2023 Convention CEUs + Education Sessions

Humor and Dementia – It CAN Be a Laughing Matter

Instructor: Lori Dierolf
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
Laughter has many health-related benefits, including for those living with a dementia-related disease. Dementia may change a person’s sense of humor, but humor can be a tremendous help with their quality of life. This fun-filled session reviews the mental and physical benefits of humor. It outlines five types of humor, as well as which are best received by those with dementia. Attendees will also learn how to recognize and respond to “dark humor” and “gray humor” in their long-term care facility.

There is no additional fee to attend this session.

Take this Job and Love It! – The Joy of the Job for Health Care Professionals

Featuring: Jody Urquhart
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
Some things we love about our jobs and some things we hate. But as a health care professional we just can’t walk away when unforeseeable issues arise or when our coworkers get on our nerves. We’ve got to find a way to work through our problems on the job. Jody’s hilarious motivational speech will inspire health care professionals to be more focused and more productive by nourishing the meaning and joy of their work and by understanding how to take care of ourselves so we can take care of others.

This Would be Funny…If it Wasn’t Happening to Me

Instructor: Jody Urquhart
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
Nowhere are people more stressed than people who work in health care. In our fren¬zied world, we need to be reminded of the importance of managing our stress, keeping a sense of humor and main¬taining a positive attitude for peak performance and success in all areas of our lives. This hilarious and provocative session will show health care professionals how to buoyantly face stress and navigate the future by embracing challenging situations and people with new ideas, innovation and conviction.

Time Management for Health Care Professionals – Tell Your Tasks Where to Go!

Instructor: Lori Dierolf
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
Ever-increasing patient volumes, regulatory requirements and business procedures put tremendous pressure on people who work in health care. This makes time management an important skill to develop but difficult to get right. As we all try to do more with less, we find ourselves wearing more than just one hat at work! In this session, attendees will assess their time management skills, learn ways to overcome procrastination and hear about best practices for handling those never-ending interruptions!

Be Your Own Surveyor – Implement a Proactive QAPI Culture

Instructor: Carmen Bowman
Audience: N, DH, ADM (NF)
You can survive and thrive during a survey! It sounds impossible, doesn’t it? This session is designed to assist administrators and directors of nursing with managing the survey process and training the staff. This presentation will instruct participants on how to use Quality Assurance Performance Improvement (QAPI) as a tool for survey success. Be inspired to “be your own surveyor.”

Diagnosis and Treatment of Schizophrenia in Long-Term Care

Instructors: Deb Theis, Brenda Sprinkle
Audience: SS, N, ADM (NF)
This presentation will focus on training staff about the importance of accurately diagnosing schizophrenia in long-term care settings. Updated guidance regarding the F-Tags related to schizophrenia, as well as CMS guidelines, will be explained. The presenters will also discuss the impact of the use of antipsychotics on the Five-Star Rating, as well as the issues surrounding utilization of the schizophrenia diagnosis.

Enhance Your Dining Program to Improve Resident Satisfaction

Instructor: Elaine Farley-Zoucha
Audience: D, ADM, ALMC (NF – AL)
Food is one of the hottest topics of conversation with the residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. We cannot please everyone, but by engaging both the residents we serve and our staff in the process of change, we can improve not only resident satisfaction, but employee satisfaction. This information-packed session will identify the steps involved in developing a resident-driven facility menu and dining program.

Slow Down This Crazy Bus, I Want to Get Off

Instructor: Jean Menning
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
It seems every day you are caring for others, and at times you feel you have no more to give. The best thing you can do for the people you serve, and yourself, is take care of you! Let’s explore how you can re-energize your body, mind and spirit using strategies like mindfulness, resilience, self-care and by cultivating the power of “awe.” Let’s get back on track to live our best lives every day, at work and at home.

Seven Tools for Your Supervisor Toolbelt

Instructor: Lori Dierolf
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
Whether you are new to management or a seasoned leader, every supervisor needs tools to effectively lead their team to success! Not many organizations have the time or the resources to actually TEACH people how to be good leaders. This informative session will outline the seven tools every leader has at their disposal that can make them more effective, productive and credible with their teams.

