Program & Schedule
Earn up to 12 CEUs!
- Education sessions will begin at 1:00 on September 23rd and conclude at noon on September 25th
- Monday night will feature a Welcome Reception.
- Our Keynote session and our tradeshow luncheon will both be held on Tuesday the 24th.
Keynote Session
Igniting Creative Courage
Presented by Claudia Blumenstock, LNHA
Please join us for an exciting Keynote Session on Tuesday, September 24th!
As long-term care leaders gain footing in this “new normal” environment, there are opportunities to adapt leadership practices in ways we may have never previously considered. This means being bold and trying new ideas and approaches. It requires courage to change our mindsets and a willingness to experience the discomfort of creative change. This interactive presentation invites leaders to challenge the status quo. It explores courageous decision making from the perspective of taking calculated risks when faced with discomfort, uncertainty and opposition. Courageous creativity is an imperative for meaningful and effective ideas and solutions to address organizational issues. Through this lens, a fresh perspective can produce new tools and strategies to enhance the living and working environment.
Claudia Blumenstock, Founder and CEO of Copernicus, Inc., is a nationally recognized presenter and consultant with over 30 years of experience in long-term care. As a licensed nursing home administrator and health care professional, she has helped bring facilities through crises by creating work environments that value staff and focus on respectful and trusting relationships. Her innovative and interactive techniques, educational programs and consulting services provide practical strategies to manage adversity, enhance communication skills, build relationships and improve recruitment and retention. Working with facilities throughout the country, Claudia has helped leaders grapple with COVID and its effects on workforce hiring and retention, identifying strategies to manage the changing employment marketplace and to attract younger staff to long term care work. Copernicus has been a sub-contractor on a Utah Department of Health and Human Services grant project to improve leadership skills in long-term care settings.
Monday, September 23, 2024
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
1:00pm – 2:00pm
Correcting Deficiencies
Presented by Kimberly Bloor
Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office
You get some citations on your annual survey. What the heck do they mean? This session will help you decipher what the requirements are and how to effectively correct them to prevent a re-citation and yet another survey.
Growing the Next Generation of Leaders
Presented by Jesse Buntjer
In this presentation, we will delve into 4 fundamental principles that cultivate effective leadership and foster organizational success. By embodying these principles of mentorship, empowerment, growing talent and supporting growth, leaders can create a culture of growth, innovation, and collective success within their organizations.
Charting a Course for Fall Prevention Success
Presented by Nina Sanderson
In this session, we will focus on assessing resident risk, development and revision of individualized care plans. We will explore ways to look at your overall falls management system to identify opportunities for improvement. Then we will go over how to implement and monitor tests of change that will lead to successful falls reduction that can be sustained over time.
2:15pm – 3:15pm
Sex, Drugs, & Rollin’ Walks
Presented by Barbara Speedling
This session offers a variety of ideas for anticipating and developing common sense approaches to these contemporary challenges. This conversation will inspire a new leadership perspective, moving all leaders to be creative and tenacious in meeting the challenges of the emerging culture of AL/SNF.
THIS SESSION CONTINUES INTO THE 3:30 – 4:30 TIME BLOCK
Building Strong Teams
Presented by Kristen Bohlen
Labor is the most expensive line item on our organization’s balance sheet, but how do we manage the most important resource we have? This session will explore how to build strong teams that are equipped to do their best work, even when they experience staff turnover, challenges, and change.
Substance Use Disorder in LTC Residents
Presented by David Rodruguez
In this presentation we will discuss management of residents with a substance use disorder diagnosis —what it is, how to address symptoms and communication as well as some key strategies for success to improve resident care.
3:30pm – 4:30pm
Creating a Culture of Trust
Presented by Lou Ann Brubaker
A lack of trust in leadership can have serious consequences, including lower staff morale, disengaged staff, reduced innovation, and increased resistance to change. Conversely, trust builds camaraderie and keeps open the lines of communication between leaders and team members. This session provides the framework for fostering a positive work culture where team members feel valued, respected, and want to stay.
