Welcome Remarks with KDADS

Getting on the Balcony: Gifting Yourself Perspectives & Interpretations (Workshop)
Racquel Thiesen — Kansas Leadership Center (KLC)
Strengthening the workforce that supports older adults is an adaptive challenge shaped by patterns, pressures, power, and processes. This 90-minute session will give you the space to see the work of recruitment, training and retention from two perspectives, the dance floor and the balcony, metaphorically speaking. In doing so, you'll gift yourself multiple perspectives that can help you imagine new approaches to address those patterns, pressures, power dynamics and process challenges that make the work complex and difficult.

Health Equity for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Across the Lifespan (Lecture)
Allyson McCain, MPA — Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities
Co-Presenter: Whit Downing
As individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are living longer, aging and healthcare systems must evolve to meet their needs. This session highlights efforts led by the KCDD Health Equity and Outcomes Coalition to expand access to equitable, lifespan-oriented supports for individuals with IDD and their caregivers. Attendees will learn about initiatives addressing women's health across the lifespan, partnerships with Area Agencies on Aging to build IDD-informed networks, and strategies to improve access to hospice, palliative care, and future planning resources. The session emphasizes practical tools and cross-system collaboration to reduce disparities and strengthen inclusive aging services. Presented by Allyson McCain and Whit Downing—a leader with lived experience—this session centers both systems change and the voices of individuals with IDD.

Expanding Community Dementia Capacity: A Bidirectional Approach to Professional and Grassroots Support (Lecture)
Michelle Niedens, LSCSW — KU Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
Communities across the country are facing increasing demand for dementia education, support, and meaningful engagement opportunities. This session explores a bidirectional approach to expanding dementia capacity by combining professional initiatives with grassroots, community-driven solutions. Participants will examine how healthcare providers, community organizations, care partners, individuals in early stages, advocates, and local leaders can work together to create more inclusive, responsive systems of support for individuals and families experiencing cognitive change at every stage of dementia. Through practical examples and collaborative strategies, the session will highlight innovative programming, partnership development, and accessible support models that increase choice, reduce barriers, and strengthen community connection. Attendees will gain insight into the evolving needs of people living with dementia and their care partners while identifying actionable ways to build sustainable dementia-friendly resources within their own communities. This presentation is designed for professionals, advocates, care partners, and community stakeholders seeking practical tools to expand local dementia capacity and engagement.

When Caregivers Thrive, Families Stay Together: A Kansas Case Study in Digital Caregiver Education (Lecture)
Shahzad Zafar, COO — Trualta
Co-Presenter: Timothy Wholf, Director
Kansas has a workforce problem that no hiring plan can fully solve: 63 million Americans are providing unpaid care to an aging family member, with no training, no backup, and no system designed to support them. In Johnson County, the Area Agency on Aging decided to change that. In this fireside conversation, JOCO AAA Director Tim Wholf and Trualta Chief Operating Officer Shahzad Zafar share what happened when a county committed to treating caregiver education like workforce development. Using real engagement data, estimated health system cost savings, and one caregiver's story told through her own words and platform activity, this session makes the case that supporting family caregivers should be seen as a measurable workforce strategy. Attendees will leave with a replicable framework and the data language to bring it back to their own counties and funders.

More Than a Job: The Power of Work, Purpose, and Belonging for Older Adults (Workshop)
Brenda Groves, LPN, BCPA, CADDCT — KFMC Health Improvement Partners
Co-Presenter: SER Staff Panel Discussion
As the aging population grows, workforce systems face increasing strain while many older adults experience isolation, loss of purpose, and declining health after leaving the workforce. Yet older adults remain an underutilized part of the workforce solution. This session explores how age-inclusive workforce and volunteer opportunities can strengthen the social, emotional, and physical well-being of older adults. Highlighting the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) through SENT Topeka's SER Program and the Southside Filling Station, the session combines professional insight with lived experiences from older adults engaged in meaningful community service and workforce participation. Participants will gain insight into how purposeful engagement supports healthy aging, strengthens communities, and contributes to workforce stability. The session also highlights practical strategies for integrating older adults into workforce initiatives while reframing employment as both a workforce and health intervention.

