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) lists leadership support for a safety culture as the most important of eight recommendations for achieving patient safety. In other words, for a safety culture to impact care at the bedside, it must be a priority at the top.

Speaker: Suzannah Overholt, Amundsen Davis

Health care workers are five times more likely to be subject to violent actions such as physical assault or verbal threats than the public according to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. This growing concern, threatening the safety of employees across the industry, demands immediate attention. Join Health Care Attorney Suzannah Overholt as she explores the latest trends in healthcare violence, the contributing factors, and the profound impact these incidents have on employees and patient care. In this session, Suzannah will outline actionable strategies health care organizations can take to create safer, more supportive environments for their health care staff, including: Implementing comprehensive training programs, Fostering a culture of safety, Strengthening workplace security measures, Developing and enforcing workplace violence policies, Conducting risk assessments, Leveraging technology, and Advocating for policy change.