As the senior living industry reopens in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, resident engagement leaders have exciting opportunities to elevate the experience care partners want and Elders deserve. To foster a meaningful conversation, accelerate change and empower frontline team members, the #ActivitiesStrong initiative, led by Linked Senior with Activity Connection, the National Association of Activity Professionals (NAAP) and the National Certification Council for Activity Professionals (NCCAP), will host the 2nd Annual #ActivitiesStrong Virtual Summit for Activity and Life Enrichment Professionals in Senior Living.

As the pandemic was unfolding in June 2020, the #ActivitiesStrong initiative took a stand and held a virtual Summit which was the largest and most successful virtual event of the year for activity and life enrichment professionals in senior living with more than 2,400 registrants. Following this success, the Summit returns on June 22nd as a way to continue to acknowledge, educate and empower activity and life enrichment professionals. Participants this year will learn what the state of resident engagement will be post-COVID-19 pandemic, explore best practices and understand the long-lasting changes that will impact how we build person-centered experiences for older adults.

Featured speakers at this event include: Dr. Katy Abbott (Associate Professor of Gerontology, Miami University, Scripps Gerontology Center), Marvell Adams Jr (Chief Operating Officer, The Kendal Corporation), Ginna Baik (Senior Business Development Manager for Senior Living at Amazon Alexa), Angela Burton (Founder, Feet to the Fire Writers’ Workshops®), Joshua Crisp (Co-Founder/Co-Host, Bridge the Gap The Senior Living Podcast), Charles de Vilmorin (CEO and Co-founder, Linked Senior), Mathew Guilfoyle (President of Activity Connection), Lynne Katzmann (President, Juniper Communities), Karen Love (Executive Director, Dementia Action Alliance), Dr. Jennifer Stelter (Director of Program Development, Linked Senior), Alisa Tagg (Director, National Association of Activity Professionals) and Dawn Worsley (Board of Directors President, National Certification Council for Activity Professionals).

Leading up to the event, beginning on May 24th, Linked Senior will host a national Senior Living’s Got Talent competition. Residents and staff members at senior living communities nationally are invited to submit a 4-minute video of their talent. 6 finalists total will be selected and they will perform live in front of a panel of judges at the conclusion of the #ActivitiesStrong Virtual Summit on June 22nd.

“Resident engagement is what defines our industry best: how can we collaborate with Elders so they find purpose every day?” shares Linked Senior CEO and Co-Founder, Charles de Vilmorin. “There has never been such an important time to provide a platform for productive conversation, disrupting the status quo and seeking the most innovative and operationally sound resident engagement ideas. This is why we are excited for this initiative, thankful for our partners and eager to have meaningful discussion with the industry to enable the future of resident engagement.”

This event is hosted and managed by the #ActivitiesStrong initiative, led by Linked Senior in Partnership with Activity Connection, NAAP and NCCAP.  

Dawn Worsley, NCCAP President, is looking forward to the June event saying, “The COVID-19 crisis is an unprecedented opportunity to highlight the critical need for life-enriching activities during times of extreme isolation. NCCAP is excited to be working with our professional association NAAP and Linked Senior to advance the role of activity professionals through the #ActivitiesStrong Summit.” 

Alisa Tagg, NAAP Association Director echoed this sentiment saying, “NAAP is honored to continue supporting the #ActivitiesStrong Summit. The pandemic has allowed Activity Professionals to see clearly with a set of fresh eyes for positive resident engagement. We can now grow and cultivate life-enriching experiences that will make quality engagement even better in the senior living setting.”

Mathew Guilfoyle, President of Activity Connection, has been anticipating the return of this event since last June saying, “Linked Senior did such a wonderful job organizing the Summit and pulling together such tremendous value for the audience last year that we jumped at the chance to contribute when we heard the event would return in 2021. The opportunity to engage, exchange thoughts, ideas, and simply thank activity and life enrichment professionals in real-time for the essential work they do is absolutely priceless.”

“Right now is the best opportunity we have had in the last 15 years to make positive change for the reality of resident engagement professionals and community leaders in senior living,” Joshua Crisp, CEO of Solinity said. “The spotlight is on us and more than ever, stakeholders understand the importance of the activity professional and the impact of that professional on a community member’s life quality. I’m thankful for the movement of Activities Strong led by LinkedSenior. Their quick response and creation of a platform to equip professionals to raise the bar for our industry is exciting and we are excited to be part of the mission.”

Linked Senior is an evidence-based resident engagement platform for senior living. The platform optimizes the person-centered experience for residents by empowering staff with digital tools to assess, plan, implement and evaluate engagement for the entire resident population.