Monday, May 23, 2016

8:30 AM - 9:45 AM
Opening Plenary Session
P01 - The Fate of our Stars : Five Star Quality Changes and the Future of Government Policy
 
Cynthia Morton, Executive Director, National Association of Long Term Care Support (NASL)
 
Development of government policies in the realms of memory care is just beginning, and the future promises to bring even greater change.  These new policies that are being advocated for and signed into law on Capitol Hill are bringing about a fundamental shift in the way quality of care is evaluated-- and the five star quality rating is one of these starting points.
 
In April, six new quality metrics will be added to Nursing Home Compare, with five of these metrics being added to the calculation for five-star quality ratings.  Continuous management and evaluation of function and cognitive decline are a centerpiece of a forward-thinking approach from CMS to dramatically influence the quality of dementia care services.  
 
But, where will this forward-thinking approach to memory care by Congress, CMS and MedPAC take us next?  What else does the IMPACT Act require CMS to do related to memory care?  How long do we have before assisted living organizations are evaluated on similar metrics to skilled nursing facilities?
 
Join Washington D.C. lobbyist and CMS policy expert, Cynthia Morton, as she provides the latest news from Capitol Hill about the fundamental changes that are happening within government policy that will impact memory care.  Morton will set the table for future discussions, elaborating on the changes to the upcoming changes to the Five Star Quality Rating in April, how policymakers are guiding a culture change that is emphasizing standards for memory care, and what organizations can do to structure their programs to meet these standards in the coming years.
 
Learning Objectives:
  • Review the current "state of the union" as it related to CMS policies regarding memory care
  • Define the five-star quality rating calculation changes, and how these influence memory care specifically
  • Analyze the strategic direction defined by the IMPACT Act, how CMS is implementing, congressional direction and initiatives in progress, and influential efforts from organizations like MedPAC
  • Outline the key characteristics all organizations, both assisted living and skilled nursing, will need to position themselves for success in the new era of policy
 
9:45 - 10:15 AM
Networking Break
10:15  - 11:15 AM

Track: Administrative and Executive
W01 - Staffing for Memory Care

Kelly O'Shea Carney, Ph.D., CMC, Executive Director, Phoebe Center for Excellence in Dementia Care

Joshua J. Freitas, CAEd, CADDCT, CDP, Corporate Director of Memory Care and Resident Engagement, LCB Senior Living, LLC

Aysha Kuhlor, RN, BA, CDONA/LTC, Founder/CEO: National Council of Post Acute Care Practitioners, Vice-President, NADONA/LTC

Moderator: Pamela Tabar, Editor-in-Chief, Long-Term Living Magazine

Staffing continues to remain one of the top challenges in memory care units across the nation.  With staff turnover rates continuing to rise at alarming rates across long-term care, memory care units continue to experience some of the highest rates of turnover among staff within organizations.  The challenging, demanding, and personal nature of memory care delivery taxes every member of the team, both physically and emotionally, thus maximizing resources while continuing to provide personalized one-on-one attention with residents is the goal of every unit.

Join our expert panel and Editor-in-Chief of Long-Term Living, Pamela Tabar, as we explore the complexity, and best practices behind scheduling, nurse to resident ratios, hiring policies, and the tools available to assemble a star team of care takers.  Also hear about real-world ideas and practices to create a culture that prevents turnover, fostering an atmosphere of engagement and investment that reflects directly on quality of care.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify top challenges in the field of memory care staffing, including: staff turnover, scheduling for more specialized and personalized care, and optimizing staffing totals
  • Outline innovative and unique hiring policies that will uncover aptitudes and traits of effective caretakers and personnel
  • Compose examples of training approaches to encourage staff development, education, and awareness surrounding memory care

Track: Clinical and DON
W02 - The Care Plan for Sleep: Diminishing Sleep Deprivation, Improving Sleep Hygiene, and Tools for Quality Assessment

Leah Klusch, RN, BSN, FACHCA, Executive Director, The Alliance Training Center

Elders in Memory Care programs frequently suffer from sleep deprivation or poor sleep cycles. Addressing sleep hygiene is an operational issue with significant clinical direction is very important to improve quality of care and quality of life for elders. 

