More than 500 changemakers from across Ohio came together for the 2026 LeadingAge Ohio Annual Conference and Trade Show — three days grounded in the shared mission of serving people and communities across the state. Members learned from one another through more than 60 interdisciplinary education sessions, heard from opening keynote speaker Petra Marquart, exchanged ideas with nearly 100 exhibitors and LeadingAge Ohio partners, and spent time with colleagues at the Trade Show, Ice Cream Social and Game Night. Home health and hospice members also opened the week together at the Hospice Pre-Conference. The conference reflected what makes the LeadingAge Ohio community distinctive: nonprofit, mission-driven organizations bringing their experience, resources and commitment together in service to Ohioans.
Several moments carried special meaning this year. LeadingAge Ohio graduated 25 fellows from the 2026 Leadership Academy, recognizing months of learning, mentorship and work dedicated to leadership within their organizations and communities. During the Annual Awards Luncheon, LeadingAge Ohio also renamed its Public Service Award in honor of David Paragas, creating a lasting recognition of his service and contributions. The Hall of Changemakers offered another opportunity to recognize the people advancing aging services across Ohio. We are grateful to every attendee, presenter, partner, sponsor and exhibitor who made the week possible.
If you attended the conference, we encourage you to share your feedback in this 2-minute survey. Top You Asked: How often do I need to log in to iQIES to prevent my account from being deactivated?
We Answered: CMS has developed a 60-day inactive user policy for Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) accounts. This has become particularly important with the recent transition of Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) data submission and reports into iQIES. CMS security policy requires iQIES to deactivate user roles for inactive accounts. To meet this requirement, iQIES will apply an inactive user policy beginning this month. CMS has provided the following additional guidance:
How the Policy Works
- iQIES will conduct regular system audits
- The audits identify users who have not logged in for more than 60 days
- Users identified as inactive will receive an email notice at 30 days and every 5 days thereafter
You must log in to iQIES to keep your user role(s) active. If you do not log in, iQIES will revoke your user role(s), and system access will no longer be available.
Impact to HARP Credentials
Revocation of iQIES user roles does not affect your Health Care Quality Information Systems (HCQIS) Access Roles and Profile (HARP) credentials. Your HARP account will remain active, and all HARP information will stay available.
Once iQIES restores your user role(s), you will again be able to access iQIES using your existing HARP credentials.
How to Restore iQIES Access
To restore access after role revocation, log in to iQIES and submit a new request for your required user role(s). A step-by-step job aid is available to help you request or restore iQIES user roles. You can find the job aid here.
What You Should Do
Log in to iQIES on a regular basis. Regular logins help prevent role revocation and avoid delays that can occur when you must request role access again.
If you have any questions, please contact the iQIES Service Center by email at iqies@cms.hhs.gov or by phone at 1-800-339-9313. Or to create a new support ticket, track an existing ticket, or recover your HARP password account, please use our CCSQ Support Central: Self-Service Portal.
Top Unnecessary medications remain a significant area of nursing home survey scrutiny. September’s STAT: Survey Tips and Tactics 2026 session will focus on F757 requirements and how surveyors determine whether medication regimens are clinically indicated, appropriately monitored and supported by documentation. The session will cover medication indications, effectiveness and adverse consequences, duration of use, gradual dose reductions, behavioral interventions and requirements for PRN psychotropic medications.
Participants will also examine common survey findings and how surveyors assess medication use through record review, observations, interviews and interdisciplinary team processes. The discussion will help nursing home teams identify gaps in medication review, documentation and ongoing evaluation before they become survey findings. Review the September STAT session and register through the LeadingAge Ohio Learning Center. The LeadingAge Ohio Political Action Committee (PAC) invites members, partners, and guests to spend Monday, September 28, 2026, at the Golf Club of Dublin for a day on the green that makes a difference.
More than just a round of golf, the annual PAC Outing combines spirited competition, camaraderie, and the chance to connect with colleagues and partners, all while enjoying a beautiful course setting. Every swing supports LeadingAge Ohio’s advocacy, ensuring older Ohioans and the professionals who serve them have a strong voice at the statehouse.
Registration opens at 9 a.m. with a 10 a.m. shotgun start. Both foursomes and individual golfers are welcome, and spots are available through Friday, September 25. Sponsorships are also open for those who want to further champion the PAC’s mission.
View full event details and register. For questions regarding sponsorship, please contact Corey Markham, Director of Education and Business Development, at cmarkham@leadingageohio.org.
