Beyond the Document: Advance Care Planning in Aging Services

Advance care planning is more than completing forms. It is an ongoing process of understanding the older adult’s values, goals, and preferences for future healthcare decisions. Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sought feedback on how to measure advance care planning’s role in quality care and person-centered care in aging services. This session will explore how those caring for older adults can facilitate meaningful conversations, engage older adults and their families, and integrate advance care planning into person-centered care to be ahead of future measures implemented by CMS.

Objectives

• Identify advance care planning’s role in person-centered, quality care.
• Establish strategies for effective communication techniques to engage older adults, families, and care teams in advance care planning discussions.
• Develop practices to integrate advance care planning into routine assessment, care planning, and transitions of care across aging services settings.

About the Speaker

Cynthia Letsch’s goal for 2026 was to become a certified elder law attorney. The National Elder Law Foundation offers the certification in elder law, which requires active practice in 13 areas of elder law, substantial history of specialized continuing legal education, the support of at least 6 other elder law attorneys, and a full day of proctored testing over those 13 areas of law. There are approximately 500 certified elder law attorneys in the country, concentrated primarily on the east and west coasts, with only about 25 practicing in the Midwest. Her five years of diligent pursuit of this certification paid off earlier in 2026 when she became the only Iowa attorney to become a certified elder law attorney. Cynthia is also the only Iowa attorney invited to join the Special Needs Alliance, a national non-profit organization providing resources and advocacy for persons with disabilities. There are approximately 200 attorneys admitted to this organization.

She is admitted to practice in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, the Federal Southern District of Iowa and the Federal District of Nebraska, and she is a VA accredited attorney. She is a member of many bar associations, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys; the National Elder Law Foundation, the Special Needs Alliance, and the Iowa Healthcare Association.

For fun, she loves horses, playing dress up at the Renaissance festival, and natural fiber textiles. She invites you all to follow her Facebook page titled Fun with Scarves.

CEUs

PENDING: 1 hour – Social Worker, Administrator, Nursing
Contact Debbie Klindt for the latest information regarding Missouri continuing education units.