2026 Assisted Living Conference
Aug 12-13, 2026, Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center
Make plans to join us August 12–13 for LeadingAge Minnesota’s Assisted Living Conference at the Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center— designed with your day-to-day challenges in mind. This year’s event delivers targeted training, essential updates, and practical tools to help you meet state requirements and provide exceptional care for your residents.
Register now to save your spot. The session schedule will be announced in mid-June and you will have the opportunity to view and select the sessions you plan to attend.
Conference highlights:
· Earn up to 10 clock hours for MN licensed AL Directors.
· 25 Education Sessions
· Over 40 vendor displays highlighting products and services to support your work
· Session Schedule coming mid-June
· Education topics will include: assisted living regulations, assisted living survey trends, behavioral health and dementia, operational topics covering quality improvement, sales and marketing, activities, and more
Location
Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center
6155 Earle Brown Drive
Brooklyn Center, MN 55430
Session Schedule
General Sessions Wednesday
• Create an environment in which residents experience joy.
• Elevate the culture from the home to my home.
• Bond employees to work together for a common purpose.
• Learn to act with love no matter how you feel.
• Elevate the culture from the home to my home.
• Bond employees to work together for a common purpose.
• Learn to act with love no matter how you feel.
• Identify policy changes from the 2025 Legislative Session that impact assisted living providers.
• Review the request, review, and decisions process for rules variance requests.
• Understand the latest OHFC report trends so you can avoid citations and maintain compliance.
• Review the request, review, and decisions process for rules variance requests.
• Understand the latest OHFC report trends so you can avoid citations and maintain compliance.
Concurrent Sessions - Wednesday 12:45 - 1:45 p.m.
• Identify potential environmental triggers of behavioral symptoms in group settings and learn strategies to minimize them.
• Describe communication skills known to decrease the intensity and frequency of challenging behavioral symptoms.
• Take home strategies for involving the whole team in behavioral detective work to answer the critical question:
“What is this person communicating?” and how to respond with non-pharmacologic therapies.
• Describe communication skills known to decrease the intensity and frequency of challenging behavioral symptoms.
• Take home strategies for involving the whole team in behavioral detective work to answer the critical question:
“What is this person communicating?” and how to respond with non-pharmacologic therapies.
• Identify situations that warrant a report and the deadlines and information that need to be submitted during the
reporting process
• Summarize insights from current survey trends and failure to report citations.
• Discuss best practices on internal communication and compliance related to reporting and investigations.
reporting process
• Summarize insights from current survey trends and failure to report citations.
• Discuss best practices on internal communication and compliance related to reporting and investigations.
• Review the US dietary recommendations for older adults with a focus on nutrients that are typically underconsumed by this age group.
• Discover resources available to assist with planning meals including MyPlate.
• Explore simple strategies to make food fun and healthy.
• Discover resources available to assist with planning meals including MyPlate.
• Explore simple strategies to make food fun and healthy.
Concurrent Sessions - Wednesday 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
• Identify key programming elements outlined in assisted living activity regulations.
• Define essential activity assessment areas that contribute to effective and engaging programming.
• Discover innovative activity ideas and valuable resources to enhance programming efforts.
• Define essential activity assessment areas that contribute to effective and engaging programming.
• Discover innovative activity ideas and valuable resources to enhance programming efforts.
• Discover effective 'bait' and 'lures' for attracting top talent.
• Identify the key elements of a thriving workplace culture that ensures employees are ‘keepers’ and stay committed,
including culture, benefits, and growth opportunities.
• Discuss how increasing team satisfaction and turning employees into “keepers” can boost overall community performance.
• Identify the key elements of a thriving workplace culture that ensures employees are ‘keepers’ and stay committed,
including culture, benefits, and growth opportunities.
• Discuss how increasing team satisfaction and turning employees into “keepers” can boost overall community performance.
• Understand the intersection of Landlord-Tenant Law and assisted living regulations.
• Recognize the legal requirements and best practices for providing reasonable accommodations.
• Discuss case study examples of accommodations that balance resident rights and provider responsibilities.
• Recognize the legal requirements and best practices for providing reasonable accommodations.
• Discuss case study examples of accommodations that balance resident rights and provider responsibilities.
Concurrent Sessions - Wednesday 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
• Identify common ethical dilemmas encountered in assisted living settings.
• Explore strategies for resolving them while honoring resident autonomy and dignity while maintaining regulatory and organizational compliance.
• Apply the principles of ethical decision making to real-life scenarios in resident care and service delivery.
• Explore strategies for resolving them while honoring resident autonomy and dignity while maintaining regulatory and organizational compliance.
• Apply the principles of ethical decision making to real-life scenarios in resident care and service delivery.
• Identify key legal issues around smoking and substance use in assisted living communities.
• Explore the balance of regulatory compliance, liability, and residents’ rights.
• Discuss practical strategies for implementing and enforcing smoking and substance use policies, including documentation.
• Explore the balance of regulatory compliance, liability, and residents’ rights.
• Discuss practical strategies for implementing and enforcing smoking and substance use policies, including documentation.
• Understand the waiver service programs in assisted living.
• Learn the components of the customized living tool and how to effectively optimize reimbursement.
• Discover ways to negotiate and establish partnerships with case managers.
• Learn the components of the customized living tool and how to effectively optimize reimbursement.
• Discover ways to negotiate and establish partnerships with case managers.
Concurrent Sessions - Thursday 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
• Identify important updates on licensee responsibilities and continuing education timelines.
• Discuss mentor information and resources.
• Explain the rule-making process, potential changes, and new fee structure.
• Discuss mentor information and resources.