Please note that contributions to Political Action Committees must be made by individuals, partnerships, or LLCs, not corporations, and are not tax-deductible. All contributions are voluntary and will not influence membership standing or benefits. Start the 2026 LeadingAge Annual Meeting & Expo with colleagues from Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky at State Night Out on Sunday, Oct. 25, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at SPIN Philadelphia. Hosted by LeadingAge Ohio, LeadingAge Indiana and LeadingAge Kentucky, the evening offers time to reconnect with colleagues, meet new peers and enjoy a relaxed start to the week before Annual Meeting programming gets underway. State Night Out is open to provider members and business firms, with registration available for $50 for provider members and $150 for business firms through Wednesday, Oct. 21.
If Philadelphia is on your calendar, now is also a good time to finalize your 2026 LeadingAge Annual Meeting & Expo registration. Early-bird pricing ends Sept. 1, with rates increasing Sept. 2. The Annual Meeting runs Oct. 25-28 and brings together aging services professionals from across the country for education, peer exchange and the E2 expo. Register for Annual Meeting before the price increase, then add State Night Out to your Philadelphia plans. LeadingAge Ohio is pleased to announce LeaderStat as a Preferred Provider, giving members expanded access to experienced interim leadership, executive search and recruitment support with preferred pricing.
A longtime LeadingAge Ohio associate member, LeaderStat has more than 25 years of experience serving senior living, long-term care and aging services organizations. Built by operators, for operators, LeaderStat brings a nationwide network of experienced Administrators, Directors of Nursing, operational/clinical leaders and C-suite executives to support members with Executive Search, Interim Leadership and other recruitment and retention needs.
LeadingAge Ohio members now receive a 6% discount on Executive Search placement fees, 3% off qualifying Interim Leadership invoices, 5% off RPO monthly subscription fees, and $1,000 off qualifying building-level leader searches.
Current LeaderStat clients who are LeadingAge Ohio members are encouraged to contact LeaderStat to discuss eligibility and access to these benefits.
Learn more about LeaderStat and your Preferred Provider benefits. Top LeadingAge is marking September as National Workforce Development Month, with a month-long focus on recruiting and retaining employees across aging services. The first feature looks at how member organizations are preparing teams to use artificial intelligence, automation and data effectively through role-based training, digital literacy support, data governance and workflow improvements. Members can explore LeadingAge’s National Workforce Development Month overview and examples from organizations putting technology-focused workforce development into practice.
The conversation will continue at the 2026 LeadingAge Annual Meeting, Oct. 25-28 in Philadelphia, where more than 20 workforce- and culture-focused education sessions will address topics including retention, compensation, frontline leadership, internships, workplace culture and talent acquisition. Members can review the recommended workforce sessions and 2026 Annual Meeting details. People rarely tell you exactly what they need. But patterns, behaviors, and lived experiences can reveal far more than direct requests ever will. LeadingAge’s three-part live event in September will detail how human-centered design can help your organization better understand the people you serve and create offerings to better serve them. Learn more and register. Family caregivers are facing increasing demands and challenges, prompting lawmakers and advocates to explore new policy solutions and supports. Join a free congressional briefing on September 22 at 1 p.m. when Marc Cohen, co-director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @ UMass Boston, and other experts will discuss “The Caregiving Compendium: Policy Solutions to Support Family Caregivers”, a new resource designed to help policymakers evaluate legislative options to better support family caregivers. The event will also feature opening remarks from Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Katie Britt (R-AL). Register here. Top The Ohio Department of Aging is bringing back its 10 Million Steps to Prevent Falls campaign this September, encouraging Ohioans of all ages to walk at least one mile during the month while raising awareness of fall prevention and healthy aging. The campaign also gives organizations an opportunity to bring people together through walking groups and events.
Organizations can host a walking group or event and report their participants’ mileage at the end of September to contribute to the statewide goal. Companies, senior centers, health departments, local governments, hospitals, health systems, physician offices, community organizations, schools, faith communities and individuals can participate.
The Ohio Department of Aging also offers fall prevention resources, including guidance on home safety, personal health and everyday habits, along with an anonymous falls risk self-assessment. The department recommends a multifaceted approach to fall prevention that includes safe exercise, reviewing medications and medical conditions with a health care provider, and identifying potential tripping hazards at home.
The campaign recorded more than 77 million steps through participating partners in 2025. Thirty-five walking groups and 8,456 participants logged a combined 30,838.4 miles.