From Readiness to Results: How a Multisector Plan on Aging Aligns Workforce, Policy, and Community Systems (Lecture)
Babs Hall, MSOL (Master of Science in Organizational Leadership) — Guidehouse
Co-Presenters: Lance Robertson, MPA; Richard Henley, J.D.; Jayson Wright, BA; Mindy Ulsted, Chief, Bureau of Senior Programs, Missouri DHSS
States seeking to become more age-friendly increasingly recognize that aging outcomes are shaped not only by health and human services, but also by housing, transportation, workforce, higher education, and private sector systems. This session shares lessons from Guidehouse's development of a Multisector Plan on Aging (MPA) with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services — a 10-year, cross-sector blueprint designed to align policy, programs, and investments around the needs of older adults. Presenters will walk through the MPA lifecycle, from readiness assessment to stakeholder engagement, data analysis, governance, and implementation planning. Attendees will learn how Oklahoma structured inclusive engagement, used data to inform priorities, and built a plan that supports workforce development, service delivery, and long-term systems change. Participants will leave with practical insights and tools to support multisector collaboration and age-friendly planning in their own states and communities.

A Collaborative Model of Quality Improvement: Student-Led QI Projects in Long-Term Care (Lightning Talk)
Donna Flemming, MD — University of Kansas School of Medicine Wichita
Co-Presenter: Dulcinea Rakestraw, PhD, MPH
This session highlights a collaborative model that brings together long-term care facilities, medical education programs, and community partners to improve care for older adults while improving quality of care. Through a series of student-led quality improvement initiatives, teams reviewed prescribing practices, environmental safety, and mental health diagnosis patterns in long-term care settings. Attendees will learn how academic-clinical partnerships can generate meaningful improvements in care while simultaneously preparing learners to work in aging-focused systems. This model offers a scalable approach for integrating education, clinical care, and community engagement to support Kansas's aging population.

Expanding Access to Mental Health Support for Older Adults and Caregivers: A Community-Based In-Home Counseling and Hybrid Support Group Model (Lightning Talk)
Monica Cissell — Central Plains Area Agency on Aging
Co-Presenter: Jennifer Lasley
Central Plains Area Agency on Aging (CPAAA) developed community-based mental health support programs to address the needs of older adults and caregivers in Butler, Harvey, and Sedgwick counties through services funded by the Older Americans Act. Services are offered at no cost to eligible participants and include Clutter Cleaners Club, a hoarding support group; individual counseling for adults age 60 and older; individual counseling for caregivers of adults age 60 and older; and a caregiver support group. This session will describe how these programs were developed and are delivered through flexible access points, including in-home and community-based counseling, counseling by phone and virtual platform, and hybrid support groups offered in person and online. Attendees will learn how this model reduces barriers to participation, expands access to mental health support, and supports healthy aging and caregiver well-being. The presentation will also highlight how one licensed clinical social worker with expertise in aging studies, dementia, behavioral health, grief counseling, and caregiver support delivers these services across a multi-county area.

The LEAP! Program: Bridging the Gap in Alzheimer's Prevention Education (Lecture)
Rachel Sandoval, MS, RDN, LD — University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
Lifestyle factors play a critical role in brain health and Alzheimer's prevention, yet many individuals lack practical guidance and support to translate these strategies into everyday life. The KU Alzheimer's Disease Research Center developed the Lifestyle Empowerment for Alzheimer's Prevention (LEAP!) program to help bridge this gap. LEAP! delivers real-life brain health strategies—such as increasing daily movement, making simple nutrition changes, and supporting cognitive and social engagement—through an accessible online format. This session will introduce LEAP!, share insights from more than a decade of community outreach, and highlight efforts to expand access across rural Kansas. Attendees will leave with actionable tips they can use immediately to support their cognitive health and overall well-being. They will also learn how to connect with LEAP!, participate in the online program, and take the next steps for bringing dementia prevention resources into their communities.