Death with Beth
Presented by Beth Payne
In this follow-up session from the spring conference, we’ll take a deeper dive into how to start the conversations and what actions to take with yourself, residents and loved ones regarding end-of-life planning and care. During the session, we’ll participate in activities to increase awareness, empathy, dialogue, and understanding of emotions surrounding death that can be immediately applied to both our own lives as well as the residents we serve each day.
8:00am – 9:30am: Keynote Session
Igniting Creative Courage
Presented by Claudia Blumenstock, LNHA
Copernicus, Inc.
This interactive presentation invites leaders to challenge the status quo. It explores courageous decision making from the perspective of taking calculated risks when faced with discomfort, uncertainty and opposition. Courageous creativity is an imperative for meaningful and effective ideas and solutions to address organizational issues.
9:45am – 10:45am
Resident Rights
Presented by WHCA’s Vicki McNealley and Elena Madrid
While resident rights may seem straightforward to most, there are nuances that can prompt even the most seasoned long term care professional to pause. Take 60 minutes to explore the intricacies of RCW 70.129 and discover the most commonly overlooked or misapplied rights. This session is the kick-off event for the coming autumn’s WHCA webinar series focusing on resident rights in long term care.
Dementia Care – SEE ME!
Presented by Pamela Truscott
This session will discuss the changes that happen through dementia progression, as well as how those changes impact the resident’s perception on reality and how staff can work more effectively with the resident. The aim of this session is to gain a broader understanding of common-sense approaches to working with residents who have dementia and other cognitive impairments that can be immediately implemented.
11:00am – 12:00pm
2024 Skilled Nursing Facility Reimbursement Update
Presented by Bill Ulrich
This session is designed to provide a comprehensive update on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement policies and priorities. In addition to updates about Medicare and Medicaid in FY 25, this session will also detail emerging state policies regarding Medicaid funding in skilled nursing facilities. From implementation of PDPM to contracting with managed care organizations, participants in this session can expect the latest information on these measures.
Anti-Fragility
Presented by Diana Osborne
Learn how to harness chaos, embrace randomness, and build systems that enable you to survive shocks and emerge stronger. Disruption may be used to strengthen both yourself and your team. Attendees will discuss how to embrace volatility, capitalize on “calibration” and “implicit redundancies,” while using the “skin-in-the-game” strategy to manage yourself and your team.
When is the Right Time to Refer to Hospice?
Presented by Marsha Flowers, RN
In this session we will discuss how Cancer, Heart Disease, and Dementia follow different patterns of decline as patients approach end of life. Despite these differences, there are many common clues that predict a person’s time is short. Knowing what to watch for, and what matters most to them, can help you know when to refer to hospice.
2:15pm – 3:15pm
Advocacy – A Peek Behind the Curtain from a Washington Outsider on Enacting Change
Presented by Beth Payne
Although we all may not be a registered lobbyist, this doesn’t mean we aren’t equally, or in some cases, more influential in driving change. It is critical for our collective voices to be heard to ensure sustainability both for quality services to our residents and for our businesses as providers. In this session, we’ll cover who, what, where and how to get started with advocacy.
Surviving that Toxic Coworker
Presented by Lori Dierolf
We’ve all worked with them – sometimes we’ve worked FOR them: Co-workers who make our workdays miserable! But if you’re not willing to leave your organization – and you want some tips on preserving your sanity – this session outlines strategies to maintain a positive outlook even with the most negative of co-workers!
The New Restorative Era- An Operational Approach to Restorative Services
Presented by Stephen Brown
EnerG by Aegis Therapies
Attendees will be provided with tools and best practices that help create a successful operational model that encompasses the requirements from an RAI/CMS perspective. Prepare to walk away with a better understanding of the requirements within PDPM, on top of the clinical benefits your residents will receive.
