Webinar: DEMENTIA CARE 101: The Emotional Needs of Persons Living with Dementia (& Tips for a Successful Holiday Season!)
2025-10-23 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Chicago) | https://leadingagemissouri.org/event/webinar-dementia-care-101-the-emotional-needs-of-persons-living-with-dementia-tips-for-a-successful-holiday-season/
Join Carrie Chiusano as she draws on her extensive experience as a Dementia Care Specialist to explore the critical aspects of communication and the environment influencing the behavioral symptoms of dementia, especially around holidays and special events. Discover how meaningful engagement not only enhances the lives of individuals living with dementia but also benefits their caregivers. Learn practical strategies for creating positive interactions and improving overall well-being as you prepare for the holiday season festivities with memory care residents.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the diverse spectrum of dementia and cognitive decline to enhance diagnostic awareness and intervention planning.
2. Examine the symptoms, progression patterns, and underlying causes of various dementia types, distinguishing normal aging processes from the early signs of Alzheimer’s and related conditions.
3. Discover evidence-based strategies for common challenges faced by individuals and caregivers in effectively supporting residents experiencing cognitive decline.
About the Presenter:
Carrie has 30 plus years of long-term care experience with Presbyterian SeniorCare Network, most of which have been dedicated to creating and evolving the Woodside Place Philosophy of specialty care for persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Prior to being appointed Executive Director for the Presbyterian SeniorCare Network Dementia Care Center of Excellence in January 2016, Carrie served as the Administrator for Woodside Place of Oakmont, which opened in 1991 and was one of the nation’s first dementia-specific residential care communities specifically designed to meet the holistic needs of older adults living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. She was instrumental in championing the Culture Change initiative for the Network, which led to us becoming CARF accredited in 2011 (ongoing accreditation through 2024) in Person Centered Care.
As Executive Director, Carrie is responsible for the integration of dementia care services across the care and service continuum which comprise the Network. In this role, Carrie:
• Champions dementia care program development to offer a uniquely innovative and meaningful compendium of options for individuals living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. The result is a vibrant and fluid interactions which are both personalized by for the individuals while assuring consistent quality across the continuum.
• Plans and implements ongoing educational sessions which ensure every team member, at every level of the organization has the deep and rich knowledge and competencies to meet the holistic needs of individuals living with Alzheimer’s and related dementia.
• Builds and maintains strategic partnerships to support the Network in our goal of enhancing the quality of life both for the individuals impacted by the disease as well as family caregivers supporting those living with the disease.
Carrie is the Champion for: the Network’s Dementia Care Integration team, CARF accreditation in Dementia Care and the creation of the Dementia Care Center of Excellence: Expanding our Reach through the Center for Innovation and Care Transformation. In addition to her service on numerous industry association boards, Carrie is a certified trainer for the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners in dementia care.
Approved for 1 PC CEU: TA-015-42-26DL

2025 Hands-On Caregiver Virtual Micro-Conference
2025-11-13 08:00 - 17:15 | https://leadingagemissouri.org/event/2025-hands-on-caregiver-virtual-micro-conference/
Practical, people-first learning for your frontline caregivers
Presented by LeadingAge Missouri and LeadingAge Kansas
Choose the time that fits your team best:

Morning Session: 8:00 AM – 12:15 PM CT
Afternoon Session: 1:00 PM – 5:15 PM CT

The Hands-On Caregiver Virtual Conference delivers half-day, interactive training created specifically for direct-care team members in senior living and long-term-care communities. Each session provides practical tools to strengthen communication, documentation, empathy, and leadership on the front line of care. Both sessions feature the same content — simply choose the time that works best for your schedule.
Pro Tip: Buildings are encouraged to register multiple caregivers… one group for the morning and another for the afternoon, to ensure full team participation.

Registration Options

Individual Registration: $25
Building Registration (encouraged for groups of 12 or more attendees): $300
Non-Member: $50/person or $600/building

Morning & Afternoon Session Options
We encourage buildings to register multiple caregivers to attend. One way to send many caregivers through includes sending a group in the morning and a group to the afternoon.
Registrants are encouraged to attend either the morning or afternoon session entirely. It is not encouraged to attend some sessions in the morning and others in the afternoon. Share this Conference with Others on Your Team!