This session will identify sleep cycle issues as well as proven interventions to improve quality and quantity of sleep for elders in Memory Care Settings. Join us for a detailed discussion of care giver approaches, care protocol changes, and clinical approaches that will give participants specific direction and examples of interventions.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify components of sleep hygiene program and documentation of outcomes.
  • Discuss interventions to promote restful sleep and avoid sleep interruptions.
  • Review results of controlled study to demonstrate the impact of interventions and staff behavior changes. 
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Track: Administrative and Executive
W03 - Understanding the Dementia Focused Survey
 
Linda Elizaitis, R.N., RAC-CT, B.S., President, CMS Compliance Group
 
The initial success that CMS has with its 2014 focused dementia care survey pilot led to 2015’s focused survey expansion. This survey, coupled with the addition of two new Quality Measures related to antipsychotic medication use in nursing homes, show that the Agency plans to pinpoint dementia care compliance for the foreseeable future. The presenter will provide an overview of the regulatory impetus for the dementia focused surveys and discuss the keys to successful survey outcomes related to dementia care and unnecessary medications.
 
Learning Objectives:
 
  • Discuss the regulatory history that created the need for focused survey types
  • Prepare to leverage the Focused Dementia Survey Tools released in 2015 by CMS for use in facility practices and quality improvement initiatives
  • Recognize the importance of the 2013 revised guidance at F-309 Quality of Care and F-329 Unnecessary Medications related to dementia care compliance and the focused survey initiative
  • Describe the importance of non-pharmacological interventions in memory care and the potential impact on survey results

Track: Clinical and DON
W04 - Do You Know What My Name Is?  Behind the Scenes with the Award Winning Eliza Jennings Memory Care Unit

Sheryl Sereda, Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer, Eliza Jennings

Christopher Muller, Executive Director, Eliza Jennings SAIDO Learning Institute

In the past, memory support focused on decline, caring for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and managing their symptoms. An innovative treatment, SAIDO Learning®, grants us the opportunity to provide hope by improving symptoms and quality of life among cognitively impaired older adults.
 
The award-winning documentary, “Do You Know What My Name Is?”, was filmed at Eliza Jennings in Cleveland and tells the story of the first U.S. trial of SAIDO Learning. The film chronicles the dramatic progress of residents engaged in the study that took place at Eliza Jennings in 2013.
 
Join Eliza Jennings executive leaders Sheryl Sereda and Christopher Müller as they share the stunning results produced by SAIDO Learning among residents of their nursing community, the evidence-based methods that support measurable cognitive improvement, and an upcoming national research study with The Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University to further non-pharmacological advancements for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
 

Learning Objectives:

  • Learn how an innovative therapy, SAIDO Learning, has made a dramatic impact on the cognitive abilities and quality of life of residents of a nursing community by improving the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
  • Explore the relationship between the brain’s prefrontal cortex function and the symptoms of dementia
  • Review the findings of a six-month research study, as documented in an award-winning film, demonstrating how SAIDO Learning utilizes a scientific method of simple arithmetic, reading, and writing exercises to improve prefrontal cortex function and, thereby, symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia’s
  • Learn how SAIDO Learning drives person-centered care and culture change
12:30 - 2:30 PM
The Memory Care Forum Best Practices Luncheon
 
Effective memory care is only possible through collaboration.  With knowledge bases, best practices, and evidence-based techniques being the centerpieces of effective programming and care--the Memory Care Forums are turning to it's attendees to be the experts.
 
Join Editor-in-Chief of Long-Term Living, Pamela Tabar, and the Director of the Institute for the Advancement of Senior Care (IASC), Adam Armstrong, as they guide an engaging best practices discussion around the top issues surrounding memory care.  Each small breakout group will be posed with one of the biggest challenges associated with effective memory care, and will be presenting their top tools and best practices that addressed these issues.  
 
