ASA Conference Preview

Learn and Connect at the Annual
Aging in America Conference

By Heather Hogstrom

The American Society on Aging (ASA) Aging in America Conference will be held March 20 to 24 in Washington, D.C., which boasts many iconic sites, from the White House and Capitol Building to the Washington Monument. For those wishing to do some sightseeing upon arriving in our nation’s capitol, attendees can preregister for Sunday’s guided coach bus tours. The morning tour will feature D.C.’s memorials, including the Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, and Iwo Jima Memorial, while the evening tour will show off the city’s monuments lit up at night and finish with dinner at an Italian restaurant. Attendees can also take the opportunity to see how two locations are serving the needs of the community by visiting Iona Senior Services or the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Inter-Generational Center.

Washington, D.C. is the perfect setting for a discussion on politics, and with the election approaching there are many questions to be answered regarding policy. The “2016 Panel of Pundits” will cover topics relevant to health care and older adults. Another session, “Patient Centered Care: Translating Patients’ Wishes Into Federal and State Policy,” will provide thoughts from patients and caregivers about their end-of-life care while providing information about current legislation and new policy ideas.

In addition to policy, sessions cover topics such as caregiving, leadership, mental health, technology, aging in community, LGBTQ aging, religion, business, and building integrated care networks. The Aging in America Conference provides plenty of learning opportunities to choose from, enabling attendees to earn up to 27.5 CEUs.

ASA is offering 16 workshops throughout the conference, including “Targeted Population Health Management for At-Risk Older Adults,” “Managed Long-Term Services and Supports and Family Caregivers,” “Recovery Through Relocation: From Nursing Home to Community,” and “Understanding How the CMS Medicaid Managed Care Proposed Rule May Impact the Delivery of LTSS.”

For attendees with an interest in managed care, the conference will have three Managed Care Academy Boot Camps: “Challenges and Opportunities of Medicare Payment Models,” “Transitional Care Within Population Health — Integration, Process, Performance and Finances,” and “Quality Measurement and the Community’s Role in Meeting Quality Goals.” The series will wrap up on Thursday with the Managed Care Academy Summit, covering topics such as creating value-based services using value-based pricing models.

For more information or to register, visit www.agingconference.org.

— Heather Hogstrom is an editorial assistant at Today’s Geriatric Medicine.