Conference

Long-term care officials will have a stake in the 23rd annual National Forum of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement from Sunday through Wednesday in Orlando, FL. Nearly 6,000 healthcare professionals from more than 40 countries are expected to take part. Sessions will focus on providing more effective patient care while lowering costs. Resident- and family-centered care, transitions and hospital re-admissions will be among the conference's focal points. Top speakers will include Michael J. Fox, the acclaimed actor and Parkinson's research advocate, and Eric Greitens, a Navy Seal officer and the CEO of The Mission Continues, a nonprofit organization focusing on wounded and disabled veterans. Maureen Bisognano, the president and chief executive of the host group also will present.

The Regional Geriatrics Medical Conference of the Year is being held through Sunday at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Jointly sponsored by the American Medical Directors Association and local chapters of AMDA, ACHCA, NADONA and the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association, the conference features nearly two dozen educational sessions. Major geriatric diseases, illnesses and risks found in nursing home and assisted living residents will be targeted.

The American Association for Long Term Care Nursing is testing a "new" approach at its annual conference next Thursday and Friday in Las Vegas. Nurses will be able to attend a traditional conference and exhibition AND fulfill requirements for certification at the same time. Certification requirements can be fulfilled for Director of Nursing in Long Term Care, Long Term Care Staff Development Specialist, and Long Term Care Safety Specialist.

The National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing and Care Industry will open its 20th anniversary conference Wednesday night in Chicago. Considered the premier gathering of deal-making investors and seniors housing operators, the NIC meeting will run until noon Friday at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers.

Top scientists and other experts are meeting Saturday through Thursday at the Alzheimer's Association's International Council on Alzheimer's Disease in Honolulu. The gathering is billed as the world's premiere forum for reporting and discussing groundbreaking research and information on the cause, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.