The following key questions will be posed and addressed, with all notes and best practices documented and shared with the group following the conference:
 
  • Your most effective memory prompting tools and activities, things that bring back memories
  • Best practices for interfacing with the family, informed and involved
  • What is your staff training strategy?
  • Best strategies for addressing behavioral interventions
  • Top 5 needs for retrofitted (person-centered) memory care units
  • And more....
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Afternoon Plenary Presentation
P02 - Do You Speak Alzheimer’s? - Effective Communication Strategies in Dementia Care

Dayne DuVall, LMT, CAEd, CRTS, Chief Operating Officer, National Certification Board for Alzheimer Care

Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD) gradually diminish a person's ability to communicate. Communication with a person with Alzheimer's requires patience, understanding and good listening skills. 
 
In this session, we will discuss communication strategies to employ with residents/clients, their families, and other care providers.  Discover effective and proven methods to increase positive interactions with individuals with ADRD, improve families and care providers to manage stress levels and personal health, and enhance the relationship and understanding of care plans between families, care providers, individuals with ADRD, and the health care teams supporting them.

Learning Objectives:

  • Recognize that all “behavior” is a form of communication and be able to identify strategies for communicating with persons with ADRD
  • Outline the importance of non-verbal communication and identify methods of improving communication via these methods
  • Demonstrate effect strategies for communicating with families
  • Distinguish the important role that knowledge of cultural diversity plays in communicating with persons with ADRD, families and other care providers
3:30 - 4:00 PM
Networking Break
4:00 - 5:00 PM
Track: Administrative and Executive
W05 - The Birdsong Initiative: An Applied Research Study Utilizing Technology in Memory Care Units
 
Amy Powell, Director of Continuum Services, Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay
 

The Birdsong Initiative was an academic research study guided by Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay, a multi-facility long-term care provider based in Virginia Beach, VA.  Westminster partnered with the Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Virginia Wesleyan College to develop an in-depth and focused research study to determine the impact engaging technology might have on residents with dementia. 

The 24 week evidence-based research study tracked the impact of 24/7 on-demand customized computer engagement tools on a number of key biometric areas of evaluation, including: blood pressure, frequency of behavioral episodes, depression according to the Geriatric Depression Scale, and more.  

In this session, join Amy Powell, one of the leaders of the Birdsong Initiative research program and Director of Continuum Services for Westminster-Canterbury, as she shares the compelling and transformative impact revealed by the research team. Review the data captured straight from the resident's bed side, and see how technology is influencing more than programming agendas.

Learning Objectives:

  • Examine the evidence and findings behind the Birdsong Initiative, and learn how technology can transform Dementia care
  • Outline how technology positively influenced key quality of life metrics including: Cortizol levels, blood pressure levels, the depression scale, and other important biometric areas
  • Define strategies for how technology can be a transformative bridge covering the affordability gap prohibiting the delivery of constantly available, one-on-one, and individualized therapeutic recreation programming

Track: Clinical and DON

W06 - Rules, Rules, and More Rules: Best Practices, Top Workflows, and Strategies for Compliance in Memory Care 

Judi Kulus, MSN, MAT, RN, NHA, DNS-CT, RAC-MT, Vice President of Curriculum Development, AANAC

With the release of the federal Medicare SNF PPS Final Rule, the LTC Nursing Home proposed regulations, and accuracy audits through the MDS Focused Surveys rolling out nationally, LTC nurses, therapists, and facility staff are facing some of the biggest changes in LTC since 1991. 