Advancing Interprofessional Age-Friendly Health Systems Care Through a Health Humanities and Arts Partnership (Lightning Talk)
Teri Kennedy, PhD, MSW, ACSW, FGSA, FNAP — Kansas 4M Geriatrics Workforce Education Program, University of Kansas Medical Center
Co-Presenters: Celka Straughn, PhD; Marguerite Perret, MFA; Elizabeth Langdon, PhD
Discover how the Kansas 4M/Spencer ARI Fellowship uses arts-based inquiry and interprofessional collaboration to advance equitable, person-centered Age-Friendly Health Systems care for older adults in rural and underserved communities while strengthening practice-education partnerships across healthcare, academia, and the arts.

Golden Beats: Using OAA Funding to Strengthen Independent Living in Kansas (Workshop)
Teri Lund — SEKAAA and Drums Alive
Come learn how to fund a Golden Beats program to impact your community. Golden Beats, the older adult adaptation of Drums Alive, is an evidence-based wellness program that combines movement, music, rhythm, and cognitive engagement to support healthy aging and social connection. This interactive session will explore how Golden Beats can be used in senior centers, community programs, independent living, assisted living, and wellness settings to improve physical activity, brain health, and quality of life for older adults. Participants will learn practical strategies for implementing Golden Beats to support balance, coordination, cognitive stimulation and social interaction for varying ability levels. The session will also highlight ways organizations can build sustainable programming through partnerships, staff and volunteer involvement, grants and community funding opportunities. Attendees will leave with ideas and resources to strengthen wellness programming and create meaningful impact for aging populations across Kansas

The Golden Years Look Different with Age-Related Vision and Hearing Loss (Lecture)
Beth Jordan, M.Ed., CRC (certified rehabilitation counselor) — Helen Keller National Center
When we were planning for our golden years, no one mentioned macular degeneration or glaucoma. They didn't tell us we might need to wear hearing aids. Vision and hearing loss at any age are game changers. Still, when making retirement plans, the combination of sensory losses can impact one's independence, socialization, communication with friends and family, and emotional resiliency. The combination of vision and hearing loss doesn't need to change our plans and pastimes. However, developing alternative strategies, techniques, and tools like apps for the phone and computer can help people return to the activities they love.

Paid Family Caregivers in Kansas: Who They Are, What They Do, and Why They Matter (Lecture)
Carrie Wendel-Hummell, PhD — Children's Mercy Research Institute / University of Kansas
Co-Presenters: Jennifer Babitzke, MA, MS; Yujin Oh, MA; Tracey LaPierre, PhD
Older adults and individuals with disabilities can hire friends and family members to provide their Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) through the self-direction program. This long-established, evidence-based practice was implemented, in part, to respond to direct care workforce shortages but has recently faced federal scrutiny as a potential source of fraud and waste. In this session, we detail the prevalence, characteristics, responsibilities, and motivations of paid family caregivers in the Kansas HCBS system using survey, interview, and administrative data. Findings demonstrate that paid family caregivers serve a critical role in sustaining the HCBS workforce and supporting individuals with complex care needs amid growing direct care workforce shortages.

(Re)Imagining the Aging Workforce: Intergenerational Learning through an Elder-in-Residence Model (Workshop)
Christal Omni, PhD, MPH, MLS — The OMNI Institute of Well-being, Inc.
Co-Presenters: Gloria Ragsdale; Janet Haynes, Dr.
What if the aging workforce included elders not only as recipients of care, but as teachers, knowledge holders, and co-creators of learning? This participatory workshop introduces the Elder-in-Residence (EiR) model developed through Sitting with Trees: Nature, Memory, and Black Elder Wisdom, an eco-autoethnographic course rooted in intergenerational connection. Grounded in a Spring 2026 pilot, Black elders joined the classroom as co-educators, engaging students through story, reflection, and presence. Participants will engage in guided reflection, dialogue, and applied exercises drawn from the EiR model, experiencing how relationship-centered practices support healthy aging and deepen connection. Elders-in-Residence will contribute lived insight, offering a braided perspective of research and experience. This session expands conventional notions of workforce development by recognizing elders as vital contributors to learning and care systems, while offering an adaptable model for integrating intergenerational, community-informed practices across educational, health, and organizational settings.

