2026 Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum
Sep 15-18, 2026, Grand View Lodge
Registration
Contact our education team for more information about registering for this event
Session Schedule
Golf
No description available
Tuesday Sessions
Sponsored by Northland Securities
Open to all Annual Meeting participants
Open to all Annual Meeting participants
Wednesday Breakfast
New to Annual Meeting? We invite you to join other newer members over breakfast for a casual conversation and overview of the Annual Meeting experience – the sessions, activities, and networking opportunities available throughout the week. No pre-registration needed, but you must be a registered guest at Grand View Lodge on Tuesday evening or purchase a meal ticket when completing your conference registration with LeadingAge Minnesota.
Sponsored by Minnesota Exteriors Commercial
Sponsored by Minnesota Exteriors Commercial
Wednesday Sessions
Courage at Work: How to Take More Risks and Own Your Brilliance
An organization’s ability to reach its highest level of excellence comes down to one thing: its people — courageously owning their brilliance, in both typical and transitional times. But, when professionals consider rejection, judgement or failure as potential outcomes, they can find it difficult to act with courage — opting instead for safety and limited growth. In this leadership development program, participants learn a process for how to manage fear, activate personal courage, and take worthwhile risks, so they can foster courageous leadership and fuel organizational growth.
By the end of this program, participants will be able to:
- Identify three key components in the development and activation of courage.
- Convert those components into a process that prepares them to evaluate risks from insight, instead of insecurity.
- Leverage that process when opportunities arise for them to step outside of their comfort zone and demonstrate their brilliance.
- Equip themselves with tools and strategies to courageously speak up — with divergent ideas, feedback, and opinions.
An organization’s ability to reach its highest level of excellence comes down to one thing: its people — courageously owning their brilliance, in both typical and transitional times. But, when professionals consider rejection, judgement or failure as potential outcomes, they can find it difficult to act with courage — opting instead for safety and limited growth. In this leadership development program, participants learn a process for how to manage fear, activate personal courage, and take worthwhile risks, so they can foster courageous leadership and fuel organizational growth.
By the end of this program, participants will be able to:
- Identify three key components in the development and activation of courage.
- Convert those components into a process that prepares them to evaluate risks from insight, instead of insecurity.
- Leverage that process when opportunities arise for them to step outside of their comfort zone and demonstrate their brilliance.
- Equip themselves with tools and strategies to courageously speak up — with divergent ideas, feedback, and opinions.
Wednesday Concurrent Sessions 1 - 2p.m.
- Follow the courage process employees undergo to prepare themselves to own their brilliance at work.
- Identify key opportunities within that process to deliberately engage and support their teams in taking worthwhile risks.
- Apply key strategies to those opportunities that, when repeated, start to create a culture where employees are engaged, ready, willing and able to courageously speak up, step up and show up.
- Identify key opportunities within that process to deliberately engage and support their teams in taking worthwhile risks.
- Apply key strategies to those opportunities that, when repeated, start to create a culture where employees are engaged, ready, willing and able to courageously speak up, step up and show up.
- Identify effective strategies for clinical staff recruitment.
- Examine approaches to clinical staff retention, focused on both early career and veteran nurses.
- Discuss best practices for professional development and ongoing training to engage clinical staff.
- Examine approaches to clinical staff retention, focused on both early career and veteran nurses.
- Discuss best practices for professional development and ongoing training to engage clinical staff.
- Understand the role of data and transparency in transforming senior care data into actionable insights.
- Identify key use cases where data driven business intelligence enhances decision-making.
- Using data/analytics to produce a more “balanced scorecard” that emphasizes organizational priorities well beyond the narrower approach of survey and financial results.
- Identify key use cases where data driven business intelligence enhances decision-making.
- Using data/analytics to produce a more “balanced scorecard” that emphasizes organizational priorities well beyond the narrower approach of survey and financial results.
Wednesday Concurrent Sessions 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
- Understand the new TEAMS bundled payment model, trends in managed care, and federal value-based care programs in place.
- Examine how clinical outcomes, readmission rates, and quality reporting influence facility rankings, financial incentives, and penalties under these models.
- Discuss leadership's role in establishing an effective QAPI program to address quality issues that impact quality measures and reimbursement.
- Examine how clinical outcomes, readmission rates, and quality reporting influence facility rankings, financial incentives, and penalties under these models.
- Discuss leadership's role in establishing an effective QAPI program to address quality issues that impact quality measures and reimbursement.
- Understand the relationship of a strong organizational culture of growth and development and its impact on recruitment/retention outcomes
- Review steps in designing talent development plans
- Identify three strategies for talent development plan implementation.
- Review steps in designing talent development plans
- Identify three strategies for talent development plan implementation.
- Understand the role of resident voices in legislative advocacy.
- Identify the elements of an effective resident testimonial.
- Develop strategies to prepare residents for public speaking and legislative engagement.
- Identify the elements of an effective resident testimonial.
- Develop strategies to prepare residents for public speaking and legislative engagement.
Thursday Sessions
The Annual Business Meeting is an important function of the Association and membership. Please plan to attend for the election of officers and other important association business.
Join an energizing and thought-provoking panel discussion where bold ideas meet real-world innovation. In this dynamic session, seasoned leaders in long-term care will come together to share how they are embracing courageous thinking to tackle the field’s most pressing and complex challenges. This session offers a front-row seat to the conversations shaping the next chapter of long-term care.
From workforce transformation and financial sustainability to culture change and technology integration, panelists will highlight the strategies and standout programs they’ve implemented to stay ahead of the curve. Expect candid dialogue, fresh perspectives, and actionable insights as these leaders reflect on what it takes to reimagine the future of aging services.