Set Your Community Apart: Fake Life or Real-Life – What Do You Promote

Instructor: Carmen Bowman
Audience: ADM, ALMC (NF – AL)
How much of what is offered to people living in long-term care communities is fake? Much is at stake with fake. Let’s call it out and consider why we think it’s okay. We’ll talk about examples, such as fake pets and babies, mocktails and near beer and the folding of fake towels. Let’s compare it to real and what each says about how we care for and treat older adults. Being honest encourages all to move in the direction of real life rather than fake promoting the culture change premise.

Non-Pharmacological & Person-Centered Care Approaches for Residents with Dementia

Instructors: Deb Theis, Brenda Sprinkle
Audience: SS, N, ADM (NF)
Most people with cognitive impairment will experience Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) at some stage of the progressive illness. With the renewed focus on reducing pharmacological treatments for dementia and associated symptoms, non-pharmacologic interventions and person-centered care approaches should be used to reduce BPSD and improve the quality of life for residents with dementia. This presentation will focus on evidence-based non-pharmacological and behavioral interventions to treat BPSD.

Essentials of Health Care Food Safety

Instructor: Elaine Farley-Zoucha
Audience: D, ADM, ALMC (NF – AL)
When working with high-risk populations, you can’t afford poor food safety practices. It is essential that you have an effective training program and quality assurance program established to prevent foodborne illness outbreaks. This session will provide guidance to educate your staff on the proper skills, attitudes and behaviors to serve safe food. This sanitation/food safety session will help you set the expectations for cleanliness from plates to personnel.

Chasing Happy – The Power of a Positive Attitude

Instructor: Jean Menning
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
Do you tell yourself, “I will be happy when…”? Do you seem to have one challenge after another while you know people who seem to live a charmed life? What is their secret? Join us for this uplifting session that will explore different types of mindsets, how you can change your life with a growth mindset and how researchers say you may grow your own luck! When this session ends, you will leave with the mindset tools to meet the next challenge life brings your way.

Putting Cultural Sensitivity on the Radar

Instructor: Lori Dierolf
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
This enriching session discusses how every person becomes culturally programmed by their environment and the people around them and why it is so important in the workplace. The discussion will focus on various dimensions of culture – beyond ethnicity and race – and illustrate what culturally insensitive behaviors look like, including ways to be more sensitive to culture in the workplace.

Moving from Sleep Deprivation to Sleep Promotion – Starts with Open Dining

Instructor: Carmen Bowman
Audience: D, N, ADM, ALMC (NF – AL)
How can it be that people living in nursing homes and assisted living communities are some of the most sleep deprived people? They have no job to rush off to and they are retired, so why? The body deciding when to wake is a true choice. Choice is all over the new CMS regulations, including waking and sleeping. The time is now to stop waking residents. Open dining becomes part of the answer and is much easier to offer than you may think.

Non-Pharmacologic Practice in Pain Management

Instructors: Deb Theis, Brenda Sprinkle
Audience: SS, N, ADM (NF)
Non-pharmacological pain management refers to interventions that do not involve medications. Medications may serve an important part, but non-pharmacological interventions may help just as much, and sometimes even more, than medications. This session provides research-based information and strategies for non-pharmacologic approaches to reduce chronic pain symptoms as a replacement to or in conjunction with pharmacologic practice.

Controlling Costs in Food Service

Instructor: Becca Van Roekel
Audience: D, ADM, ALMC (NF – AL)
When it comes to foodservice, there is a natural balancing act for long-term care operators. The desire to provide a quality food offering is often seen as counter to controlling cost. It can be a challenge to find that balance, but there are options that will ensure your residents can have a great experience while also bolstering your bottom line. Join us for a fast-paced session where you will see new products and hear about creative approaches to using familiar ingredients in cost saving ways.

The Power of Purpose to Advance Senior Health Care

Featuring: Jerald Cosey
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
The health care world can be fast paced, overwhelming and exhausting at times. That’s why it is important for health care professionals to understand the meaning and purpose of their career in serving people. Providing ongoing resident/patient satisfaction and delivering quality care is a key factor in knowing your meaning and purpose. This engaging keynote delivers a message that will honor and empower health care professionals from a former administrator’s perspective.

Attack Change and Expect Success – The Power of Perspective

Instructor: Jerald Cosey
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
Gaining the upper hand on a changing organization doesn’t occur with wishful thinking. It’s a process that requires a plan of attack to uncover opportunities and improve outcomes. Successful navigation through those encounters contributes to one’s development. This session will provide practical approaches to overcome opposition to change and share fresh, usable ideas with a unique perspective on how change can inspire you to become more productive and enjoy more passion in your health care career.

