09/01/2026
🌿 That’s a wrap on our 3rd Annual SAGE Symposium! 🌿
What an incredible two days of learning, connecting, and growing together! We are so grateful to everyone who helped make SAGE 2026 such a success. 💚
A huge THANK YOU to our amazing speakers for sharing their knowledge, experience, and passion with us:
✨ Delane Poague — Managing Dementia Behaviors Without Burnout
✨ Brad Eisemann & Nikki Kelley — Navigating Change: Understanding the Rule Revision Process and Proposed Updates
✨ Jill Benefield — Proposed Rule Changes: How to Apply Them
✨ Bert Thornton — The Importance of Making a Great First Impression
✨ Janice Perry — More Than a Meal
✨ Nikki Kelley — From Deficiencies to Deficiency-Free
✨ Martha Allegri — Memory Care That Works
✨ Nick Wilmott — Leading with Emotional Intelligence
✨ Sandy Brackin — The Heart of Leadership & Building a Sense of Community
✨ Anna Bates — Building Bridges: How Hospice Relationships Drive Better Outcomes and Community Growth
✨ Blaine McIIwain — Modernizing Senior Living: Leveraging Technology & AI to Improve Operations
💚 A special thank you to ALAA for supporting the SAGE Symposium and for Brad Eisemann joining us this year. Brad provided valuable insight into how we got to where we are today with the proposed rule changes, helping our attendees better understand the rule revision process, the work that has taken place behind the scenes, and what these proposed changes could mean for our industry. We truly appreciate ALAA’s continued advocacy, leadership, and support of Alabama’s assisted living community.
From dementia care and compliance to leadership, operations, resident engagement, hospice partnerships, technology and AI, we walked away with so much valuable information to take back to the seniors and communities we serve.
To our sponsors — thank you for your generosity, partnership, and continued support. We truly could not do this without you!
And to our attendees — thank you for showing up, participating, connecting, and investing in what we all care so deeply about: providing the very best care and quality of life for our seniors. 💚
🌿Three years of SAGE, and we are so proud of what this symposium has become! Thank you to every speaker, sponsor, attendee, and person behind the scenes who made this year one to remember.🌿