November 13, 2025
Morning Agenda

8:00-8:15 | Welcome & Housekeeping
8:15-9:30 | Dementia Care: Communication Through the Stages | Hollie Lowe, MA, LPC, NCC, James L. West Center for Dementia Care
9:30-9:40 | Break
9:40-10:20 | You Noticed, You Spoke Up, You Documented It: How Caregiver Documentation Impacts Lives and Outcomes | Treva Greaser, BSN, RN, CRRN, C-NE, LNHA, Treva Greaser Consulting
10:20-10:30 | Break
10:30-11:20 | Hospice 101: But I Don’t Work in Hospice! | Amy Hensley, MSN, RN, Before the Casket
11:20-12:00 | Leadership Keynote: Leading From Any Role | Karen Sturchio
12:00-12:15 | Closing & Housekeeping

Afternoon Agenda

1:00-1:15 | Welcome & Housekeeping
1:15-2:30 | Dementia Care: Communication Through the Stages | Hollie Lowe, MA, LPC, NCC, James L. West Center for Dementia Care
2:30-2:40 | Break
2:40-3:20 | You Noticed, You Spoke Up, You Documented It: How Caregiver Documentation Impacts Lives and Outcomes | Treva Greaser, BSN, RN, CRRN, C-NE, LNHA, Treva Greaser Consulting
3:20-3:30 | Break
3:30-4:20 | Hospice 101: But I Don’t Work in Hospice! | Amy Hensley, MSN, RN, Before the Casket
4:20-5:00 | Leadership Keynote: Leading From Any Role | Karen Sturchio
5:00-5:15 | Closing & Housekeeping

Continuing Education
This educational event is not approved for CE Credits for Administrators, Nurses, or otherwise. A Certificate of Completion will be provided to participants who complete an entire morning or afternoon session.
*Dates and Times are subject to change.

Registration Policy
Registration for the 2025 Hands-On Caregiver Virtual Conference includes digital handouts and tools for each of the sessions, connection(s) to the live conference (one connection per individual and one or multiple connections for buildings), and a Certificate of Attendance for each completed attendee. A recording of this conference is NOT included in the registration fee.
Cancellation Policies
Substitutions for events are always welcome. These individuals can be anyone employed on your campus, board members, resident family members, or residents. Substitutes must be made for the whole event.

PTSD and Behavioral Dysregulation: From Hyperarousal to Shutdown - Free Learning Webinar
2025-11-19 13:00 - 14:00 | MO
From our Business Member: Bespoke Psychiatry

In long-term care, up to one in five residents show trauma-related symptoms, yet these signs are often misread as dementia or resistance.
Join us for our upcoming webinar, PTSD and Behavioral Dysregulation: From Hyperarousal to Shutdown, to learn how you can improve care.
Date: November 19, 2025
Time: 1:00 pm
Speaker: Dr. Ahmed Maki, DO, Medical Director of Post-Acute Care and Inpatient Divisions

Join Here

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/qbz-wabi-ibf
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 754-702-3137 PIN: ‪501 812 005#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/qbz-wabi-ibf?pin=7778447725451.

LeadingAge Missouri Holiday Celebration
2025-12-10 17:00 - 19:00 | Evertrue Meramec Bluffs, 50 Meramec Bluffs Drive, Ballwin, MO, 63021, United States
Please join us for an evening of celebration, food, drinks, fellowship and auction!
This event happens because of our great supporters!
A special thank you to Tyler Milner at EverTrue Meramec Bluffs for your coordination!

Planetary Science - Tiny Moon, Big Questions - Free Activity Event
2025-12-17 18:00 - 19:00 | MO
Our next senior living community outreach event is scheduled for Thursday, December 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT. This is a rescheduling of our October event – please see below for additional details. I have also attached an updated schedule, including a new date for our cancelled November event.

Talk Title: “Tiny Moon, Big Questions: The Astrobiology of Enceladus”
Talk Description:

Saturn’s tiny icy moon Enceladus has become one of the most exciting places in the solar system in the search for life beyond Earth. Beneath its frozen crust lies a global subsurface ocean, venting water and organic compounds into space through dramatic geysers. Thanks to NASA’s Cassini spacecraft (1997-2017), which flew through these plumes, we know that Enceladus hosts the essential ingredients for life as we know it: liquid water, energy, and complex organic chemistry. But is there anything living in this distant world?