Unlocking A Financial Strategy for CHWs: Medicare Reimbursement for Community Health Integration (Lightning Talk)
Hannayd Ruiz — Mid-America Regional Council
Co-Presenter: Erika Saleski, MPP
Do you want to learn how the new Medicare Community Health Integration (CHI) billing codes can reimburse services provided by Community Health Workers (CHWs)? Are you looking to unlock financial strategies that can reimburse services provided by Community Health Workers (CHWs)? In this session, we will highlight the exciting opportunity for CHWs to transform communities beyond traditional clinical settings outlined in the reimbursement options available through new billing codes for Medicare Community Health Integration (CHI).

Improving Care for Seniors Through Paid Family and Medical Leave Policy (Lightning Talk)
Tracy Russell — Nurture KC
Co-Presenter: Ashley Beason
Many Kansans find themselves in the "sandwich" generation, caring for their children and their parents while juggling full-time jobs with little support. Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) could provide valuable support, allowing family members to care for their loved ones without losing their jobs or income. Families could keep aging parents at home and potentially avoid more costly interventions. The Paid Leave for Working Kansans Coalition has collaborated for two years to build support and momentum for a state paid leave policy in Kansas. The circumstances for leave include: parental leave, illness or care of a child or other family member including an elderly parent, and military leave

Strengthening and Supporting the Invisible Workforce: Moving Kansas from Reactive Crisis Management to Early Identification of Burnout in Dementia Caregivers (Lecture)
Jessica Clossen, MS, CCC-SLP, CDP — Dementia Care Consulting
Kansas's 90,000 dementia caregivers provide 127 million hours of unpaid care annually, yet most never identify as "caregivers" and don't seek help until crisis strikes. This session reframes family caregivers as essential infrastructure and presents a proactive model for early burnout identification. Attendees will explore why caregivers remain invisible, learn to recognize physical, behavioral, and emotional warning signs before collapse occurs, and discover evidence-based screening tools ready for integration into clinical and community settings. Drawing on successful models from Washington, California, and Georgia, I'll outline actionable strategies for clinicians, Home and Community-Based Service providers, and policymakers to shift Kansas from reactive crisis response to proactive intervention, improving outcomes for caregivers, care recipients, and the healthcare system alike.

Beyond the Barrier: Ensuring Equal Access and Opportunity for Deaf Older Adults (Lightning Talk)
Kelsey Stock — Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Co-Presenter: Robert Cooper
Older Deaf adults are an often-overlooked population facing unique barriers in healthcare, social engagement, emergency preparedness, and access to community resources. As the aging population grows, there is an urgent need to increase awareness of the challenges experienced by older adults with hearing loss and to equip service providers with resources to meet their needs. This conference presentation will explore the social, emotional, and systemic challenges affecting older deaf adults while emphasizing the importance of inclusive practices across healthcare, senior services, and community programs. The discussion will highlight how communication accessibility, advocacy, and education can improve outcomes and promote independence among deaf older adults. Attention will also be given to the role of family members, caregivers, and service providers in creating supportive and accessible environments. By highlighting the lived experiences of older deaf adults, this presentation aims to encourage collaboration among professionals, policymakers, and community organizations to address service gaps and reduce inequities. Increasing visibility and understanding of this population is essential to fostering dignity, inclusion, and equal access for older deaf adults in an aging society.

Scam and Fraud Prevention for Older Adults and their Caregivers (Lecture)
Larry Franken — Kansas Dept. on Aging and Disability Services
Co-Presenters: Dara Maley, BS; Janet Boskill, BS
Scams and fraud pose a significant threat to the financial security, personal privacy, and healthcare of all Kansans, but especially for older adults who are often a target for these activities. This presentation aims to raise awareness for beneficiaries and caregivers about the most common types of Medicare fraud, including identity theft, false billing, unnecessary medical services, and deceptive marketing practices. Attendees will learn how to recognize warning signs, safeguard their Medicare information, and take proactive steps to prevent exploitation. The session will also outline the reporting process for suspected fraud, emphasizing the role of beneficiaries in protecting the integrity of the Medicare system. By empowering individuals with knowledge and practical strategies, this presentation seeks to reduce the impact of fraudulent activities and promote a safer healthcare environment for all.

