Session Details

 

The WAVES Conference is designed to educate, inspire, and connect professionals across the continuum of long-term care.

 

Our breakout sessions feature expert-led discussions on leadership, compliance, workforce, innovation, and quality outcomes. Our carefully selected session provides practical insights you can apply right away. Session descriptions are listed below to help you plan your experience.

 

For a full agenda including times, speakers, and networking events, please visit the Schedule page.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out directly to Ashley Sabins at asabins@leadingageindiana.org

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Tuesday, September 9

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

  • 1A: The Discharge Function Score: Boom or Bust?
    Are you confident in your discharge function scores? Learn how to accurately capture patient ability at discharge, avoid common coding mistakes, and optimize performance under PDPM and QRP.
    Speaker: HTS Therapy

  • 1B: What to Do after the Strategic Plan
    Join Lena Morris from Authentic Encounters, LLC as she explores the real work that starts after your strategic plan is in place. Discover how to maintain momentum, engage your team, and implement plans meaningfully.
    Speaker: Lena Morris, Authentic Encounters 

  • 1C: Cyber Claims & Resilience
    With aging services organizations increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks, this session explores common breaches, response strategies, and how to reduce cyber risk. Hear real-life claims stories and how to build resilience.
    Speakers: Jim Staed and Walter Constantine, EPIC Brokers

10:15 AM – 11:30 AM

  • 2A: Communicate to Care: Strengthening Connections
    Comin Soon
    Speaker: Emily Tisdale M.Ed. and Dr. Katie Greenan, UIndy

  • 2B: Making Meetings Count
    This session will explore practical strategies for running focused, efficient, and productive meetings that engage your team and drive results. Learn how to set clear agendas, manage time effectively, and foster accountability—so every meeting moves your organization forward.
    Speaker: Lena Morris, Authentic Encounters 

  • 2C: Purposeful Place Making
    The built environment is a behavioral system. The facilities we inhabit shape our conduct and funnel our perceptions of the world around us – a reality that is critically important within care settings. The experiences our campuses offer, from the parking lot to the resident room, set the stage for the quality of life the built environment often imposes onto its users. This presentation will not only define the key strategies for the effective planning of Life Plan Communities to address shifting resident needs, it will provide a dynamic discussion surrounding the empirical research correlating placemaking and well-being while offering tools that can be utilized to qualify effective care campuses.
    Speakers: Zachary Benedict, MKM Design

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

  • 3A: Making a Difference as a Hospice Volunteer
    The value to Hospice and Elder Services of Volunteers from the Communities who are highly motivated to "pay it forward" and help and accompany Hospice Patients along on their End-of-Life journeys.
    Speaker: Robert Hagopian, CorsoCare

  • 3B: Unlocking Trust
    Hear more from our Keynote Speaker for an in-depth look at Unlocking Trust within your teams.                                                                                                               Speaker: Kathy Parry, CSP

  • 3C: Intro to AI for Nursing Home Leaders
    Artificial Intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s a practical, time-saving tool you can use today. This session introduces long-term care leaders to the power of ChatGPT and how to build custom GPTs that make it feel like you have a regulatory consultant on-demand. We’ll cover practical applications in skilled nursing, including survey prep, policy writing, writing in-services, plan of corrections, and more. The session includes real-world examples, a live demo of how to create a custom GPT, and tips on how to write prompts that get meaningful results. No tech background needed—just curiosity and a willingness to try something new.
    Speaker: Josh Bowman, Bethel Manor

3:15 PM – 4:15 PM

  • 4A: IDOH 
    Join IDOH and hear about current trends
    Speakers: Tammy Alley and Suzanne Williams, Indiana Department of Health 

  • 4B: Risk Management: Impact on Clinical and Financial Outcomes
    This session will explore how effective risk management directly influences both clinical and financial performance in today’s healthcare environment. Attendees will gain insights into current industry trends shaping reimbursement, star ratings, managed care claim submissions, quality measures, and survey outcomes. Through real-world examples and expert guidance, the session will offer practical strategies, tips, and best practices to help organizations navigate these complex areas and achieve their desired outcomes.
    Speakers: Brandon Buster and Lori Easterla, Lee Agency

  • 4C: Industry Challenges & Technology
    Description coming soon!
    Speaker: PointClickCare

None at this time.

Wednesday, September 10

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM

  • 5A: Supporting Safe Transitions of Care
    Potential pitfalls in new admission processes will be discussed, as well as strategies to improve safety at the time of transition. Common discrepancies between hospital discharge orders and nursing home admission orders will be reviewed. Best practices for increasing safety and optimizing quality of care through structured reviews will be identified.
    Speaker: Probaris Systems

  • 5B: Strategies for Compliance and Quality Outcomes
    This presentation offers a comprehensive look at current trends in nursing home surveys, including common citations, emerging focus areas, and regulatory shifts impacting skilled nursing facilities. Participants will gain practical strategies to enhance readiness and performance, including proactive quality assurance, interdisciplinary team engagement, and documentation best practices. Whether preparing for an annual survey or responding to past deficiencies, this session equips providers with tools to promote compliance, reduce risk, and elevate resident care.
    Speaker: Liz Wheeler, Proactive LTC Consulting

  • 5C: Thriving at Managed Care
    Managed care can be very challenging for providers. Access to admissions, clinical care, and revenues are all affected by multiple payer expectations and the facility's ability to perform in an unfamiliar and complex environment. This session breaks down key elements for success, including understanding payer drivers, profiling facility competencies, and navigating revenue capture. Thriving, as opposed to simply surviving, should be the goal of community-focused, post-acute providers.
    Speakers: Renee Cummings and Bryce Henderson, AccessElite

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

  • 6A: Management of Osteoporosis in Older Adults
    This presentation covers managing osteoporosis in older adults. It emphasizes the importance of calcium, vitamin D, and physical activity. Initial treatments like bisphosphonates and Prolia will be discussed, along with alternatives such as parathyroid hormone analogs and denosumab. The session includes an overview of Romosozumab, a newer therapy requiring careful monitoring due to cardiovascular risks. Attendees will leave with guidance on individualized treatment planning.
    Speakers: Michael Eldridge, GrandRx and Joseph Schreiner, Omnicare

  • 6B: Be in the Know – FY26, MDS 3.0, PDPM, PBJ
    Long Term Care (LTC) continues to face ongoing challenges from CMS and Indiana state updates. This session provides a review of Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) reporting, MDS 3.0 changes, PDPM updates, and a forward-looking discussion on what's expected for FY26.
    Speaker: Deborah Lake and Alex Craig, FORVIS Mazars

  • 6C: Indiana Workforce Insights and Outlook 
    This session will explore workforce topics in LTC and provide interesting insights on the current model and what trends we are seeing in the industry. 
    Speaker: Representatives Amergis Staffing Agency

None at this time.