My mission is to help people understand the power they have to make a difference in their lives and in their work. I do this by taking them on a journey through my life as an artist, and what I discovered along the way showed me the art of making a difference.

Because when it comes to influencing others and having more impact in our world, we all hold the brush to our own personal canvas. In a world filled with noise, we can sometimes become disconnected and disengaged from the power in what we do and why it matters. We can get so caught up in the business of life that we miss the art of the moment. Sometimes we need a chance to erase yesterday and see our lives as a fresh canvas.

Join us on an inspiring journey through the life of a renowned artist and what he learned along the way about influencing others. Behind each piece of art, he shares with you, is a story about resilience, courage, and second chances. His stories will inspire you to look deeper into how you can make a difference in your work and in your world through the small actions that add up to a beautiful mosaic.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Feel valued for what they do and why it matters
• Be inspired to find the beauty in their work
• Learn how they can have more impact and influence in their daily lives

Industry impact update to include: NC Medicaid, Division of Health Benefits, Division of Health Service Regulation, Adult Care Licensure,  and policy update given by our government relations representative and national partner Argentum.

We’re going to start an important, and perhaps uncomfortable, conversation about what some see as an affordability crisis in senior living broadly and assisted living specifically. We’ll: (1) explore current pricing trends, (2) identify key challenges to creating a resident experience that’s both exceptional and affordable, (3) explore new technologies that could help communities do more with less, and (4) consider how inertia limits innovation and drives up costs. New challenges require us to ask new questions and explore new opportunities. This workshop is for industry advocates who want to help keep great care in reach of as many of North Carolina’s seniors as possible.

Objectives:

-Understand current market pricing trends and projections for 2026 and beyond.

-Identify operational, regulatory, and economic challenges impacting affordability.

-Explore innovative models, partnerships, and technologies for sustainable affordable care.

-Develop actionable strategies for providers to enhance accessibility while maintaining quality.

Assisted living communities have historically taken a reactive approach to medication administration challenges—responding only after errors or trends emerge. This session explores how assisted living providers can leverage artificial intelligence within electronic medication administration records (eMAR) to move from reactive problem-solving to proactive quality management.  Participants will learn how structured data analysis and predictive insights can identify medication administration risks before they lead to adverse outcomes. Using real-world examples, this presentation will demonstrate how AI-driven scorecards, benchmarking, and targeted staff training can improve medication documentation, reduce late medications, and enhance clinical oversight. Attendees will also learn how data can uncover process issues—not just individual performance concerns—and guide meaningful operational improvements that support both staff and resident safety.

Participants will be able to:

• Explain how artificial intelligence is used within eMAR systems to analyze medication administration data and identify risk patterns.
• Identify key medication administration metrics that can be monitored to improve compliance, safety, and operational performance in assisted living communities.
• Describe strategies for using data insights to implement proactive quality improvement initiatives, including staff training, workflow adjustments, and medication process redesign.

Assisted living facilities face unique challenges when it comes to workplace violence—from resident aggression to family confrontations and staff‑to‑staff conflict. This training will help to equip safety professionals, supervisors, and facility leaders with the knowledge and tools needed to recognize, prevent, and respond to workplace violence in all its forms.

Participants will learn how to:

• Identify and define the full spectrum of workplace violence in assisted living environments
• Recognize common risk factors and incident types specific to resident care settings
• Develop clear, practical policies and procedures for prevention, reporting, and response
• Build a comprehensive Workplace Violence Prevention Program aligned with best practices
• Train staff to safely handle escalating behaviors and respond effectively to incidents
• Evaluate and update workplace violence policies to adapt to emerging risks and challenges

Supporting individuals living with dementia requires every team member, leaders, clinicians, coordinators, and frontline caregivers, to understand the meaning behind behavioral expressions. Because all behavior communicates an unmet need, it is essential for teams at all levels to recognize patterns, respond with empathy, and collaborate effectively.