Bridging Sectors, Building Futures: Tools for Scaling the Age-Friendly Ecosystem (Plenary — All Attendees)
Jane Carmody, DNP, MBA, RN
Co-Presenter: Karon Phillips, PhD, MPH, CHES, FGSA

Sandy Markwood, President and CEO, USAging

The Future of Aging: Making Kansas the Best Place to Grow Older (Workshop)
Jessie Piper, PhD, CFLE — Washburn University
Co-Presenter: Meghan Kluth, MPA
Kansas and communities across the United States are experiencing significant demographic shifts that will reshape how we age, work, and support one another. This interactive sensemaking workshop uses lived stories of Kansans related to workforce experiences across the lifespan to explore what it will take to make Kansas the best place to grow older. Participants will examine real narratives from Kansans to surface patterns, tensions, and opportunities for policy, advocacy, and system change related to how we prepare, grow, and sustain the care workforce needed for decades ahead. Together, we will translate lived experience into actionable insights, identifying strategies to strengthen Kansas' aging services systems so that all Kansans can age with dignity, connection, and support.

Neighborhood Network: Reimagining Independence for Aging in Place (Lecture)
Michael Strouse, PhD — GoodLife Innovations
As demand for aging services rises and the workforce shrinks, older adults are increasingly forced to choose between unreliable in-home care and restrictive congregate settings they never wanted. This session explores GoodLife's nationally recognized and award-winning Neighborhood Network. This service model combines neighborhood-based support, simple smart-home technologies, remote coaching, volunteerism, and on-demand professional services to help aging adults stay safely and meaningfully connected to the lives they choose. Unlike traditional models that staff "just in case," the Neighborhood Network delivers support at the exact moment of need—strengthening natural supports, expanding workforce capacity, reducing unnecessary intrusions, and delaying or avoiding facility-based care. Attendees will leave with a new framework for thinking about aging services—one that prioritizes independence, affordability, safety, and meaningful community connection while redefining what's possible for aging in place.

Bridging Systems in Community-Driven Referral Networks (Lecture)
Mariah Winter — University of Kansas, Center for Public Partnerships and Research
Co-Presenter: Loretta Severin
Families often encounter fragmented systems that make it difficult to access the care, services, and resources they need to thrive across all stages of life. This session explores how communities are using IRIS (Integrated Referral and Intake System) to strengthen cross-sector collaboration, align systems, and create more connected pathways to support individuals and families. Through real-world community case studies, presenters will highlight how local leaders have used shared leadership, implementation science-informed technical assistance, and community-driven design to build referral networks responsive to local needs and priorities. Participants will learn how referral network development can catalyze deeper partnership, systems alignment, and sustainable community change. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for fostering collaboration, strengthening care coordination, and supporting long-term, community-centered solutions across all stages of life.

When the Person's Story Travels: Digital Care Profiles for Cross-Sector Dementia Care (Lecture)
Risa Stein, PHD — SeeInMe
Co-Presenter: Kristine Williams, PhD
Person-centered dementia care depends on more than diagnoses, medications, and formal care plans. It depends on knowing the person: their routines, communication style, triggers, calming strategies, preferences, relationships, and life history. Yet this information is often fragmented across family caregivers, direct care staff, clinicians, emergency responders, hospitals, and community providers. Presented by Dr. Kristine Williams, KU School of Nursing, and Dr. Risa Stein, Founder and CEO of SeeInMe, this session will describe an NIA-funded cross-sector partnership involving SeeInMe, KU Nursing, KU School of Medicine and the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, NDRI, and the Eastern Kansas VAMC. The session will connect caregiving research with a practical digital care profile model designed to improve communication, reduce caregiver burden, support care continuity, and align with emerging models such as GUIDE and PACE.