• Explain the rule-making process, potential changes, and new fee structure.
• Understand how to integrate partnerships such as move managers, aging-specialized therapists, and financial planners into your sales process to better support leads.
• Leverage engagement and satisfaction data to personalize your sales approach and improve lead conversion.
• Apply corporate-inspired onboarding strategies to foster long-term resident satisfaction and retention.
• Leverage engagement and satisfaction data to personalize your sales approach and improve lead conversion.
• Apply corporate-inspired onboarding strategies to foster long-term resident satisfaction and retention.
Concurrent Sessions - Thursday 9:45 - 10:45 a.m.
•Explain the role of leadership rounding in fostering a culture of continuous quality improvement.
• Describe effective strategies to engage front-line staff in quality improvement efforts.
• Identify how shifting from blame to accountability improves learning and supports staff well-being.
• Describe effective strategies to engage front-line staff in quality improvement efforts.
• Identify how shifting from blame to accountability improves learning and supports staff well-being.
• Articulate an understanding of what a behavioral health assessment is and how to initiate one.
• Identify common scales utilized during a behavioral health assessment.
• Use information gathered in a behavioral health assessment to create improved outcomes for your residents and program participants.
• Identify common scales utilized during a behavioral health assessment.
• Use information gathered in a behavioral health assessment to create improved outcomes for your residents and program participants.
• Understand the fire safety regulations and requirements specific to drills in assisted living facilities.
• Identify how to plan, conduct, and document fire safety drills that reflect realistic scenarios and support resident safety.
• Discuss common challenges and practical solutions in engaging staff and residents during fire drill exercises.
• Identify how to plan, conduct, and document fire safety drills that reflect realistic scenarios and support resident safety.
• Discuss common challenges and practical solutions in engaging staff and residents during fire drill exercises.
Concurrent Sessions - Thursday 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
• Examine interdisciplinary strategies to deliver compassionate, person-centered end-of-life care.
• Identify effective communication techniques for engaging residents and families in meaningful end-of-life planning and decision-making.
• Explore partnership models with hospice, palliative care providers, and other stakeholders to enhance care at life’s end.
• Identify effective communication techniques for engaging residents and families in meaningful end-of-life planning and decision-making.
• Explore partnership models with hospice, palliative care providers, and other stakeholders to enhance care at life’s end.
• Explain the legal responsibilities of the clinical nurse supervisor in resident admissions, including required collaboration with the assisted living director.
• Demonstrate accurate and defensible documentation techniques expectations and protect resident rights.
• Apply assessment and service planning principles to determine the facility’s ability to meet prospective residents’ needs and prevent inappropriate admissions.
• Demonstrate accurate and defensible documentation techniques expectations and protect resident rights.
• Apply assessment and service planning principles to determine the facility’s ability to meet prospective residents’ needs and prevent inappropriate admissions.
• Describe the core elements of an emergency preparedness plan and how to tailor the plan to your setting.
• Discuss what surveyors are looking for in a plan and the compliance gaps they are finding.
• Identify tools and resources available to support assisted living providers with disaster planning and emergency preparedness.
• Discuss what surveyors are looking for in a plan and the compliance gaps they are finding.
• Identify tools and resources available to support assisted living providers with disaster planning and emergency preparedness.
Concurrent Sessions - Thursday 1:15 - 2:15 p.m.
• Identify common building and property hazards in assisted living settings and how to conduct proactive facility assessments.
• Understand the regulatory requirements and permitting process for building repairs and renovations.
• Explore best practices for managing vendor contracts and project oversight to ensure safe and compliant maintenance and construction.
• Understand the regulatory requirements and permitting process for building repairs and renovations.
• Explore best practices for managing vendor contracts and project oversight to ensure safe and compliant maintenance and construction.
• Identify the multiple authorities that arise in the provision of health care.
• Discern which authority applies to various situations.
• Mitigate provider risk while navigating various decision makers.
• Discern which authority applies to various situations.
• Mitigate provider risk while navigating various decision makers.
• Distinguish differences and overlaps of loss and grief response.
• Describe tools for supporting honest hopes even when facing major losses.
• Describe caring compassion in assisted living settings.
• Describe tools for supporting honest hopes even when facing major losses.
• Describe caring compassion in assisted living settings.
Concurrent Sessions - Thursday 2:45 - 3:45 p.m.
• Identify key components of the survey process including timelines, focus areas, and documentation.
• Describe strategies to ensure compliance and demonstrate readiness before, during, and after a survey.
• Discuss techniques for managing post-survey actions including exit conferences and post-survey follow-up with surveyors.
• Describe strategies to ensure compliance and demonstrate readiness before, during, and after a survey.
• Discuss techniques for managing post-survey actions including exit conferences and post-survey follow-up with surveyors.
• Identify potentially volatile situations/causes for agitation and aggression considering common mental health issues that are present in assisted living residents.
• Review skills necessary to prevent agitation and aggression, and promote mental well being
• Learn verbal and physical skills to effectively intervene for de-escalation of agitated or aggressive situations.
• Review skills necessary to prevent agitation and aggression, and promote mental well being
• Learn verbal and physical skills to effectively intervene for de-escalation of agitated or aggressive situations.
• Understand the background studies process for employees in aging services and best practices for maintaining compliance.
• Identify key regulatory requirements and recent updates impacting background studies in assisted living and customized care settings.
• Explore common challenges in background study compliance and strategies to address them effectively in day-to-day operations.
• Identify key regulatory requirements and recent updates impacting background studies in assisted living and customized care settings.
• Explore common challenges in background study compliance and strategies to address them effectively in day-to-day operations.