Title: Fighting Back: The Power of Exercise for Healthy Aging  

Description: Regular exercise is one of the most powerful tools for healthy aging. For older adults and individuals with neurologic conditions, staying active supports strength, mobility, independence, cognitive function, and overall quality of life. In this session, you will learn about the benefits of exercise, key types of training, and research-based exercise recommendations for aging adults and those living with neurologic conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. You will also learn about Rock Steady Boxing, an evidence-based exercise program designed specifically for individuals with Parkinson’s, and participate in a sample Rock Steady Boxing Class.  

Presenters: Megan Spain, PT, DPT, Certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist

Elizabeth Olley | PT, DPT, Certified Neurological Clinical Specialist

Bios: Elizabeth Olley and Megan Spain are the owners of Neuro Advantage Rehabilitation in Mount Pleasant, WI. Elizabeth is an occupational therapist, and Megan is a physical therapist and certified neurologic clinical specialist, and they both are certified in Parkinson’s specific exercise programs, including LSVT BIG, PWR! Moves, and Rock Steady Boxing. At Neuro Advantage, they provide high-quality, evidence-based therapy for individuals with neurologic diagnoses and promote ongoing health and wellness through group exercise classes and their Parkinson’s Support Group. Their passion is to educate older adults, especially those with neurologic diagnoses such as Parkinson’s Disease, on how to stay healthy and active to live life to the fullest and enjoy the activities that are important to them.

Title: Scam Trends 2026: What you NEED to know  

Description: In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, scams are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect. This program is designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools to identify and protect your clients and yourself against the latest scams. This course delves into the most current scam tactics used by criminals, including a case study.  

Presenter: April Devalkenaere, SBWCP, CFCI, CCI

Bio: April DeValkenaere is a forensic accountant and CEO of Fortress Forensic Investigations (www.protectyourfortress.com); providing forensic accounting services and education for older adult victims of financial crimes and their advocates. She is a Certified Financial Crimes Investigator (CFCI), State Bar of Wisconsin Certified Paralegal (SBWCP) and, certified as a Cryptocurrency Investigator (CCI). April has been recognized by both the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) and the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI) for her efforts in teaching law enforcement how to investigate elder financial exploitation crimes and developing a Midwest regional training event for financial crime investigators. She also teaches the Justice for Fraud Victim’s Project (JFVP) at Marquette University. With her knowledge as a former banker, law enforcement officer and white collar crime paralegal for a prosecutor’s office, April now provides consulting services across the country.

Title: Age-Friendly Care in Action: Using the 4Ms Framework to Improve Outcomes for Older Adults  

Description: This session will deepen participants’ understanding of how the Age-Friendly 4Ms Framework can guide high quality care for older adults. Through real world examples, presenters will illustrate how What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility inform clinical decision making and care transitions and explore how Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) interact with the 4Ms to shape care planning, resource needs, and outcomes for this growing, complex population.  

Presenters: Jonny Macias Tejada, MD, AGSF - Medical Director for Senior Services, Advocate Health - WI/IL Divisions Acute Care for Elders, Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center 

Ann Gallo, MBA- Senior Services Program Manager at Advocate Health 

Bios: Dr. Jonny Macias is a double board certified in Geriatric Medicine and Family Medicine. He was granted American Geriatrics Society Fellow Status (AGSF) due to his professional commitment and dedication to geriatrics. His major clinical interests include caring for acutely ill-hospitalized older patients. He is part of a multidisciplinary effort at Advocate Health to disseminate evidence-based geriatrics models of care. He was a fellow for the Hospital Elder Life Program at Hebrew Senior Life, Institute for Aging Research in 2014–2015. This experience was instrumental in coaching and joining efforts to continue disseminating the Hospital Elder Life Program. Dr. Macias co-chaired the Hospital Elder Life Program/Delirium Prevention Special Interest Group at the American Geriatrics Society and The Gerontological Society of America. He led a team to achieve American Geriatric Society CoCare: Hospital Elder Life Program Center of Excellence for Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center. His main focus is to expand inpatient geriatric consultation and geriatric knowledge in the emergency department, trauma service, and hospital medicine. 