3:30pm – 4:30pm
Care for Residents with Substance Use Disorder-Panel Discussion
Presented by Sabine von Preyss-Friedman, MD, FACP, CMD, Bett Schlemmer, Mary Hickcox, and Lauren Kula, MSW, SUDP.
Caring for residents in today’s world is fraught with challenges. Residents have multiple comorbidities, and the addition of substance use disorders (SUD) can create complexities and barriers to their care in post-acute facilities. In this moderated session, a panel of experts and representatives working within the SUD and long-term care arena will discuss the facts, best practices and resources to overcome barriers. There will also be time for discussion and sharing.
Avoiding Burnout, part 1
Presented by Craig Fischer
In this session participants will learn some tools to increase their self awareness and resilience at work. This will be research-based but focused on practical and actionable tips.
The Person-Centered Care Approach to the Behaviors of Dementia
Presented by Lori Dierolf
Attendees will learn the seven aspects of well-being and how understanding them is key to successful interactions with those who exhibit challenging behaviors in the long-term care setting. Attendees will leave the session with actionable, personalized ways to support and assist those living with dementia to handle what is causing them distress.
8:00am – 9:00pm
Hub and Spoke: Building Community Within Your Structure
Presented by Bill Bent
The development of a hub and spoke model within your organization can provide numerous benefits. This model will help communicate key character traits of staff members, inspiring them to understand their critical importance within the organization. It better defines attributes of community leadership and its impact within the organization. When one integrates a clear vision and mission by integrating this model, it will provide a stronger culture and operations team.
Avoiding Burnout, part 2
Presented by Craig Fischer
In this session, participants will learn more about the research on workplace flourishing in healthcare, looking at team-based and systems-based approaches that can increase health on the team and organizational level. Participants will leave with tools they can use in their organization and teams.
Psychotropic Stewardship – Practical Solutions to Impractical Challenges
Presented by Matthew Palmer
PharMerica
Psychotropic utilization is an ongoing priority in the LTC industry. This program will introduce attendees to strategies and best practices for optimizing psychotropic use through interdisciplinary team settings and will demonstrate how to develop successful recommendations that positively impact residents.
9:15 am – 10:15am
Strengthening the Healthcare Workforce
Presented by Lauren Carlisle
The staffing challenges that existed before the pandemic in recruitment and retention remain but have been amplified by the ongoing nature and toll of the pandemic on the workforce. In this presentation, we will review 5 key components to strengthen the workforce and enhance organizational success.
Thriving in the Face of Adversity
Presented by Bill Bent
Learn how to anticipate stressful situations occurring, methods to minimize adversity showing up, and ways to handle adversity when it shows up. Your awareness, acceptance, and making wise choices will take your leadership skills to higher levels.
Assessing and Documenting Skin Failure Due to Multiorgan Involvement: Looking Beyond the Skin
Presented by Pamela Scarborough
United Wound Healing
This talk will review end-of -life skin failure as a diagnosis and list communication interventions that are important for family and residents’ representatives to prepare everyone for the coming event, the end-of-life. Specifically, the end-of-life in the presence of skin failure.
10:30am – 12:00pm: Workshops
Emergency Preparedness: Moving Away from Paperwork Compliance to Actionable Plans
Presented by Jennifer Olson
Wallowa Valley Senior Living
In this session, we will cover emergency and disaster preparedness planning, give actionable tips to set up communities for success when completing drills or evacuations, review service plan best practice considerations, safety zone planning, how to write shelter agreements, community partnerships and After-Action Reviews.
Diabetes Treatment Updates for the Older Adult: Do We Really Need All These Medications?
Presented by Matthew Palmer
PharMerica
During this presentation, attendees will hear from two board certified geriatric pharmacists as they review and discuss the updated 2024 ADA guidelines for older adults. We will review current treatment options and discuss strategies designed to meet our residents’ goals of therapy while consolidating and minimizing medication burden.