Find out how the Final Rule and new proposed regulations and influencing Memory Care procedures and workflows, and what staffs must know and understand to be success in the face of these monumental changes.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe ways residents with cognitive impairment contribute to the current and new Quality Measures and the nursing facility Five-Star Rating system on Nursing Home Compare.
  • Explain how significant changes in federal regulations and payment systems are impacting memory care services, including the MDS connection to care outcomes measurement.
  • Identify ways in which MDS accuracy, which starts with direct care givers, is essential to programming for memory care residents, quality outcomes, improved care delivery system.
  • Review ways in which documentation and workflow need to change to meet the regulatory guidelines.
5:00 - 6:30 PM
Networking Reception

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

7:30 - 8:30 AM
Breakfast
8:30 - 9:30 AM

Morning Plenary Presentation

P03 - How to Effectively Deploy a Non-Pharmacological Memory Care Program:  Bridging the Gap of Neuroscience and Supportive Living

Joshua J. Freitas, CAEd, CADDCT, CDP, Corporate Director of Memory Care and Resident Engagement, LCB Senior Living, LLC

This session will address how non-pharmacological interventions as well as quality associate training may be a more effective strategy for treating those with memory loss.  Attendees will explore how behavioral color therapy may create a more supportive living environment and how to deploy communication approaches that have long-term effects on the person and sustain cognitive functioning.  As part of this session, attendees will develop a better understanding of dementia, a better ability to connect with someone with memory loss through contemplative care practices and how to engage a person with memory loss in a good quality of life.

Come learn how The Dementia Concept was created through research and evidence-based practices as well as the progressive research between Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and LCB Senior Living on mindfulness and cognitive rehabilitation.

Learning Objectives:

  • Distinguish how the philosophy of color can increase resident engagement, appetite, attention, and in some cases even cognitive function.
  • Explain how resident engagement changes the body on a macular level and how research suggests that it may slow down (and in some case reverse) our aging process and even signs and symptoms of dementia. 
  • Recognize how our environment changes our brains through a term referred to as neuroplasticity. You will develop a basic understanding of Epistemology (the way we view the world) and how it affects your brain (and the brain of someone with dementia).
  • Develop a better understanding of Epigenetics and how it controls the course of dementia as well as how resident engagement changes our DNA.
  • Examine the latest programs suggested by LCB Senior Living, LLC, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and how they improve the quality of life and sustain resident skills and abilities through a Habilitative environment.
9:45 - 10:45 AM
Track: Administrative and Executive
W07 - Key Components of Memory Care Best Practice, and Why They Matter
 
Kim Warchol, President, Dementia Care Specialists
 
Currently there are over 5 million Americans with Alzheimer’s disease. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. As a result of the high prevalence of Alzheimer’s/dementia in our elder population we have seen steady growth of residents living in long term care who have cognitive impairment. For example, estimates suggest up to 70% of those living in Assisted Living have some diagnosable form of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia and are evenly split across the dementia stage continuum.
 
As the number of individuals with Alzheimer’s/dementia rapidly grows, we have seen an explosion of memory care providers. Yet providing dementia/memory care is one of the most complex types of care to provide, requiring a high degree of specialization including staff skill, organization and system preparation, and environmental planning. Caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s/dementia presents many unique challenges, requiring a high degree of specialization to overcome the challenges and to experience success in memory care.
 
Kim Warchol will identify some of the risks associated with serving individuals with Alzheimer’s/dementia and she will describe key components of memory care best practice which can help to mitigate the risks and facilitate positive business and care outcomes.  
 
Learning Objectives:
  • Identify common dementia care risks and challenges
  • Describe memory care best practice components
  • Diagram the relationship between memory care best practice and quality outcomes
Track: Clinical and DON

W08 - Memory Screening: Testing Protocols for Detection and Monitoring

J. Wesson Ashford, M.D., Ph.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University

Screening, assessment, and evaluation are at the heart of the modern memory care unit.  A number of the latest tools and methods for screening can serve as a key touch point between staff, resident, and family-- allowing for continuous improvement of case management beyond the entry of standardized ADLs.