From workforce transformation and financial sustainability to culture change and technology integration, panelists will highlight the strategies and standout programs they’ve implemented to stay ahead of the curve. Expect candid dialogue, fresh perspectives, and actionable insights as these leaders reflect on what it takes to reimagine the future of aging services.
Thursday Concurrent Sessions 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
- Analyze the federal policy landscape shaping long-term care in 2025 and beyond.
- Develop advocacy strategies to influence policy and elevate aging services priorities.
- Discuss how to engage effectively with legislators, coalitions, and national media to advocate for long-term care funding, workforce support, and policy reform.
- Develop advocacy strategies to influence policy and elevate aging services priorities.
- Discuss how to engage effectively with legislators, coalitions, and national media to advocate for long-term care funding, workforce support, and policy reform.
- Explore various approaches to delivering primary care directly within long-term care communities.
- Understand how onsite primary care can improve resident outcomes, reduce hospitalizations, streamline medication management, and enhance interdisciplinary communication.
- Identify practical considerations necessary for successfully launching or collaborating with an onsite primary care provider.
- Understand how onsite primary care can improve resident outcomes, reduce hospitalizations, streamline medication management, and enhance interdisciplinary communication.
- Identify practical considerations necessary for successfully launching or collaborating with an onsite primary care provider.
- Identify technology tools and digital workflows that support executive productivity in long-term care leadership.
- Examine real-world strategies and outcomes from leaders who have streamlined operations using practical tech solutions.
- Develop a personalized plan to implement technology and process improvements aligned with your leadership responsibilities and organizational context.
- Examine real-world strategies and outcomes from leaders who have streamlined operations using practical tech solutions.
- Develop a personalized plan to implement technology and process improvements aligned with your leadership responsibilities and organizational context.
Thursday Concurrent Sessions 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
- Examine the role of immigrant workers in the long-term care sector.
- Analyze proposed immigration reforms and their potential impact on workforce supply.
- Identify practical steps organizations can take to support immigrant staff, including legal education, advocacy efforts, and workforce planning aligned with evolving immigration policy.
- Analyze proposed immigration reforms and their potential impact on workforce supply.
- Identify practical steps organizations can take to support immigrant staff, including legal education, advocacy efforts, and workforce planning aligned with evolving immigration policy.
- Understand the key elements of contract negotiation with Managed Care Organization (MCOs) to secure fair and compliant agreements.
- Develop strategies for building collaborative and transparent relationships with MCO representatives to improve communication and service coordination.
- Discuss operational best practices for ongoing monitoring and performance evaluation of MCO agreements.
- Develop strategies for building collaborative and transparent relationships with MCO representatives to improve communication and service coordination.
- Discuss operational best practices for ongoing monitoring and performance evaluation of MCO agreements.
- Identify proactive coverage considerations to ensure appropriate insurance planning.
- Understand the legal and operational impact of arbitration agreements, contracts, documentation, and handbooks.
- Implement effective pre-suit mitigation strategies.
- Understand the legal and operational impact of arbitration agreements, contracts, documentation, and handbooks.
- Implement effective pre-suit mitigation strategies.
Thursday Concurrent Sessions 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
- Explore how AI can streamline workflows, reduce manual overhead, and enhance decision-making in operations.
- Develop strategies for implementing AI responsibly within existing systems.
- Identify key areas for AI integration using real-world use cases in long-term care.
- Develop strategies for implementing AI responsibly within existing systems.
- Identify key areas for AI integration using real-world use cases in long-term care.
- Understand and review the impacts to 2026 nursing facility rates from changes implemented to VBR during the 2025 legislative sessions including annual caps, property rate inflation, and bed layaway phase-outs.
- Explore the impacts of PDPM implementation on nursing facility Medicaid rates and analyze the proposed Medicare FY 2026 rates.
- Review and apply other rate impacts and operational considerations for 2026 budgeting, minimum wage standards, and required revalidations.
- Explore the impacts of PDPM implementation on nursing facility Medicaid rates and analyze the proposed Medicare FY 2026 rates.
- Review and apply other rate impacts and operational considerations for 2026 budgeting, minimum wage standards, and required revalidations.
Friday Sessions
The session’s focus:
- The importance of building reputational equity well in advance of any crisis or challenging situation.
- A mindset centered on being reasonable and responsible, recognizing that organizations are not expected to be perfect, but to respond with integrity and clarity.
- How to create an actionable crisis/change communication plan, including identifying key messages, determining who needs to be informed, and preparing effective spokespeople.
- Communicating efficiently and effectively with media, staff, residents, families, and the public.
- Group work using real-world scenarios will allow participants to apply the concepts discussed and share strategies with the larger group for collaborative learning.
Key Learnings:
- Know how to quickly gather information and distil details into a concise and effective set of messages.
- Gather best practices for constructing a useable crisis communication plan.
- Create a culture of effective communication within your organization.
- The importance of building reputational equity well in advance of any crisis or challenging situation.
- A mindset centered on being reasonable and responsible, recognizing that organizations are not expected to be perfect, but to respond with integrity and clarity.
- How to create an actionable crisis/change communication plan, including identifying key messages, determining who needs to be informed, and preparing effective spokespeople.
- Communicating efficiently and effectively with media, staff, residents, families, and the public.
- Group work using real-world scenarios will allow participants to apply the concepts discussed and share strategies with the larger group for collaborative learning.
Key Learnings:
- Know how to quickly gather information and distil details into a concise and effective set of messages.
- Gather best practices for constructing a useable crisis communication plan.
- Create a culture of effective communication within your organization.