In this talk, NASA Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Erin Gibbons will explore the astrobiological potential of Enceladus, including how it was discovered, what Cassini revealed, and why scientists consider it one of the most promising places to search for extraterrestrial life. Along the way, we’ll connect Enceladus to the broader field of astrobiology (the study of life in the universe) and highlight future missions that could one day dive deeper into its hidden ocean.

Speaker: Dr. Erin Gibbons (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
Speaker Bio: Dr. Erin F. Gibbons is an astrobiologist and organic geochemist whose research explores how organic molecules form, persist, and leave traces in extreme environments. She has conducted fieldwork in Antarctica and in glacial fields in Iceland to study planetary analogs, and she previously operated the Mars rover Perseverance as part of NASA’s mission science team. Dr. Gibbons earned her Ph.D. in Earth & Planetary Sciences from McGill University and is now a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where she investigates the astrobiological potential of worlds like Mars and the icy moons of the outer solar system. She is also dedicated to science communication and inspiring the next generation of explorers.
Webinar Connection Info:

Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 230 325 978 650 1
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Join by phone: +1-256-715-9946 (phone conference ID: 239 050 881#)

LeadingAge Missouri's 2026 Advocacy Day - Free Member Event
2026-02-18 10:30 - 17:00 | Millbottom Event Center, 400 W Main Street, Jefferson City, MO, 65101, United States
Please join us for our Annual Advocacy Day with LeadingAge Missouri.
10am-11:30am – Advocacy 101 (Approved for 1 Admin CEU TA#015-48-26)
11:30am-12:30pm – Lunch with Legislator (provided)
12:30pm-5:00pm – Capitol Visits (Transportation Provided) (Approved for 2 Admin CEU (TA# 015-48-26)

Thank you to our sponsors!

NASA Free Activity Learning Event - StarBurst: Gamma-Ray Hunter
2026-02-19 18:00 - 19:00 | MO
Talk Title: NASA’s StarBurst Mission
Talk Description: StarBurst is one of NASA’s new Pioneer-class missions and is designed to act as an all-sky monitor for powerful cosmic explosions across the universe. About the size of a small refrigerator when stowed for launch, this 650 lb. satellite will orbit Earth at an altitude of over 300 miles and continuously monitor the sky at gamma-ray wavelengths to catch the telltale sign of supernovae and collisions of neutron stars. StarBurst will use NASA’s constellation of communication satellites to send rapid alerts to astronomers around the world so they can immediately follow up on these detections. In this talk, Dr. Dan Kocevski will describe the scientific motivation for the mission as well as the process of building and preparing the spacecraft for launch.
Speaker: Dr. Daniel Kocevski (NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center)
Speaker Bio: Dr. Daniel Kocevski is an astrophysicist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center where he studies the universe using NASA’s suit of space-based observatories.
Webinar Connection Info:

Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 230 059 016 606 6
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Join by phone: +1-256-715-9946 (phone conference ID: 827 530 24#)

We also have a Google Form to sign up for the program, so feel free to share with other senior living communities that might be interested in joining.

Free Activity Learning Event - Planetary Defense at NASA
2026-03-26 18:00 - 19:00 | MO
More Information to come!

Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 216 209 385 918 0
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Join by phone: +1-256-715-9946 (phone conference ID: 312 238 577#)
Speaker: Kelly Fast, NASA HQ

Free Learning Activity Event - Discover the World Around You with STELLA
2026-04-16 18:00 - 19:00 | MO
More information to come!

Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 288 251 845 521 9
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Join by phone: +1-256-715-9946 (phone conference ID: 701 376 404#)
Speaker: Mike Taylor, NASA GSFC

2026 LeadingAge Missouri Annual Conference + Expo
2026-05-18 08:00 - 2026-05-20 12:00 | Margaritaville Lake Ozark, 494 Tan Tar A Dr, Osage Beach, MO, 65065, United States

Free Activity Learning Event - Habitable Worlds Observatory
2026-05-21 18:00 - 19:00 | MO
More information to come!

Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 249 760 042 802 9
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Join by phone: +1-256-715-9946 (phone conference ID: 904 346 78#)
Speaker: Sara Faggi, NASA GSFC

Free Activity Learning Event - Artemis II: Observing the Moon
2026-06-18 18:00 - 19:00 | MO
More Information to Come

Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 241 036 877 727 5
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Join by phone: +1-256-715-9946 (phone conference ID: 629 318 157#)
Speaker: TBD