In this session, review the latest screening protocols both pre-diagnosis and post-diagnosis that further effective care and management of those with dementia.  Learn how memory screening and monitoring can estimate ADL needs for placement and care, the scientific and clinical approach behind these tools that effectively evaluate cognitive function, and why these programs have become a staple for top care organizations nationally.

Learning Objectives:

  • Recognize the indicators of cognitive deterioration and dementia, from the earliest difficulties with forming new memories to the late loss of the oldest memories, and understand the basis and time-line of this progression
  • Appreciate the needs and cost-effectiveness considerations for cognitive impairment screening which led to the Congressional requirement for cognitive evaluation as part of the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
  • Examine the wide range of instruments to detect cognitive impairment in older adults, including screening for memory difficulties and assessment of dementia severity
  • Outline reasons for choosing a particular cognitive screening/assessment instrument for a particular care setting, including becoming aware of very brief computerized tools for assessing memory
  • Relate cognitive impairment and level of dementia severity to corresponding losses of activities of daily living function, which will impact care planning and provision of care
10:45 - 11:15 AM
Networking Break
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Track: Administrative and Executive
W09 - Increasing Occupancy and Enhancing Customer Satisfaction:  A Person-Centered Memory Program for Families
 
Susan Gilster, Ph.D., RN, Susan Gilster and Associates Inc.
 
High levels of occupancy and excellent customer satisfaction in memory care is driven by an organization wide approach to care and an educated, supported and engaged staff.  All staff is sensitive and understands that turning over the care of a loved one diagnosed with memory loss is a very sad, stressful and emotional time for a family. 
Research and experience has shown that an initial and ongoing family education and support programs can ease guilt, improve care, communication and relationships with staff, and overall family satisfaction.  This session will share an organization – wide, proactive program designed to inform, enhance knowledge of disease progression, facilitate communication, and enhance occupancy and customer satisfaction. 
 
This session will share a 25 year experience and include: 1) preparing staff for memory care; 2) research on family desires; 3) managing initial requests; 4) providing initial dementia education and  resources to families; 5) preadmission fears and a family-oriented admission process; 6) integrating and engaging family members: 7) mechanisms for communication; 8) a proactive approach for family concerns and complaints; 9) conducting educational and informational family meetings; and 10) impact and utilization of family surveys.  This session will offer an organizational approach to engaging families, improving the admission process and overall resident and family satisfaction.  Practical methods for replication will be shared as well as the research methods and the beneficial outcomes for families, residents, staff and facility. 
 
Learning Objectives:
  • Identify the primary reasons families of individuals with dementia consider long-term care and associated drivers of placement based on market research.
  • Describe the components of a program designed to increase occupancy and family satisfaction. 
  • Understand how a continuous education and support program increases family satisfaction and person-centered dementia care.

Track: Clinical and DON
W10 - Programming Outside of the Box: Innovative, Therapeutic, and Safe Best Practices for Activity Programming

Alisa Tagg, BA, ACC/EDU, AC-BC, CDP, President, National Association of Activity Professionals

Effective programming for memory care units is difficult enough, but creating programming that continuously challenges the cognitive function and dexterity of residents while also improving quality of life can be an sizeable challenge for units, especially with staffing and resource restraints.

Join President of the National Association of Activity Professionals, Alisa Tagg, as she share the top tools and best practices from her experiences in the field.  Discover some of the innovative, unique and evidence-based activity programming approaches that are redefining the memory care resident's care experience.

Learning Objectives:

  • Recognize the importance of activity programs for persons suffering from dementia.
  • Learn new innovative programming ideas “best practices” that will enhance quality of care.
  • Review tips for successful activity programming. 
12:15 - 1:30 PM
Networking Lunch
1:30 - 2:30 PM
Track: Administrative and Executive
W11 - Marketing Memory Care Services
 
Luke Fannon, CEO, Premier Coaching & Training, Inc.
 
With Baby Boomers continuing to age, and with it the elder population’s dramatic increase in size--memory care as a field is growing at the same alarming rate.
 
