The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) this week welcomed more than 3,000 attendees to Delivering Solutions 25 (DS25), the Convention & Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dedicated to the long term and post-acute care profession, this largest long term care event of the year offered four days of education, networking, inspiration, and celebration.
DS25 kicked off on Sunday with record-breaking attendance at NCAL Day, an all-day event educational event tailored for assisted living professionals. Attendees had the opportunity to visit the onsite Dementia Empathy Experience Program (DEEP) and learn more about topics important to assisted living, such as data, technology, and population health. Keynote speakers for the day included Ralp Peterson, who spoke about employee retention and engagement, and Erin Thompson, who highlighted strategies to create vibrant, engaged, and purpose-driven communities. Also on Sunday, AHCA/NCAL hosted its inaugural Networks Day for professionals leading clinical, operational, or financial strategy for provider-owned networks. Sunday was also host to the Rehabilitation Therapy Symposium, a four-hour educational opportunity for rehabilitation therapists.
The conference continued Monday with the Opening General Session featuring updates and inspiration from AHCA/NCAL leadership. The keynote speaker was Allison Massari, an entrepreneur and visual artist who shared her amazing story of resilience stemming from her own experiences with adversity.
On Tuesday, AHCA/NCAL honored more than 800 long term and post-acute care organizations and professionals who have gone above and beyond at the Elevating Excellence Awards Ceremony. During the ceremony, 2025 National Quality Award Program recipients were recognized, including three facilities at the elite Gold level. The award ceremony also honored the most recent recipients of the Mary K. Ousley Champion of Quality Award, Michelle Stuerke, the Jan Thayer Pioneer Award, Dr. Christian Mason, and the AHCA/NCAL Awards Program recipients.
On Wednesday, the 2025-2026 AHCA Board of Governors and NCAL Board of Directors were elected. Chris Wright of Connecticut was elected as AHCA Chair, and Sarah Silva of Oregon was elected as NCAL Chair. Wright is the co-founder and current chairman of iCare Health Network and has nearly four decades of leadership in long term and post-acute care, and Silva is the president & co-founder of Arete Living, which operates assisted living, memory care, and independent living communities in nine states. This was followed by keynote speaker Jonathan Pontell, a social commentator who coined the term 'Generation Jones'. Pontell shared his insights of his work exploring a specific set of aging Americans as the long term and post-acute care profession prepares for the next generation of residents.
Photos from this year's Convention will be available soon.
Delivering Solutions 26 will take place in Boston, Massachusetts October 11-14, 2026.