2026 LeadingAge MA Conference & EXPO
Schedule At a Glance
Opening Remarks & Keynote Session
Ethics in Ageing Services
Michael Gillette
This highly interactive, case-based ethics seminar will begin with an introduction to key strategies for identifying, analyzing and resolving ethical issues as they arise throughout the continuum of care. We will review some of the most interesting and difficult ethical issues that emerge in the provision of home-based and residential services including, but not limited to, autonomy and the dignity of risk, managing risks to others, family control, and professional responsibility. Case studies will be selected to represent issues across the full spectrum of relevant services.
- Provide a practical process for ethical clinical decision making.
- Review the concepts of autonomy, paternalism, and distributive justice as they apply to protection of harm to self and prevention of harm to others.
- Clarify possible responses to the multi-faceted ethical conflict between an individual’s right to make potentially dangerous decisions, a family’s desire to control services, and staff’s obligation to protect individuals from harm while balancing respect for autonomy and the duty to uphold professional standards of care.
Morning Breakout Sessions
Integrating Healthcare and Housing: Insights from a Place-Based Model of Care
Rebecca DonatoDirector of Business & Program Development, Hebrew SeniorLife
Mimi LewisR3 Program Director, Hebrew SeniorLife
This session will share learnings and insights from Hebrew SeniorLife’s award-winning Right Care, Right Place, Right Time (R3) model, a place-based services model of care that is currently implemented in 15 affordable housing communities throughout the Commonwealth. Through partnerships with affordable housing providers and payors, the R3 Program embeds wellness teams into independent senior living communities. These teams use a personalized, culturally sensitive, and whole-person approach to support residents in proactively addressing their health and well-being priorities. Through research conducted by the UMASS LTSS Center, the R3 program has demonstrated reduced healthcare utilization and improved health outcomes and resident satisfaction, and is helping to address the extraordinary challenge that older adults face in navigating an increasingly complex healthcare system. Through this program, 2,400 older adults in the Commonwealth now have more access to obtain the services and supports they need to age with maximum independence, dignity and quality of life.
- Explore how providers can leverage the “power of proximity” in independent living and community settings to help older adults access supports and services.
- Gain an understanding of the principles, approaches, and learnings of the R3 model, and how they can be applied to other senior care settings.
- Consider ways to expand beyond traditional care management services and promote a more empowered approach focused on individual health activation.
Continuing the Conversation: Ethics in Ageing Services
Michael Gillette
For participants who would like to continue the conversation from the keynote, this breakout offers an opportunity to spend more time with the issues, questions, and situations that arise in everyday practice. Through facilitated discussion and shared examples, participants will explore how ethical challenges emerge across settings and consider practical ways to respond.
The session is designed to be conversational and interactive, creating space to reflect on the themes raised in the keynote, hear how colleagues are approaching similar situations, and think more deeply about how ethics shape day-to-day decisions in ageing services.
- Continue exploring ethical issues introduced in the keynote through discussion and shared examples.
- Reflect on how ethical questions arise in participants’ own settings and roles.
- Discuss practical approaches for responding to common ethical challenges in ageing services.
Affordable Senior Housing Preservation & Management
John ArdoviniVice President of Business Development, Hampden Park Capital & Consulting
Marguerite D’AngeloRegional Manager, CSI Support & Development
As affordable senior housing communities face increasing financial and operational pressure, providers must make the most of the programs, products, and preservation tools available today. This session will explore how current HUD programs and financing strategies can be used to support the preservation, repositioning, and long-term management of elderly affordable housing.
Drawing on both financing and operational perspectives, the presenters will discuss practical approaches for maintaining and improving aging housing communities, navigating today’s funding environment, and planning for long-term sustainability. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of the opportunities available through current federal programs and how to leverage them to preserve affordable housing for older adults.
- Identify current HUD programs and financing tools that support the preservation of elderly affordable housing.
- Examine strategies for maintaining and improving aging affordable housing communities while strengthening long-term sustainability.
Empowering Residents Through Tech Support
Amber BardonChief Executive Officer, Parasol Alliance
Residents today rely on technology for connection, entertainment, and daily living but without the right support, frustration can build quickly. By implementing a structured resident tech support program, communities can help residents feel more empowered, satisfied, and connected. This session highlights practical approaches that simultaneously reduce repetitive staff tech support requests, improve resident quality of life, and enhance overall community satisfaction. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to launch resident-centered tech support initiatives.
- Describe the benefits of structured resident technology support programs.
- Identify strategies to reduce repetitive staff technology support requests while improving resident satisfaction.
- Develop practical approaches for implementing resident-centered technology support initiatives.
Advancing Dementia Care: Evolution & Innovation
Presenters from The Loomis Communities and North Hill
This session will highlight how North Hill and Loomis Communities are advancing person-centered dementia care through innovative and evolving practices. Presenters from both communities will share insights into their programming, staff education, volunteer engagement, interdisciplinary team involvement, and the guiding philosophies that shape supportive dementia care environments. The session will explore how innovation, ongoing education, and community partnerships help reshape dementia care, remove barriers, and support residents with dementia in living meaningful, thriving lives.
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
Affordability Beyond Affordable Housing
Philippe SaadPrincipal, DiMella Shaffer
Angela BovillChief Executive Officer, Ascentria Care Alliance
Gretchen Van NessExecutive Director, LGBTQ Senior Housing
As costs of living continue to rise across Massachusetts, affordability for older adults extends well beyond rent to include food, utilities, services, and long-term housing stability. This session will convene nonprofit and mission-driven leaders to examine what affordability truly means for seniors today and where the most significant gaps exist across housing, services, and daily living expenses.