This session provides practical, evidence informed strategies drawn from the Validation Method and the DICE approach to help teams interpret behavior, reduce distress, and strengthen communication across roles. Through real resident scenarios and hands-on techniques, participants will learn how to respond with consistency and confidence, improving both resident wellbeing and staff satisfaction. By building a shared, team-based approach, communities can decrease escalation, enhance quality of life, and create a more supportive environment for residents and caregivers alike.

Attendees will be able to:

• Identify and analyze common unmet needs that contribute to behavioral expressions in individuals living with dementia.
• Demonstrate practical Validation communication techniques that help reduce resident distress.
• Apply the DICE Method within an interdisciplinary framework to guide assessment, care planning, and team problem solving.
• Explain how the Validation Method enhances team satisfaction, promotes empathy, and improves resident outcomes.

In senior living, the decision-making process does not end when the tour is over—in many ways, it is just beginning. In this session, Kiera DesChamps, CEO of KD Consulting Group and author of After the Tour: Guiding Your Prospects from Interest to Action, explores what prospects and their families experience in the critical moments following a community visit.

Participants will gain insight into key concepts from the book, including “The Drive Home,” Community Readiness IQ, and common barriers that delay decision-making, and how these concepts influence whether a prospect moves forward or disengages.

This session introduces her proprietary LEADer™️ Leadership Method as a practical framework for all team members—not just sales—to better understand, engage, and support prospects throughout their journey. Attendees will learn how to recognize emotional and logistical cues, strengthen communication across departments, and take ownership of the role they play in moving prospects toward confident decisions.

Emphasizing that sales is a shared responsibility across the entire organization, this session will provide actionable strategies to help teams break down barriers, build trust with prospects and families, and ultimately improve conversion and occupancy outcomes.

Participants will leave with tools to:

• Understand what prospects are thinking after the tour
• Identify and address common barriers to decision-making
• Apply the LEADer™️ Leadership Method in daily interactions
• Strengthen collaboration across teams to support move-ins
• Create a more intentional and supportive prospect experience

Senior Living communities cannot do it on their own, as a result, they look to other care providers to meet the needs of their residents. This relationship should be a work of art. We will review how providers can ensure your community and residents have this type of relationship with your care providers.

What should a good partnership look like?

• Upfront Communication
• Outcomes Reporting
• Care Collaboration Meetings
• Wellness

Attendees will gain better insight ensuring that their communities are fully supported by their care partners.

What does reduced food waste have to do with sustainability and managing overall costs? Food waste is a large and complex issue on a global scale and managing it starts on a local scale inside your kitchen. Leaning to your menu and small ways to control costs can be a good place to start.

Objectives:

• Learn to align your menu goals to uncover cost savings, including waste reduction.
• Implement at least 3 menu related procurement and operational practices to influence cost savings.
• Discover operational measurement tools to support efficient menu execution.

In assisted living settings, workers’ compensation outcomes are driven by a combination of operational realities, workforce dynamics, and claims management practices that are often difficult to see clearly without the right insight. This session explores how organizations can use analytic tools, such as Workers’ Compensation Diagnostic to surface the underlying drivers of claim frequency, severity, and prolonged open claims that traditional reporting may overlook.

The discussion then shifts from insight to action, highlighting practical risk mitigation strategies that help prevent injuries before they occur while also supporting more timely and effective claim resolution. Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of how applying insight with intention can strengthen caregiver safety, improve claims outcomes, and support operational excellence, while staying grounded in the compassionate mission that defines assisted living care.

Attendees will learn:

• How to move beyond surface‑level reporting to identify the operational, workforce, and claims practices that most influence claim frequency, duration, and cost.
• How targeted, insight‑led risk mitigation strategies can prevent future claims while also helping existing claims move to resolution more efficiently.
• How applying insight with intention supports safer caregivers, more predictable workers’ comp performance, and stronger alignment with the compassionate mission of assisted living.