Bio: Ann Gallo is the Senior Services Program Manager at Advocate Health. Since 2016, Ann has worked with Senior Services on the implementation of geriatric models of care, geriatric education, tools, and resources to improve care for older adults across the Advocate system. Ann leads the Age-Friendly Health System implementation and recognition across 26 hospitals at Advocate Midwest and has presented nationally on Age-Friendly implementation. Ann is also the Operations Co-lead of the Age-Friendly CMS Measure Initiative at Advocate Health. Ann led the Geriatric Emergency Department for implementation and accreditation across 15 hospitals. Ann has also developed and implemented system Dementia Resource Training, system Geriatrics for Advanced Practice Education, and national Geriatrics Models of Care Collaborative educational series. Ann is the co-chair of the Milwaukee County Falls Prevention Coalition, a steering member of the Falls Free WI State Falls Prevention Coalition, and collaborates on falls prevention on local, regional, and state levels.

Title: Building Brain-Healthy Habits  

Description: Research shows there are everyday habits you can build today to help protect your memory and thinking in the future – even reducing your risk of cognitive decline and possibly dementia. Changing one habit has a ripple effect on others. Even small actions add up to big improvements. Everyone, at any age, can take action now to help protect their brain health. Building Brain-Healthy Habits shares important information about brain-healthy actions we should all build into our routines. It's never too early - or too late - to start prioritizing our brain health. This program empowers individuals with practical strategies to: 1) Learn about healthy habits for your brain, like exercising and eating right. 2) Hear why brain health is important at all ages. 3) 3. Build a personalized action plan for brain-healthy habits.  

Presenter: Virginia Zerpa, Public Health/Community Outreach

Bio: Virginia Zerpa is a native of Venezuela and has lived in the United States since 1981, gaining citizenship in 1997. She attained a master’s degree in public health in 1997 and has worked on diverse public health issues since then. She joined the Alzheimer’s Association in 2011, providing care consultations and skill-based education to families impacted by dementia as well as awareness education. Prior to joining the Alzheimer's Association team, she worked at the City of Milwaukee Health Department in the Childhood Poisoning Prevention Program, at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin in the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, addressing childhood obesity, and the Urban Population Health Center, assisting in various community-based research projects.

Title: When Caregiving Gets Heavy: A Founder’s Story of Building a Community Compass  

Description: An interactive session about the current caregiver crisis and the journey of how one community member identified a real-world need and has been working to create a solution rooted in community, collaboration, and compassion. This session will encourage dialogue, connection, and shared learning.  

Presenter: Rachel Gage | Nurse Practitioner

Bio: Coming soon!

Title: Who Helps the Helpers? Building Support and Social Connection in Caregiving  

Description: We are often focused on the impacts of loneliness and social isolation on our patients, clients and loved ones, but the impacts of social isolation and loneliness on the health and wellbeing of caregivers, both paid and unpaid, is very real. This session will explore the prevalence, risk factors and impact of social isolation and loneliness on caregivers, with an interactive and facilitated conversation on approaches to mitigation. Learning Objectives: 1) Identify risk factors and impact of social isolation and loneliness in caregivers; 2) Collaboratively develop person-centered interventions to support caregivers and mitigate the health and wellbeing impacts of social isolation and loneliness.  

Presenter: Alexis Eastman, AGSF - Dr., Senior Medical Director for ambulatory medical specialties at UW Health, Medical Director of Badger Prairie Health Care Center, Clinical Associate Professor at UW Madison 

Bios: Dr. Eastman is a Clinical Associate Professor in the UW Division of Geriatrics. Having done all her medical training at UWSMPH, she couldn’t imagine any other workplace would be as fun, so somehow convinced them to give her a job and never plans to leave.  Her clinical practice focuses on primary care of older adults, with additional clinics in memory care and pre-operative evaluation. Additionally, she currently serves as the Senior Medical Director for ambulatory medical specialties at UW Health, overseeing the clinical operations of non-surgical specialty clinics, and as medical director of Badger Prairie Health Care Center, the Dane county nursing home. Her academic work has mainly been in curriculum development and education, particularly of medical students.  She is actively involved in public outreach and education across the state.  In her spare time, she’s an avid, possibly obsessive, gardener who has never met a tomato she didn’t like. 