Home Health CAHPS – How to Make a “Real” Impact

Instructor: Brian Lebanion
Audience: SS, N, ADM (HH)
When speaking with agencies, I hear the same thing over and over… “We have tried to impact the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) scores but nothing we do seems to work!” HHCAHPS is really about the patient perspective and requires all agency staff to realize health care is truly a service industry. Learn how to communicate the quality care you provide so patients understand the value of the care they receive. This session will give you the tools and mindset needed to align your patient’s perspective with the quality care services your agency provides.

Music and Memory

Instructor: Cat Selman
Audience: AP, SS, N, ADM, ALMC (NF – AL)
Music is deeply rooted in our conscious and unconscious brains. As powerful as that idea is, it becomes even more important if the functioning of the brain is deteriorating, as it occurs in people with dementia and other types of cognitive loss. Listening to and performing music reactivates areas of the brain associated with memory, reasoning, speech, emotion and reward. In this lively session, you will learn the benefits of music in memory care and techniques that can be utilized in all care settings.

How to Delivery an Extraordinary Service Experience in Senior Care

Instructor: Barbara Khozam
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
Everyone in health care knows that residents/patients have choices. It’s no longer just good enough to simply meet patient expectations. The best health care organizations realize that the quality of a resident’s/patient’s experience will significantly improve their wellbeing and loyalty! So why let customer service sit on the sideline? Learn why customer service is so important in the senior care arena and what the exceptional resident/patient experience looks and feels like, as well as the specific actions staff must take to “WOW” residents and family members.

MDS 3.0 – Preparing the Interdisciplinary Team for a Successful Transition

Instructor: Louann Lawson
Audience: SS, N, ADM (NF)
Oct. 1, 2023, is coming soon and significant MDS changes are on the horizon. The new or expanded data being collected on the MDS will not only impact the MDS coordinator and interdisciplinary team, but also facility policy and processes. To be proactive and prepared for these chang¬es, it is important that leaders work with their teams to prepare now! This session will provide the best practices and approaches to ready your interdisciplinary team for a successful transition.

Assisted Living Survey Review

Instructor: Catie Campbell
Audience: N, ADM, ALMC (AL)
This session will provide a review of Iowa’s assisted living facility survey process. Discussion will focus on expectations during a monitoring visit, a review of the current most-cited insufficiencies and overview of what to expect from a complaint revisit. Additionally, the session will cover a review of the self-report criteria, what steps you need to take from the initial report, the documents you need to submit and a summary of your investigation.

Navigating SNF Value-Based Reimbursement Models

Instructor: Rachel Heilskov
Audience: N, DH, ADM (NF)
This session will provide recent insight on CMS initiatives and goals to shift from fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement (VBR). Attendees will learn about various VBR models and how these models can impact not only their reimbursement, but daily operations. Learn about strategies to embrace this changing financial environment and position your organization for financial and quality success.

Zap Negativity and Ignite Yourself, Your Life and Your Results

Instructor: Barbara Khozam
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
All of us have experienced unwanted negative emotions – either with our coworkers, boss, residents/patients, family members or ourselves. While having negative emotions is normal, it’s what we do with those emotions that can lead to problems – with our relationships, productivity and wellbeing. This session will teach you a systematic approach to developing emotional self-control and how to discover your enthusiasm to ignite the fire within you.

Financial Management: Solving the 2023 PDGM Reimbursement Puzzle

Instructor: Brian Lebanion
Audience: SS, N, ADM (HH)
This session provides a detailed overview of the Medicare Prospective Payment System, highlighting changes effective Jan. 1, 2023. The session describes how full episode payments are calculated and the importance of OASIS to this process. It describes the exceptions to episodes, including LUPAs, PEPs and outliers. Billing management issues, accounting and management reporting will be discussed, as well as current revenue management cycle issues and new challenges.

Motivating Your Residents to Attend Activities Again – Post COVID-19

Instructor: Cat Selman
Audience: AP, SS, N, ADM (NF, AL)
Now that most facilities have reopened and have gotten somewhat back to “normal,” we are finding that not all residents want to leave their room and be a part of the group/community activity program again. For some, it is simply a lack of motivation. For others, they have enjoyed and become accustomed to receiving that individual attention in their room. So how do you rebuild the group programs, yet meet individual preferences? How do you motivate your residents to WANT to become involved again? This session will offer effective tips and strategies that remotivate residents to become involved in group programs, activities and community life within your facility.