Untold Stories of Aging — An Arts-Based Intervention in Assisted and Independent Living Environments (Lecture)
Liz Langdon, PhD — KU
Co-Presenter: Zhiqi Yi, MA
Visual art analysis positively impacts cognition and well-being among older adults while art-making enhances positive affect, lowers stress, and encourages meaning-making. Untold Stories of Aging (USA) is an exhibition and short-term arts-based research intervention in which residents of assisted and independent living facilities participate in viewing and discussing the age-focused exhibition and collaboratively create artwork. This enhances their sense of belonging, affective state, and self-efficacy. Art education and social work students were trained to implement the intervention while learning from each other's skill sets in workshop facilitation, rapport building, and therapeutic meaning-making. Residents participated across three facilities and completed the Arts-Based Intervention Questionnaire, reported their affect, and responded to three open-ended questions. Findings indicate high rates of curiosity, enjoyment, flow states, and excitement. A library exhibition of USA and collaborative artworks invited public responses, which demonstrated engagement with the theme of aging and advocacy for programs revolving around art and aging.

Advancing Age-Friendly Health Systems Care through a Statewide Nursing Home/Nursing Education Partnership (Lightning Talk)
Teri Kennedy, PhD, MSW, ACSW, FGSA, FNAP — Kansas 4M Geriatrics Workforce Education Program, University of Kansas Medical Center
Learn how the Kansas 4M Nursing Home/Nurse Educator Action Community uses a statewide academic-practice partnership to advance Age-Friendly Health Systems care, strengthen interprofessional collaboration, engage nursing home residents and care partners, and prepare the current and future healthcare workforce through innovative age-friendly and dementia-friendly education and clinical experiences.

Understanding Community Perceptions of Elderspeak: Insights from Public Discourse (Lightning Talk)
Kristine Williams, RN, PhD, FGSA, FAAN — University of Kansas Medical Center
Co-Presenter: Frances Yang, PhD
Elderspeak is a communication style that sounds like babytalk when speaking with older adults. Although often intended to be kind, it can feel disrespectful and suggest that older adults are less capable. Most research has focused on nursing homes, but less is known about community experience. This study analyzed nearly 800 public comments in response to a New York Times article. Most commenters, primarily older adults, viewed elderspeak negatively and described it as patronizing or dismissive. Some shared ways to prevent or respond to it. These findings highlight the need for greater public awareness to promote respectful communication with older adults.

Thriving with a Hearing Loss (Lightning Talk)
Shanna Groves, M.Ed. — Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (KCDHH)
"Thriving with a Hearing Loss" advocates for a shift in perspective when living with hearing loss: from viewing hearing loss as a limitation to recognizing it as a manageable condition that, with the right tools and strategies, allows individuals to thrive. Presenter Shanna Groves highlights three essential traits for successful communication when living with hearing loss: confidence, boldness, and patience. To reinforce these principles, the presentation provides practical, actionable strategies for creating more "hearing loss-friendly" environments, encouraging proactive communication, thoughtful adjustments, and increased awareness to improve understanding, reduce frustration, and foster more inclusive and supportive everyday interactions for everyone involved.

Beyond the 9-to-5: Transforming Service Delivery for Working Caregivers (Lecture)
Brenda Gregg, MS — Alzheimer's Association - Heart of America Chapter
Co-Presenter: Valerie Johnson, MS
Family caregivers are a vital yet often overlooked part of the workforce, particularly those supporting individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementia. In Kansas, a majority of caregivers are balancing employment alongside complex and ongoing care responsibilities, often experiencing disruptions that affect both their professional and personal lives. This session highlights the prevalence of working caregivers, examines the unique challenges they face, and explores the broader impact on workforce stability. This discussion will focus on building a dementia-capable workforce that integrates caregiver needs into service delivery. Participants will engage in collaborative dialogue to identify practical, innovative strategies that support working caregivers and strengthen communities while improving outcomes for individuals living with dementia.

The Association between Chronic Diseases and Cognitive Decline: The Kansas Department of Health and Environment's Programs to Manage and Prevent Chronic Diseases (Lecture)
Shannon Lines, MPH — Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Co-Presenters: Tyra Quintin, BS; Matthew Schrock, MSW; Courtney Koenig, MPH; Shane Birzer, BS; Brittani VanWinkle, BHS
Cognitive decline, often first recognized as cognitive or memory impairment, is a common feature of Alzheimer's disease. This session will discuss several risk factors of cognitive decline and the prevalence of these risk factors among Kansas adults. Presenters will share information on Alzheimer's disease risk reduction education and resources, as well as Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Bureau of Health Promotion (BHP) programs, including the Tobacco Use Prevention Program, Physical Activity and Nutrition Program, Diabetes Prevention and Management Program, and Cardiovascular Disease Program.