Organizations and individuals can find planning resources, register a walking group or event, and learn more about the campaign through the 10 Million Steps to Prevent Falls webpage. Top Congress has passed a continuing resolution that would keep the federal government funded through Dec. 11, 2026, if signed by the president. The measure would avert a government shutdown after Sept. 30 and temporarily maintain funding for federal programs that support older adults, aging services providers and the workforce.
What You Need To Know
- The House approved the continuing resolution Sept. 1 by a 370-48 vote.
- Funding for programs including HUD Section 8, Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly, Older Americans Act services, Department of Labor programs, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services survey and certification activities would continue at fiscal year 2026 levels through Dec. 11.
- The measure includes flexibility allowing public housing authorities to use unobligated Tenant-Based Rental Assistance funds to help renew expiring vouchers and prevent gaps in rental assistance.
- It also temporarily blocks implementation of a proposed federal grants rule that would give political appointees greater authority over federal grant decisions.
- The measure provides only short-term funding and does not resolve full-year fiscal year 2027 appropriations.
What Happens Next
- The continuing resolution heads to the president for signature.
- If enacted, federal funding will continue through Dec. 11, pushing final appropriations negotiations later into the year.
- Congress will still need to reach agreement on full-year funding for HUD, health and human services, labor and other federal programs.
- LeadingAge will continue advocating for funding levels that support aging services providers, older adults and the aging services workforce.
What to Do
- No immediate action is required from providers.
- Organizations that rely on federally funded housing, workforce or aging services programs should be aware that current funding is temporary.
- Monitor federal appropriations activity as the Dec. 11 deadline approaches.
- Read LeadingAge’s full coverage of the continuing resolution for additional details.
A federal judge has struck down the State Department policy pausing immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries. The Aug. 21 ruling allows affected applications to resume under normal procedures and could be significant for LeadingAge members recruiting internationally educated nurses through the EB-3 process.
What You Need To Know
- The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found that the State Department exceeded its statutory authority by imposing the broad visa-processing pause.
- The court found that federal immigration law requires consular officers to make individualized visa determinations rather than deny or delay processing based on nationality alone.
- Immigrant visa applications from the affected countries may now resume processing under normal procedures.
- Public charge requirements remain a valid ground of inadmissibility.
- Public charge determinations must be based on each applicant’s individual circumstances rather than a blanket restriction tied to nationality.
What Happens Next
- The ruling removes the legal basis for the State Department’s processing pause.
- The practical effect will depend on how quickly and fully the State Department resumes adjudication of affected applications.
- Processing delays may continue as consular posts address cases that accumulated during the pause.
- Applicants will still be subject to all other applicable visa eligibility and admissibility requirements.
What to Do
- Organizations recruiting internationally educated nurses through the EB-3 process should review whether pending candidates were affected by the 75-country pause.
- Stay in contact with immigration counsel and recruitment partners regarding case status and consular processing.
- Monitor State Department implementation and any additional guidance affecting visa scheduling or adjudication.
- Review LeadingAge’s coverage of the State Department policy and court ruling for additional context.
The National Institute on Aging has released the 2026 Dementia Care and Caregiving Research Summit report, summarizing research priorities identified during the March 2026 summit. The report focuses on the economic effects of dementia, community and academic research partnerships, dementia care interventions, data infrastructure and care coordination. Participants also emphasized the need for research that accounts for quality of life, supports earlier diagnosis and planning, improves access to treatment and services, and helps people living with dementia remain at home when possible.
The summit brought together researchers, federal partners, nonprofit organizations, people living with dementia and care partners to identify gaps in dementia care and caregiving research. Findings will help inform future National Institutes of Health research priorities and updates to federal Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research milestones. Members can review the full 2026 Dementia Care and Caregiving Research Summit report for the complete research gaps and opportunities identified through the summit. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released a new web-based training focused on Chapter 2 of the Resident Assessment Instrument. The course reviews requirements for OBRA and PPS assessments, including assessment types, timing and scheduling, discharge assessment determination, interrupted stays and combined assessments.
Skilled nursing providers can use the training as a refresher on when assessments are required and how different assessment situations should be handled. The course is available through the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program training webpage. Top The new Risk-Based Survey (RBS) significantly changes the facility tasks surveyors are required to complete during an annual survey. While the traditional Long-Term Care Survey Process includes nine mandatory facility tasks, the RBS includes only the Infection Control mandatory task. The remaining facility tasks are triggered based on information identified offsite through Ombudsman concerns, active intakes, or onsite through resident concerns and surveyor observations.