Panelists will explore the challenges seniors face in maintaining stable housing amid increasing economic pressures, including food insecurity, rising utility costs, and limited fixed incomes. The discussion will highlight creative and emerging models for affordable senior housing, as well as strategies housing operators can use to improve stability, reduce financial strain, and support aging in place. Participants will gain practical insights into partnerships, service integration, and operational approaches that help mitigate insecurity and sustain affordability over time.
- Define senior affordability holistically, including housing, food, utilities, and supportive services, and identify the primary economic pressures affecting older adults in Massachusetts.
- Analyze current gaps in affordable senior housing and stability, with particular attention to populations most at risk of displacement and insecurity, including low-income and LGBTQ+ seniors.
- Identify practical strategies and creative housing models that housing operators and service providers can use to improve long-term affordability, enhance resident stability, and mitigate food and utility insecurity.
Inspired Spaces: Applying Montessori Principles to Transform Dementia Engagement
Michael TubbsSenior Director of Lifestyle Engagement, Benchmark Senior Living
This session explores how Montessori principles can be thoughtfully applied to create Inspired Spaces that promote dignity, purpose, and meaningful engagement for people living with dementia. Participants will learn how environment, choice, and intentional design can support independence, reduce distress, and foster authentic human connection.
Drawing from real-world senior living experience, this session will highlight practical strategies for translating Montessori concepts into daily programming and physical spaces within memory care communities. Attendees will gain insight into how Inspired Spaces can be developed and sustained through team engagement, consistent standards, and a focus on resident strengths rather than limitations.
This session is ideal for senior living leaders, memory care professionals, and lifestyle teams seeking actionable ideas to enhance engagement, elevate quality of life, and create environments where residents are empowered to connect, contribute, and thrive.
- Explain how Montessori principles can support engagement and quality of life for people living with dementia.
- Identify practical strategies for incorporating choice, purposeful activity, and environmental design into memory care settings.
- Develop approaches for sustaining inspired spaces through staff engagement and consistent practice.
The Changing Face of Seniors: Who Will Fill Tomorrow’s Communities?
Jessica RuhleSenior Account Director, Creating Results
By 2030, one in five Americans will be over 65, ushering in not just a demographic shift but a profound cultural transformation for senior living. Drawing on proprietary research and national data, this session explores four powerful forces reshaping the future of senior living: increasing diversity, the rise of working seniors, the growing LGBTQ+ population, and the evolution of family dynamics. Attendees will gain actionable insights into how these trends are redefining demand, expectations, and decision-making for the next generation of residents.
Through data-driven analysis and real-world examples, participants will learn how to adapt design, services, and marketing to create communities that are inclusive, flexible, and future-ready. The session will provide practical strategies for senior living leaders to differentiate their brands, sustain financial health, and foster genuine belonging for all residents.
- Identify major demographic and cultural trends shaping the future of senior living.
- Examine how changing resident expectations affect community design, services, and marketing.
- Develop strategies to create more inclusive, responsive, and future-ready communities.
Building a Culture of Board Leadership and Accountability
Naomi Prendergast, MPH, LNHAManaging Member, NMP Solutions, LLC
This session introduces the concept of “Intentional Governance” and the needed balance at Board meetings between strategy and operational oversight. Through presentation and discussion, participants will explore practical approaches for creating stronger, more accountable boards and more effective meetings.
- Define the principles of intentional governance and accountability.
- Distinguish between strategic and operational responsibilities in board leadership.
- Identify approaches for creating more productive and effective board meetings.
From Barriers to Bridges: Strengthening the Healthcare Workforce Pipeline
Emily McGrath, Hebrew SeniorLife
Healthcare workforce shortages persist despite a strong interest among individuals seeking entry into the field. This session examines the structural and individual barriers that impact workforce readiness, including transportation, childcare, language proficiency, digital literacy, and financial constraints. Participants will explore current workforce data and insights from the Lunder CareForce Institute, engage in facilitated discussion, and apply learning through case-based group work. Emphasis will be placed on identifying actionable strategies, leveraging community partnerships, and designing internal career pathway programs that support entry, advancement, and retention across the workforce continuum.
- Analyze systemic and individual barriers influencing entry and readiness for the healthcare workforce.
- Evaluate organizational and community resources that can be mobilized to mitigate workforce access and readiness challenges.
- Apply evidence-informed strategies to develop or enhance workforce development initiatives, including career pathway and training programs.
- Synthesize collaborative approaches that strengthen workforce pipelines and support long-term retention and advancement.
Closing General Session
From Administrator to Neighbor: Finding the Heart in Senior Living
Dr. Lisa Ippolito
In a field that asks so much of us, it can be easy to lose sight of the “why” behind the work. This uplifting and heartfelt session invites attendees to reconnect with their purpose and reignite their passion for senior living.
Drawing on over 25 years of experience as an administrator in assisted living and long-term care, Dr. Lisa Ippolito shares a powerful and unique experience: the time she lived as a resident in her own assisted living community. Originally offered as a sign-on bonus while she searched for housing, this experience became a life-changing immersion that reshaped how she led, listened, and loved her work.
Through candid stories, moments of laughter, and reflections from the heart, attendees will see senior living through the eyes of the people they serve — and rediscover the profound impact they make every day. Now a full-time Professor of Healthcare Administration at the State University of New York - Brockport, Dr. Ippolito also weaves in how she’s inspiring the next generation of administrators, nurses, and healthcare professionals to embrace the sacred responsibility and joy of caring for older adults.
This highly interactive session will blend heartfelt storytelling with opportunities for participants to reflect on what fills their cup, ensuring they walk away feeling inspired, re-energized, and proud to be part of this incredible profession.
- Reflect on the personal and professional values that inspire work in ageing services.
- Describe how lived experience can influence leadership, empathy, and resident-centered care.
- Identify strategies for sustaining purpose, resilience, and connection in the work of caring for older adults.