(Washington, D.C. – April 21, 2022) As the senior living industry continues to recover from 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), along with new partners Feet to the Fire Writers’ Workshops® and Lorenzo’s House, will host the 3rd Annual #ActivitiesStrong Virtual Summit for activity and life enrichment professionals in senior living. Agenda and registration details can be found here.

The Summit returns on June 21st as a way to continue to acknowledge, educate and empower activity and life enrichment professionals and celebrate the longest day in honor of everyone living with cognitive change. Participants this year will learn how to:

• Provide elders with social prescriptions based on their life histories, individual preferences, and current abilities.
• Move to a rehabilitation model of dementia rather than a medical model, with engagement as the primary focus.
• Shift the resident engagement paradigm and enable true interdisciplinary collaboration with the life enrichment department

Confirmed speakers at this event include: 

Neelum Aggarwal, MD (Population Health Neurologist, Rush University), Kris Angevine (Community Builder, The Eden Alternative), Angela Burton (Founder, Feet to the Fire Writers’ Workshops®), Cameron Camp, PhD (Director of Research and Development, Center for Applied Research in Dementia), Penny Cook (President/CEO, Pioneer Network), Dan Cohen, (Founder and CEO, Right to Music), Diana Cose (Founding Executive Director, Lorenzo’s House), Charles de Vilmorin (CEO and Co-founder, Linked Senior), Angel Duncan, PhDc, MA, MFT, ATR (Executive Arts Director, Cognitive Dynamics Foundation), Caroline Edasis, (Director of Senior Living Community Engagement, Mather), Mathew Guilfoyle (President, Activity Connection), Lynne Katzmann (Founder and CEO, Juniper Communities), Arif Nazir, MD (Chief Medical Officer, Signature Healthcare), Daniel Potts, MD, FAAN (Attending Neurologist at U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs), Craig Price, (Director of Community Education and Wellness for The Naples Players Theatre Company at the Sugden Theatre), Linda Redhead (Incoming President, National Certification Council for Activity Professionals), Susan Ryan (Director, The Green House Project), Dr. Jennifer Stelter, Psy.D., CDP, CADDCT, CCTP (Chief Engagement Officer, Resident Engagement Institute, Director of Product Research, Linked Senior), Alisa Tagg (Association Director, National Association of Activity Professionals) and David Troxel (President Best Friends Approach).

Leading up to the event, beginning on May 9th, Linked Senior will host its second annual 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 21st.

The senior living industry needs to articulate its value proposition around lifestyle, social engagement and purpose – and this starts with resident engagement. We are grateful to the thousands of activity professionals for what they have given through this pandemic; looking ahead there has never been a more exciting time to invest in these professionals. They’ve proven our industry’s worth and are essential to enabling the model of social prescription,” shares Linked Senior CEO and Co-Founder, Charles de Vilmorin. 

Mathew Guilfoyle, President of Activity Connection, has been anticipating the return of this event saying, “We are especially excited for the Activities Strong June Summit after learning discussions will highlight the importance of social prescription, uncovering non-drug solutions promoting greater overall well-being for our aging loved ones. It is a vision and passion we share deeply. We look forward to the conversation, sharing ideas and interacting to learn more and promote awareness of this very important topic in our senior living industry!”

Amy Laughlin, NAAP President stated, “NAAP is delighted to continue our support of the Activities Strong June Summit. Since the pandemic began, we all saw the increased need for positive social engagement in fostering life-enriching experiences. This year’s focus to include social prescription for a greater quality of life experience is vital in building awareness of individual needs and choices. We look forward to learning together in June.”

Linda Redhead, incoming NCCAP President, is looking forward to the June event saying, “Moving forward toward the tail end of this pandemic, it is now more clear than ever that the entire interdisciplinary team must integrate the ‘social prescription’ into their plan of care. This holistic point of view utilizing non-medical interventions fosters positive outcomes based on the unique attributes of each person. NCCAP is excited to continue to work alongside Linked Senior and the National Association for Activity Professionals as we, together, instill the value of the social prescription in all care settings.”

About Linked Senior:

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.