With many long-term care providers launching memory care units and designing new environments for the unique needs of these residents, how will you differentiate your organization and communicate your values to your local market?
 
In this session, President of Premier Coaching and Training, Luke Fannon, outlines the primary factors that impact your organization’s brand, public perception, and reputation among an increasingly competitive landscape.
 
Learning Objectives:
  • Define the key benefits of a memory care program and its impact on residents, caregivers and referral sources
  • Prepare for differentiation of memory care programs from competitors through the use of Competitive Advantage Messages.
  • Recognize which referral sources to target to increase qualified referrals to their memory care programs
  • Create a "Localized Branding Campaign" to generate qualified referrals for a memory care programs
Track: Clinical and DON
W12 - Case Study: Phoebe Ministries Shares the Journey Toward an Award Winning Memory Care Program
 
Kelly O'Shea Carney, Ph.D., CMC, Executive Director, Phoebe Center for Excellence in Dementia Care
 
As the number of individuals affected by dementia grows, there is an increased demand for innovative, effective care models designed to meet the special needs of this population.  Because the needs are so complex and constantly changing, solutions must be comprehensive, coordinated and person centered.  To achieve this goal, interdisciplinary collaboration is required to ensure that the issues can be viewed from a variety of vantage points and interventions incorporate the full range of professional resources. 
 
Phoebe Ministries’ experiences in creating an award winning program to provide short term rehabilitation to individuals with dementia (NET) will serve as an illustration of effective interdisciplinary collaboration.  By exploring the collaborative journey undertaken by Phoebe’s Center for Excellence in Dementia Care as the NET model was developed, this presentation will share insights, experiences and recommendations related to fostering effective interdisciplinary collaboration in support of innovation in dementia care.   
 
In this session, Executive Director of Phoebe Center for Excellence in Dementia Care, Dr. Kelly O'Shea Carney, reveals the path her organization has taken over the past three years to develop one of the top memory care program in the United States.  Phoebe Ministries has been recognized by the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) as the winner of the 2013 Brodsky Innovation Grant, and by LeadingAge as the Excellence in Care Award winner in 2016.
 
Learning Objectives:
 
  • Identify the characteristics of effective interdisciplinary team collaboration
  • Describe the ways in which interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to innovation in dementia care
  • Define the conceptual underpinnings of Phoebe’s NET model that illustrate the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration in dementia care innovation
2:45 - 3:45 PM

K01 - Music and the Mind: ALIVE INSIDE's Experience in Battling Dementia Through Music and Empathy

Michael Rossato-Bennett, Executive Director, Alive Inside Foundation

Director of Alive Inside

2014 Sundance Film Festival- Audience Award Winner, Documentary

2014 Sedona International Film Festival - Best Documentary

Maintaining and remembering one's identity when battling a dementia diagnosis can curtail the effects of these diseases and dramatically influence quality of life for these individuals.  Music is a lifeline to one's memories, emotions, and humanity--maintaining the connection to one's identity.

In this engaging keynote session, hear from the Director of critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary Alive Inside, Michael Rossato-Bennett, about the impact music therapy has had on those with dementia, his perspective on music therapy and the improvement of quality of life, and the latest evidence-based research from his experiences in the field that are shaping future music therapy approaches.  

Why is music so powerful?  How can music create a meaningful and shared experienced in the care process?  How can we use music most effectively to spark the mind?  Don't miss Michael Rossato-Bennett's closing keynote session as he seeks to address these very questions, and expand on why music therapy is a necessity for every memory care unit.

Learning Objectives:

  • Illustrate the effectiveness of music therapy in a clinical setting, highlighting curtailment of depression, anxiety, and the advancement of a diagnosed dementia
  • Diagram key techniques associated with music therapy sessions
  • List key tools and resources needed to launch an effective music therapy program
  • Demonstrate the value of music therapy, emphasizing reduction of psycho-therapeutic medications, and to expand on person-centric care approaches

What is ALIVE INSIDE?  Click the video below to view the movie trailer.