Under the RBS, Infection Control is assigned to all surveyors, with one surveyor designated as the primary. Surveyors are instructed to conduct observations of general standard precautions, hand hygiene, appropriate use and donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE), and Transmission-Based Precautions (TBP). When concerns are identified, surveyors may interview staff, review applicable policies and procedures, and interview the Infection Preventionist regarding how staff compliance with infection control practices is monitored.
Transmission-Based Precautions are also specifically incorporated into the RBS screening process. When the CMS-802 identifies three or more residents with the same facility-acquired infection who are on TBP, surveyors are instructed to include one resident per infection type in screening across the team. Surveyors may also identify residents on TBP while walking the units and ask nursing staff about the type of infection to determine whether the screening criteria are met. In smaller facilities with a census of 1–30 residents, the Director of Nursing may be asked to immediately identify residents with current facility-acquired infections requiring TBP while the CMS-802 is being provided.
LeadingAge Ohio encourages providers to become familiar with the Risk-Based Survey Resources found on the CMS Nursing Home webpage, located in the Survey Resources zip file. Developed by the National Center to Reframe Aging, this LeadingAge Learning Hub resource, in a series of five short videos, offers strategies and tips to effectively convey nursing homes’ true impact, value, and essential role in supporting older adults. Impactful messaging about nursing home care—a unique, 24/7 service—is more important than ever, as America’s population is rapidly aging. Enhance communication and bolster perceptions of nursing homes using this practical tool that’s free to access. Accidents and hazards, cited under F689, were the No. 1 immediate jeopardy and annual/complaint survey citation in 2024. PREP has developed a new training to help nursing facilities reduce these citations by reviewing federal regulations, Ohio laws and rules, interpretive guidance, common deficiencies and steps providers can take to prevent accidents and hazards.
The training also includes a new Falls Response Guide to support facilities after a resident fall. Continuing education is available at no cost for nurses, social workers and nursing home administrators. Top LeadingAge Ohio member Brethren Care Village is nearing its $275,000 fundraising goal for a new Parkinson’s Support Center within its Wellness & Community Center in Ashland. The “Play for Parkinson’s… Until We Find a Cure” campaign has raised $259,684, more than 94% of its goal. The campaign was highlighted during Brethren Care Village’s annual golf outing, which drew more than 150 golfers, donors, sponsors, volunteers and community supporters.
Brethren Care Village has provided space for a local Parkinson’s support group for more than 20 years. The planned center will expand that work through specialized therapy, education, support groups and other resources for people living with Parkinson’s disease and their families. The organization is continuing its fundraising effort to reach the full campaign goal and begin the first phase of the center. Read the original story on Brethren Care Village’s campaign. Top Artificial intelligence is moving from experimentation to practical application across senior living. This in-person workshop, taking place October 8 from 9:00AM - 4:30PM, will help senior living leaders identify where AI can support resident care, staff productivity, family communication, marketing and organizational decision-making, while addressing the privacy, cybersecurity, compliance and governance considerations that come with its use.
Participants will explore practical AI applications, learn how to evaluate opportunities for their organizations, and consider the policies, data practices and safeguards needed for responsible implementation.
For more information and/or to register, please click here. Enrollment is now open for the Winter 2027 session of the Core of Knowledge, a program designed for Administrators-in-Residence that fulfills the academic requirement set by the Board of Executives of Long-Term Services and Supports (BELTSS) for qualifying to sit for the state licensure board examination to become a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator (LNHA).
The three-week course will be held January 11–28, 2027, Monday through Thursday, at the OCLC Conference Center. This is one of only two opportunities to complete the required coursework in 2027.
The deadline to register is December 11, 2025. Learn more and register for the 2027 Winter Core of Knowledge. For additional information, contact Corey Markham at cmarkham@leadingageohio.org. Value First is offering a sweepstakes to all current LeadingAge or Value First members. Members with multiple locations may enter once per location, but a Member may not win more than one Prize. Members who utilize Value First as the primary group purchasing organization for their food program and are members of LeadingAge or a LeadingAge state affiliate at the time of entry will automatically be entered into the drawing.
For additional details, please click here. LeadingAge Ohio holds valuable education webinars and in-person events throughout the year. Opportunities are added weekly. See the complete Schedule of Events. Top
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