Supporting Aging Drivers Together: A Community Approach to Car Fit (Lightning Talk)
Cynthia Callaway, CPST-I — DCCCA/Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office
This session introduces community partners to CarFit, a national program that helps older adults stay safe, comfortable, and independent by improving how they "fit" in their vehicles. Participants will learn how proper seat, mirror, and control positioning can reduce crash risk and support mobility for aging drivers. The presentation outlines what happens at a CarFit event, why cross-agency collaboration strengthens community safety, and how organizations can get involved through outreach, referrals, or hosting. By the end, partners will understand practical steps for supporting local aging drivers and connecting them with this free, evidence-based service.

Supporting Aging in Place Through Low- and Mid-Tech Assistive Technology (Lightning Talk)
Lauren Vaughan, SLPD — Assistive Technology for Kansans
Co-Presenter: Abby Azeltine, MS, CCC-SLP
As the aging population continues to grow, there is an increasing need for practical and affordable solutions that support older adults in safely aging in place. This presentation will explore how low- and mid-tech assistive technology solutions can improve independence, safety, communication, mobility, and participation in daily activities for older adults living at home. Attendees will learn about commonly available tools such as medication reminders, adaptive kitchen devices, amplified communication tools, grab bars, seating supports, and simple smart home technologies that can reduce caregiver burden and promote quality of life. Real-world examples and case scenarios will demonstrate how these solutions can be customized to meet individual needs in both rural and urban settings. This session is designed for aging service providers, healthcare professionals, caregivers, and community organizations seeking cost-effective strategies to support older adults while maximizing independence and dignity in their preferred living environments.

Cross-Training the HCBS Workforce for Complex Needs: A Kansas Blueprint for Retention, Readiness, and Resilience (Lecture)
Babs Hall, MSOL (Master of Science in Organizational Leadership) — Guidehouse
Co-Presenters: Charlie Smith, PhD; Christina Dozzi-Rodich
Kansas, like many states, faces persistent HCBS workforce shortages and high turnover, particularly in rural and frontier regions. This session shares a practical approach used by Kansas and Guidehouse through the Kansas Crisis Training and Enhancement of Services initiative to translate partner input into a scalable workforce strategy. The approach focused on identifying priority competency gaps, developing cross-training content, and designing dissemination pathways that reduce burden while improving statewide consistency in crisis training and service delivery for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and co-occurring behavioral health needs. Drawing on Kansas's multi-cohort engagement of community providers, caregivers, and cross-sector partners, presenters will highlight what the workforce said it needs most, including cross-training across service systems, clearer role definition, and training that is accessible and usable in real time. Attendees will leave with a repeatable playbook for leveraging partner engagement to strengthen recruitment and retention, standardize training expectations, and build a more crisis-ready, person-centered HCBS workforce that better supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Evidence-based resources for resilience and self-efficacy in caregiving from the Landon Center on Aging's Grayhawk Registry at the University of Kansas Medical Center (Lecture)
Frances Yang, PhD — University of Kansas Medical Center
Co-Presenters: Kenneth Seldeen, PhD; Bruce Troen, MD, PhD
Resilience is the ability to recover from a stressor, such as meeting the challenges associated with caring for an older adult. Family caregivers are often described as being resilient, but this is a complex concept to measure. This study examines the relationship between length of caregiving, resilience, and the family caregiver's frailty status. The Grayhawk Registry at the Landon Center on Aging, University of Kansas Medical Center, has 1,038 consented research volunteers. The Landon Center on Aging is an interdisciplinary hub for education, research, health care, and community engagement for older adults in Kansas. There are 229 current and former caregivers, with an average age of 69.5 years, and 85% are female. Through rigorous research, we found that having a positive outlook on the caregiving relationship was significantly related to caregivers feeling resilient. In addition, the longer the care provided, the stronger the relationship between their caregiver resilience.