Solving the Occupancy Puzzle

Instructor: Julie Podewitz
Audience: ADM, ALMC (NF – AL)
Growing occupancy in senior living communities has never been more challenging, and increasing revenue has never been more critical. Increasing occupancy is dependent on two things: sales activity and sales skill. While lead generation and sales activity are important, they are only a first step. Communities typically have enough leads coming into the sales funnel. The challenge is widening the funnel, so more leads convert to move-ins. This session will identify the three sales conversions that have the greatest impact on sales results and what to do to improve your sales conversions.

Medication Reconciliation – Steps to Improve Outcomes and Decrease Re-Hospitalizations

Instructor: Louann Lawson
Audience: N, DH, ADM (NF)
Medication reconciliation, although a seemingly simple concept in theory, is exceedingly complex to implement reliably. Ineffective medication reconciliation can result in unintended consequences. Medication discrepancies are common, and residents in skilled nursing facilities are often prescribed 10 or more medications. This session will review the elements of an effective medication reconciliation process that will improve outcomes and decrease re-hospitalizations.

Are You Ready for Your Close-Up – Employee & Resident Monitoring Issues

Instructors: Jo Ellen Whitney and Maggie Hanson
Audience: SS, N, ADM, ALMC (NF AL)
This session will take a deep dive into the issues of various recording devices in a senior care facility. Issues with Iowa law, federal privacy concerns and resident expectations will be addressed. During COVID-19, methods and software for monitoring activity experienced a huge boom and with quick device/software development also came rapid escalation in problems and issues to resolve. From whom to record, who to block and who gets later access, participants will have the opportunity to assess legal and policy considerations.

How to Win at Spades – The Standardized Patient Assessment Elements

Instructor: Melanie Tribe-Scott
Audience: N, ADM (NF)
The Standardized Patient Assessment Elements (SPADEs) include standardized data elements developed by CMS to improve care across all post-acute care settings. Most of the SNF PPS Rule FY2024 addresses quality initiatives using SPADES. Items on the new MDS v1.18.11 will be required to calculate these measures, and the absence of this data has direct financial consequences. Learn what these SPADEs mean for your organization, and what can be done to improve yours.

How to Deal with Difficult Residents/Patients or Family Members

Instructor: Barbara Khozam
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
It’s easy to deliver exceptional service when people are nice. It’s a challenge when the resident/patient or family member is demanding, unreasonable and confrontational. Don’t let unmanaged conflict affect your relationships, waste your time and create stress. This session is about communicating with people during the most challenging times. It is about avoiding conflict and controlling your triggers when it counts the most.

2023 Home Health Regulatory Update

Instructor: Annette Lee
Audience: SS, N, ADM (HH)
This regulatory update will not only provide you with the “what” for survey and audits, but will give you hands-on tools to be successful. Discussion will focus on the best practice strategies to meet and exceed state regulatory standards to assure continuous compliance and high standards of care. Also, there will be a review of the top survey deficiencies cited in Iowa with solutions on how to avoid these citations!

The 11 Things You Can Control Every Day of Your Life

Instructor: Cat Selman
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
We all know how it feels to lose control of our day. A resident has “issues” before you can even get into the door of the facility. Staff members have left messages on your voicemail and notes all over your desk. Families feel that you were hired “just for them.” And that’s just at work! What about when you get home? Whatever the events happen to be, there is little we can do to prevent them from occurring. However, we should realize that there are some things in life that we CAN control. Learn how to prevent life’s little diversions from completely derailing us day after day. This session will offer recommendations and guidance to help you regain control of your life and work.

4 Generations in the Workplace – Effective Communication Amongst Diversity

Instructor: Ingrid Provident
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
Each of your coworkers has distinct characteristics, values and attitudes toward work, based on their generational life experiences. Communication style is one of the biggest distinctions among employees from different generations. Creating a healthy culture of communication that actively demonstrates respect and inclusion for its multigenerational workforce is the key for any successful health care team.

