Unlock the Power of HCBS: LeadingAge Nebraska's Transformative Webinar Series

As the landscape of healthcare evolves, the need for empowered home and community-based service (HCBS) providers has never been more crucial. Answering this call, LeadingAge Nebraska presents a free, six-part HCBS Webinar Series designed to equip administrators, managers, and direct care staff with the knowledge and strategies to navigate the most pressing challenges facing the industry today.

This comprehensive series of one-hour educational sessions tackles a diverse array of topics, from understanding behavioral health and de-escalation techniques to spotting signs of common health conditions. Participants will also delve into the critical issues of dignity and rights of older adults, employee retention, safety for home-based care providers, and the complex realm of critical incidents and abuse/neglect reporting.

Hosted from 3:00-4:00 pm CST (2-3 pm MST), each webinar promises to be a dynamic and engaging experience, blending expert insights, practical guidance, and interactive discussions. Attendees will leave empowered with the tools and confidence to enhance the quality of care and services they provide, ultimately improving the lives of the individuals and communities they serve.

Don't miss this invaluable opportunity to elevate your HCBS expertise and lead the charge in transforming the industry. Register now for LeadingAge Nebraska's HCBS Webinar Series and unlock the power of knowledge to drive meaningful change.

Session Descriptions (3:00-4:00 pm CST, 2:00-3:00 pm MST)

January 15, 2025 Understanding Behavioral Health & De-escalation Techniques for HCBS Workforce: There are a rising number of people experiencing behavioral health symptoms that are continuing to live at home. Older adults can experience behavioral health symptoms because of mental health or dementia diagnosis. It is important for professional caregivers to know the common causes and symptoms of behavioral health and how to handle them in their daily work. Participants will learn about how to handle common issues that arise during the provision of home care and common de-escalation techniques that may help those they are supporting to find comfort in their support. 

January 29, 2025 Spotting Signs and Symptoms of Common Health Conditions: When providing in-home care, you never know what you will experience. It is important to know the signs and symptoms of common health conditions. This session will discuss the top six health issues that can be fatal to older adults living at home. We will discuss the signs and symptoms of these conditions and how to respond to potential life-threatening situations. Topics include: aspiration and GERD, dehydration, constipation and sepsis, stroke, heart attack and falls. 

February 12, 2025 Dignity and Rights of Older Adults Receiving HCBS Services: Dignity and rights of older adults are important aspects of human rights, including being treated with dignity and respect. Together we will review the rights of older adults, ways to ensure these rights are protected and how to report potential abuse of rights of people receiving services. We will also discuss what home care workers can do to empower older adults to maintain these rights, even when they need support.

February 26, 2025 Employee Retention: Engaging the Home Based Workforce: Engaging a direct care workforce that is community based can be a challenge. These workers are not often in the same place and do not always get face-time with co-workers or supervisors. Learn about ways to positively impact your employees by providing open communication, ongoing training and development, recognition and positive work culture. 

March 12, 2025 Safety for Home Based Care Providers: It is normal to worry about your workforce when they are providing care in private homes without support readily available. In this session, we will discuss tips and tricks to support your home-based workforce and ensure their safety while working alone, including physical safety and injury prevention while providing services. 

March 26, 2025 Understanding Critical Incidents and Abuse Neglect Reporting: This session will cover the types of incidents that should be reported for all those receiving home-based services and who they should be reported to. For those providing Medicaid Waiver services, we will also cover common Critical Incidents that require reporting. This session will also cover common signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect of older adults and how report them. 

Fee: FREE for HCBS aging services providers

Continuing Education: 6 hours of continuing education from Nebraska DHHS Regulation and Licensure, Board of NHA has been approved for this event. Appropriate records will be maintained for other disciplines to receive credit from their credentialing organizations. Nursing Contact Hours are not available for this series.

Speaker: Our very own CEO, Kierstin Reed will be presenting during these sessions. Kierstin has been the CEO of LeadingAge Nebraska since 2021. She also has over 20 years of experience in human services, including home based care. Kierstin has a passion for supporting and educating direct care workers and administrators on providing the highest quality care. She holds Master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. 

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