Title: Navigating the Maze: Practical Strategies for Long-Term Care  

Description: This interactive session provides a practical roadmap for families and advocates as they navigate the often-confusing landscape of long-term care access and financing. We will begin by exploring the real-world scenarios detailed in the book Journeys in Long-Term Care: Navigating Our Most Complex Health System, using these examples to identify effective resources and proven strategies. The core of this session, however, is dedicated to you; we will shift focus to address the specific questions and unique care challenges you are facing, fostering a collaborative environment where we work together to solve the problems that matter most to your loved ones.  

Presenter: Michael Meulemans  - Dr., Senior Medical Director for ambulatory medical specialties at UW Health, Medical Director of Badger Prairie Health Care Center, Clinical Associate Professor at UW Madison 

Bios: Michael Meulemans is a Medicaid long-term care policy expert with 25+ years experience in Medicaid state policy and Medicaid managed care contracting. Michael also has managed the sale of Medicare Advantage health plans and consulted during the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. He is a member of the Alzheimer's Association of Wisconsin and Community Living Alliance Boards of Directors. His book- "Journeys in Long-Term Care: Navigating our Most Complex Health System" is a valuable resource for families and those navigating the challenging financing and coverage of long-term care. 

Title: Panel Session: Active Aging in Action: Health, Purpose, and Connection  

Description: What does it truly mean to age well? This engaging panel brings together experts and community voices to explore practical, meaningful ways older adults can stay active, connected, and purposeful. Through a dynamic conversation, panelists will share insights on maintaining physical health, supporting cognitive and emotional well-being, and fostering strong social connections that enhance quality of life. Participants will gain actionable strategies to support lifelong engagement—whether through movement, learning, volunteering, or community involvement. The session will also highlight local resources and innovative approaches that empower older adults to thrive, remain independent, and continue contributing their talents and experiences. Join us for an inspiring discussion that reframes aging as a time of opportunity, growth, and connection.  

Presenters: Amy Schmutte, Older Wiser Local (OWL) - Milwaukee River West; 
Shelly Underhill and Karen Kempinen, Adventures in Lifelong Learning-Kenosha/Racine; 
Emily Rendall-Araujo, Uptown Social-Sheboygan  
 

Bios: Coming soon!

Amy Schmutte

Shelly Underhill

Karen Kempinen

Emily Rendall-Araujo

Title: Dance for Health - Movement for your Body and Mind 

Description: In this session, participants will get moving! We will explore gentle stretching, balance building, and fall prevention dance movements. The movement will be ballet inspired but can be done by all ages and ability levels. We will also learn more about the research in this area and how it is informing current and future programming at Danceworks. You will leave this session with a smile on your face, a few steps  to use in your own practice, and ideas on how to keep yourself and the community moving. 

Presenter: Julieane Cook, Executive Director of DanceWorks MKE

Bio: Dr. Julieane Cook has been passionate about dance from a young age, studying ballet,
jazz, and modern dance styles. Julieane pursued dance and elementary education at
the University of Iowa, graduating with a BFA in Dance and BA in elementary
Education. Following college, Julieane taught elementary school and led a dance
studio before moving back to the Milwaukee area. Since then, Julieane has made
significant contributions in education, holding leadership roles in Milwaukee
including school principal, teacher and principal coach, human resources,
professional development, and marketing. She holds a Master’s in Curriculum and
Instruction with a focus on integrating fine arts into language arts, a Master’s in
Educational Leadership, and a doctorate, specializing in leadership, feedback, and
K-12 educational systems. Her belief in dance as a transformative force drives her
commitment to Danceworks, where she aims to help the city reach its full potential
through Danceworks’ performance companies, studio classes, and outreach
programs.

Title: Details coming soon!

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