The Importance of the INTERACT™ in Today’s Post-Acute Care Environment

Instructor: Louann Lawson
Audience: SS, N, DH, ADM (NF)
This highly energized presentation will provide concrete strategies for post-acute care leaders to position themselves for positive partnering and alignment of their organizations to meet the demands of the new health care environment and Value Based Purchasing. The INTERACT™ Quality Improvement Program is an evidence-based program that will assist facilities in a solid process for early identification of acute changes of condition and a management process for success. This session will walk through some of the key changes and steps necessary for quality, compliance and reduction of unnecessary hospitalizations.

Crucial Conversations on Level of Care in Assisted Living

Instructor: Stacy Hejda
Audience: N, ADM, ALMC (AL)
Having difficult conversations can be uncomfortable, especially when visiting with family. This session will provide helpful hints on how to have difficult conversations with family when there are changing needs with their loved one. Discussion will include how to initiate conversations, how to have conversations with family who are in denial, how to document conversations and how to address level of care and/or involuntary transfer situations.

Rising Stars – Five-Star Program Update

Instructor: Melanie Tribe-Scott
Audience: N, ADM, ALMC (NF)
CMS promised to update the Five-Star Rating System every six months. Additionally, the industry is waiting to see the effect the new MDS V1.18.11 will have on the rating system. What do these changes mean for your organization, and what can you do to improve your star rating? This session will provide answers to these questions and more.

Active Treat – Active Shooter Preparedness

Instructor: Dutch Geisinger
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
An active threat is any situation that presents an immediate and ongoing danger to your safety, whether at work or in a public situation. In addition to individuals using firearms (active shooters), other types of weapons and erratic behavior can create active threat situations. The purpose of this session is not to alarm participants, but to provide safety tips and advice in the event you are in a situation of an active shooter or active attack situation.

How to Engage People in All Levels of Dementia

Instructor: Janel Meints
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
There are many benefits of meaningful engagement for a person with dementia, which include being listened to as an equal, a sense of purpose and routine and being offered an appropriate outlet for skills and experiences. This insightful session will review beneficial techniques paired with recreation, leisure and engagement for each stage of dementia. The presentation will also provide adaptations and modifications of various engagement activities for people in all levels of dementia.

New CMS Guidance for Nursing Facilities

Instructor: Ken Watkins
Audience: SS, N, DH, ADM (NF)
CMS released revised surveyor’s guidelines for nursing facilities, along with a policy memorandum describing the revised guidelines and accompanying revisions. The guidelines are used by government inspectors in determining whether and to what extent a nursing facility has violated federal requirements. This session will review the updated guidelines and will discuss the best practice strategies to meet and exceed the new regulatory standards.

ADA/ADAAA and Mental Health – Complex Issues in Employment

Instructor: Jo Ellen Whitney
Audience: N, DH, ADM, ALMC (NF – AL – HH)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas of employment. This session will look at the complex issues of mental health accommodation in the workplace, including issues of employee support, interactive discussions and medical documentation in an area that can be difficult to document. Various legal issues and policy requirements will also be a focus of the presentation.

Aging with HIV: Planning for Long-Term Care in a Complex Population

Instructors: Mallory Dreaslor, Viri Estudillo Gil, Kari Vrban
Audience: SS, N, DH, ADM (NF)
Demographics indicate that the population of HIV-positive older adults is likely to grow significantly for the next two decades. This represents new opportunities, as well as obstacles, for long-term HIV survivors, their caregivers and aging service providers. This session will review the history of HIV/AIDS, current treatment/prognosis for those living with HIV, explore the demographics of Iowans living with HIV, discuss the challenges of aging with HIV and accessing needed care and services through a bio-psycho-social lens.

Immunizations – Keeping Residents and Staff Safe

Instructor: Shelly Jensen
Audience: SS, N, ADM, ADM (NF – AL – HH)
COVID-19, influenza and pneumococcal vaccines are proven to reduce death and hospitalization among seniors in health care facilities and help keep caregivers healthy. This session will provide strategies that health care facilities can implement to improve vaccine uptake, resident/patient safety and staff wellbeing.

Pearls of Wisdom

Featuring: Jamie Pollard
Audience: ALL (NF – AL – HH)
Since his arrival in 2005, he has reimagined almost every facet of the Iowa State University (ISU) athletic department, leading the Cyclones to records in attendance, ticket sales and academic scores. Jamie’s closing keynote speech, Pearls of Wisdom, will share the leadership lessons he has learned in nearly 20 years of being the ISU director of athletics.