Event Registration

Frontline Workforce Solutions – Retention, Supervision, and Staffing in Long-Term 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

Frontline staff and first-line supervisors shape the daily experience of long-term care more than any policy, program or incentive. Yet many workforce conversations overlook the realities of what happens on the floor — where retention is won or lost.

This virtual workforce event focuses specifically on frontline staff and the supervisors who lead them, offering practical, experience-driven strategies for improving retention and stabilizing staffing in skilled nursing and senior living settings. Across three sessions, participants will examine why frontline staff leave, how charge nurses and department heads influence engagement and accountability, and which staffing and scheduling approaches have worked in real long-term care environments.

The program emphasizes realistic leadership behaviors, operational decision-making and staffing strategies that can be applied within existing regulatory and financial constraints. Sessions are led by long-term care leaders and peers and are grounded in lessons learned — including what has worked, what hasn’t, and where leaders are best served focusing their time and energy.

Attendees will leave with greater clarity around the factors driving frontline turnover, practical ideas they can adapt within their own organizations, and confidence to focus on strategies that strengthen the frontline workforce and the supervisors who support it.

Live Schedule

February 26, 2026
1:00 – 4:00 PM CST

1:00 – 2:00 PM     The Frontline Experience and the Leaders Who Shape It
2:15 – 3:15 PM     The First-Line Supervisor Effect: How Charge Nurses and Department Heads Drive Retention
3:30 – 4:00 PM     Staffing and Scheduling Strategies that Actually Work

Session Descriptions

The Frontline Experience and the Leaders Who Shape It
Speakers: Krystle Jaeger and Lauren Friedenberg

Frontline workforce expectations in long-term care continue to evolve, with flexibility, trust, and strong leadership now rivaling pay as key drivers of retention. This session focuses on what actually happens on the floor, where leadership behavior, schedule predictability, and day to day working relationships directly influence engagement and turnover. Participants will explore why frontline staff leave even well-paying roles and how frontline supervisors shape the daily employee experience. Attendees will leave with practical, experience driven strategies they can apply immediately to strengthen leadership, build trust with frontline teams, and create environments where employees choose to stay, grow, and lead.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify key factors influencing frontline retention in long-term care, including leadership behaviors, trust, flexibility, and schedule predictability
• Explain why frontline staff may leave even well-paying roles and recognize common drivers of disengagement on the floor
• Describe how frontline supervisors shape the day-to-day employee experience and impact turnover, morale, and accountability
• Apply practical strategies to strengthen working relationships, improve communication, and build trust with frontline teams
• Develop actionable next steps to create a more stable frontline environment where employees are more likely to stay, grow, and step into leadership roles

The First-Line Supervisor Effect: How Charge Nurses and Department Heads Drive Retention
Speaker: Samantha Greene

Charge nurses and department heads have more influence on frontline staff retention than any policy, benefit or incentive. In long-term care, these first-line supervisors shape the daily work experience — and are often the strongest predictor of whether staff stay or leave.

This session is grounded in the realities of long-term care operations and focuses on the practical leadership skills many supervisors were never formally trained to use. Participants will explore the difference between coaching and correcting, learn how to address attendance and performance issues without immediately pushing staff out the door, and examine approaches to training clinicians to lead people — even when leadership wasn’t something they originally signed up for.

The session emphasizes real-world application, with attendees leaving equipped with conversation scripts, a simple coaching framework for supervisors, and clear red flags that signal when a supervisor may need additional support.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe why charge nurses and department heads are often the strongest predictor of frontline staff turnover in long-term care settings
• Distinguish between coaching and corrective approaches and apply practical language in common supervisory situations
• Identify strategies for addressing attendance and performance concerns while minimizing turnover risk
• Recognize early warning signs that indicate a supervisor may need additional leadership support or training
• Identify critical soft skills needed by clinical leaders to build relationships with frontline staff.

Staffing and Scheduling Strategies that Actually Work
Speaker: BJ Baskerville

In this 30-minute, peer-led session, BJ Baskerville, Administrator at West Ridge Care Center, shares practical staffing and scheduling strategies that have supported strong staff retention in a long-term care setting.

The session focuses on real-world approaches to scheduling and coverage that balance operational needs, staff well-being, and regulatory expectations. Attendees will hear what has worked at West Ridge Care Center, lessons learned along the way, and ideas that can be realistically adapted by other skilled nursing and senior living communities.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify staffing and scheduling strategies that support staff retention
• Describe scheduling practices that help reduce call-offs and turnover
• Apply peer-tested staffing concepts to their own organization

Continuing Education Credit

This program is approved for 2.5 contact hours for:

• Nurses
• NF Administrators
• Assisted Living Managers
• Department Heads
• Activity Professionals

Registration Fees

Members:   $80 per person
Non-Members:    $240 per person

Speakers

	BJ Baskerville received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska – Omaha in 2012 and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public health from the University of South Dakota. Since 2012, he has been a licensed nursing home administrator, serving in multiple locations across the Midwest, with Iowa being his home. Growing up in the industry with a mother who worked as a long-term care nurse, BJ developed a deep passion for serving seniors in the community. At West Ridge, he values the people—both residents and team members—and is committed to maintaining a tradition of outstanding quality care through the Eden Alternative Model.
	Lauren Freidenberg brings more than 20 years of experience in senior care, with deep expertise in workforce strategy, employee relations, and leadership development across skilled nursing, assisted living, hospice, and home care. She has supported multi-site, multi-state organizations through periods of growth, operational change, and workforce instability, partnering closely with executive, operational, and clinical leaders. A graduate of Boston University, Lauren began her career in senior care as an Activities Coordinator and advanced into senior human resources leadership, most recently serving as Vice President of Human Resources for Legacy Healthcare – Iowa. She holds a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification and is also a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator (LNHA), bringing a unique perspective that bridges regulatory requirements, operational realities, and frontline workforce needs.
	Samantha Greene is a BSN and LNHA with over 15 years of long-term care experience, beginning in front-line clinical roles. Her passion for improving the healthcare workplace and the quality of geriatric care led her to pursue positions as a Director of Nursing, and later, an Administrator. From the floor to the front office, she experienced two sides of healthcare- the passion and success of working in strong cultures with motivating supervisors and the burdensome struggle of trying to achieve in an environment with contrary values and disengaged leaders. Now, as the Chief Nursing Officer and partner at Senior Living Solutions, she spends much of her energy mentoring clinical leaders on building powerful cultures of employee engagement and quality care based in mission and motivation. Her coaching and support is focused on the transformative nature of creating clinical teams built on trust and shared values.
	Krystle Jaeger serves as Senior Vice President of Operations for Legacy Healthcare – Iowa, bringing more than 25 years of healthcare experience and 16 years in senior leadership roles across skilled nursing. Her background is rooted in clinical care, including six years as a Director of Nursing, before advancing into Administrator and executive operations leadership. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), a Master of Business Administration (MBA), and is a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator (LNHA). Krystle currently oversees operations for 35 skilled nursing facilities and 20 assisted living communities across Iowa. Known for her hands-on, servant-leader approach, she focuses on workforce stability, regulatory compliance, and leadership accountability, bringing a grounded, real-world perspective to retention and workforce challenges in long-term care.