Event Registration

LTC Social Services Conference – Ethics, Leadership, and Resident Care

Live and On Demand Access

The program will be recorded. All participants registered prior to the live event will have access to both the live and on-demand version. Participants registered after the live event will have access to the on-demand version.

Program Description

Designed specifically for social services professionals working in long-term and post-acute care, this one-day conference will strengthen your knowledge, skills and confidence in key areas of practice. Attendees will explore the foundational responsibilities of the social services role, practical strategies for navigating ethical challenges, and effective approaches for supporting residents’ emotional well-being and successful transitions of care.

Session Topics

LTC Social Services Director Essentials
Social Services Directors play a vital, multi-faceted role in nursing home care. This session provides the SSD with strategic guidance for the daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly responsibilities to meet the needs and enhance the life of today’s long term care residents. A breakdown of the essential duties will be reviewed along with a tool outlining these duties by frequency. Tips will be shared for comprehensive communication and documentation as well as how to maintain successful survey readiness.

C3 De-escalation: Supporting Relationships, Enhancing Dignity
C3 De-escalation ® is an immediate, short-term intervention to improve relationships with patients, families or fellow staff. Based on little-used brain research from Yale, C3 is Trauma-Informed and respectful. We often hear that people use C3 the next day. C3 is appropriate for patients with mental health issues, drug or alcohol issues, dementia, and intellectual or developmental disabilities. Apart from patient de-escalation, C3 also develops staff interpersonal skills and resilience.

Ethical Discharge Planning: Rights and Protections (F627/F628)
This session provides a detailed look at CMS regulations F627 and F628, which govern resident discharge rights and protections. It will address ethical and regulatory considerations in facility-initiated discharges, resident rights, and strategies to ensure compliance and fairness. Attendees will learn how to navigate complex discharge scenarios while safeguarding residents’ dignity and adhering to federal requirements.

The BIMS & PHQ Interviews and Depression Capture
This session explores how accurate completion of the Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) and the PHQ-9 depression assessment can impact facility reimbursement and resident outcomes. It will cover CMS updates that have made depression assessments more complex, common challenges in conducting the PHQ-9, and strategies to ensure depression is appropriately identified and documented in long-term care settings. Participants will gain practical guidance to improve compliance, accuracy, and resident well-being.

Live Schedule

November 5, 2025
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM CST

9:00 – 10:00 AM	LTC Social Services Director Essentials
10:15 – 11:45 AM	C3 De-escalation: Supporting Relationships, Enhancing Dignity
12:15 – 1:45 PM	Ethical Discharge Planning: Rights and Protections (F627/F628)
2:00 – 3:00 PM	The BIMS & PHQ Interviews and Depression Capture

Continuing Education Credit

This program is approved for 5 contact hours (including 3 hours of ethics) for:

• Social Services
• NF Administrators

Registration Fees

Members:   $140 per person
Non-Members:    $420 per person

Speakers

Cathy Bradley, MSW, LCSW, ACSW, is the Director of Long-Term Care Consultation Central Illinois Region and has been a member of the SocialWork Consultation Group team and family for over twenty-eight years. Cathy is a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Social Work (Urbana-Champaign). Initially, she completed her BSW at UIUC and, following six years providing medical social work at Proctor Hospital, she completed her MSW. Upon graduation, Cathy worked at the Galena Park Home for nine years. For a few years, Cathy worked in her family business and started consulting to LTC facilities independently. Cathy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a member of The Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW). She is an active member of NASW and was honored as the Social Worker of the Year for the Peoria District. She has co-authored scholarly articles for Social Work Today and for Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation. Cathy is an excellent presenter on many topics including Mental Health, Therapeutic Recreation, Behavior Management, and Skills Training. In her spare time, Cathy is a marathon runner and has been an active participant in the Memphis to Peoria St. Jude Run for over 25 years.

Steve Greenwald, MSW, LCSW, is a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Social Work (Urbana-Champaign). He holds both a Masters and Bachelors degree in Social Work. Mr. Greenwald’s experience includes extensive work with geriatric, psychiatric, and medically impaired populations in residential, in-patient, and out-patient settings. He provides direction and consultation to many long-term care facilities in several states. Mr. Greenwald is a popular instructor at seminars and workshops addressing the delivery of social work and behavioral health care services in skilled care, assisted living, special dementia care environments. His expertise includes: Educating staff on best practices to comply with the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid (CMS) standards, JCAHO accreditation, care plan development, staff development/management/evaluation, quality improvement/performance improvement, deficiency refutations, and plans of correction. Mr. Greenwald is a nationally known author and the editor of the SocialWork Consultation Group Letter, a quarterly newsletter distributed to nursing facilities in the United States and Canada. He has developed over 200 PowerPoint presentations to facilitate the education of long-term care staff. He has received professional acclaim and recognition for his long-term care resource books. Mr. Greenwald received certification from the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW) early in his career and he is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). He is an advisory board member of the Activity Therapists Association of Illinois.

Janine Lehman is a Registered Nurse with over 30 years’ experience in long term care, working in all nursing capacities from Nursing Assistant and Charge Nurse, to MDS Coordinator, Staff Development Coordinator, ADON and DON. She is MDS Certified through AAPACN, and is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. Her background includes serving as a Corporate Nurse Consultant, and the Director of Clinical Services for a multi-facility, multi-level of care organization. Janine serves as a founding member of the Kentucky RUG Task Force Committee, and has served on the Case Mix Appeals Panel and IDR Panel as a provider representative, as well as serving on the Kentucky Medicaid Technical Advisory Committee. She has extensive experience in the RAI process, clinical documentation, legal nurse consulting, restorative nursing programs, fall management, QAPI, and infection control, and has provided training on these topics for State and National organizations.

Patti Treibel-Leeds M.S., is a C3 De-Escalation Master trainer. She’s instructed thousands of participants in C3 De-Escalation, including health care professionals in Oklahoma, North Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Iowa. Patti has worked in human services for over 30 years, in countless situations that required de-escalation, and has been a licensed social worker. She is a gifted communicator and is passionate about helping others become the best they can be.