‘Leading Tomorrow’ Long-Term Care Summit

Advancing conversations on brain health, caregiving and long-term care solutions

OneAmerica Financial hosted the third annual Leading Tomorrow: Long-Term Care Summit this week. The summit brought together health care leaders, policymakers, advocates, employers and family caregivers for a day centered on a common theme: interconnected care. Throughout the summit, speakers emphasized that long-term care does not exist in isolation. From early detection of dementia and innovations in treatment to supporting caregivers, shaping public policy and encouraging financial preparedness, each session highlighted how people from all facets of the long-term care landscape play a role in building a more connected system of care. The result was a series of conversations that highlighted that caregiving is something that impacts everyone. The summit underscored both the challenges ahead and the opportunities to improve outcomes for millions of Americans.

Looking Ahead: The Future Of Alzheimer’s Care

The summit opened with a presentation from Dr. Jared Brosch on the current medical state of the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. It focused on the importance of earlier detection and interventions. He challenged attendees to rethink how society approaches dementia diagnoses, noting that stigma remains one of the biggest barriers preventing individuals from seeking evaluation and treatment. Unlike many other medical conditions, cognitive concerns are often overlooked or minimized until symptoms become severe.

Dr. Brosch highlighted emerging tools that could transform the diagnostic process, including blood-based biomarkers and digital screening technologies capable of identifying signs of cognitive decline before symptoms significantly impact daily life. He also discussed newly approved amyloid-targeting therapies and a growing pipeline of treatments designed to address Alzheimer’s disease through multiple approaches. While treatment options continue to evolve, he emphasized that prevention strategies such as managing cardiovascular health, staying physically active, prioritizing sleep and avoiding head injuries remain critical components of lifelong brain health. His vision for the future included routine cognitive screenings becoming a standard part of midlife health care.

Reframing The Caregiver Experience

The conversation then shifted from patients to those who care for them, as Alexandra Drane, CEO of ARCHANGELS, explored the realities facing family caregivers. Drane encouraged attendees to reconsider commonly used caregiving language. She advocates for a focus on the “intensity of care” rather than the “burden of care.” She emphasized that caregiving often involves a complex combination of joy, purpose, frustration and stress.

Drawing on research and personal stories, Drane highlighted the significant emotional, physical and financial pressures caregivers face, especially members of the “sandwich generation” — adults caring for their children and aging parents, often while maintaining careers. She discussed how chronic stress, isolation and what she described as the “annoyance economy” can make it difficult for caregivers to access the support they need. She asked caregivers of all walks of life to start reframing certain phrases, underscoring that caregivers are not “just a son or daughter” and they’re not “just doing their job,” but that they are heroes doing incredibly important work. Stress remains a built-in part of caregiving, but it doesn’t have to ruin relationships, hurt careers or feel like a burden.

Exploring Policy Solutions For Long-Term-Care

A panel featuring Diane Boyle of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, Rachel Pearson, founder of Engage, Kathleen Bochow, a legislative assistant with the office of Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, and Doug Lathrop of the American Council of Life Insurers examined the public-policy challenges surrounding caregiving and long-term care planning. Panelists agreed that caregiving has become a widespread experience affecting millions of Americans and that policymakers are increasingly looking for ways to help families prepare for future care needs. Sen. Boozman is championing bipartisan legislation focusing on several aspects of caregiving.

Discussion centered on the need for greater awareness of long-term care planning, expanded caregiving supports and innovative public-private partnerships. All the speakers noted that many families remain unaware of available coverage options or fail to plan until a crisis occurs. The panel discussed current legislative efforts under consideration, including paid leave initiatives, pilot programs with states and incentives designed to make caregiving support more accessible and affordable. Lathrop emphasized that aging and caregiving are human issues that transcend politics, while several panelists noted the growing urgency created by the aging population and its escalating demand for care services. While more legislators are increasing their focus on caregiving, financial realities for the government make it difficult to fund new novel programs. This is especially so when it comes to long-term care planning, where the payoff might not be realized for 20 years.

Caregiving’s Growing Impact On Society And The Workforce

The afternoon continued with a discussion led by Richard Lui, an MS NOW news anchor, and featuring Jason Resendez, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving, Amera Bilal, vice president of programs and policy at the Caregiver Action Network, and Terri Tanielian, acting chief strategy and impact officer with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. This panel explored the expanding role caregiving plays in American society and the economy. The speakers noted that caregiving is no longer a niche issue but one that touches nearly every family. All the speakers recounted their own personal experiences with caregiving, whether watching their parents care for a grandparent or elderly relative, or caring for their own aging parents. They said that nearly everyone, from any walk of life, has a similar story of care.

Resendez discussed the financial realities facing caregivers, including lost savings, increased debt and disruptions to employment. At the same time, he noted that more employers are beginning to recognize how caregiving responsibilities affect workforce participation and employee well-being.

Bilal emphasized the importance of education and awareness, because she said many families do not know where to begin when care needs arise. Tanielian highlighted that across both public and private sectors there’s a growing understanding that supporting caregivers is essential to maintaining a strong workforce and healthy economy. Collectively, the speakers painted a picture of caregiving becoming more visible, more widely discussed and increasingly recognized as a critical societal issue.

Personal Reflections On The Caregiving Journey

The summit concluded with an intimate conversation between Josh Carter, co-founder and CEO of the VEO-IBD Foundation and grandson of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, and Judy Woodruff, the award-winning journalist and longtime anchor of the PBS News Hour. Carter put a nice bow on the day by sharing his own deeply personal experiences caring for loved ones facing serious health challenges. The final session really emphasized the human side of caregiving and reinforced many of the themes discussed throughout the day.

Carter mentioned that there are two types of caregiving situations. The one that most people think of where a relative slowly needs more and more care as they age. But he also mentioned those caregiving cases where your life changes at the snap of a finger due to an accident or some unexpected event. He reflected on his experiences with both of those situations: navigating his son’s rare medical condition and his father being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. This, again, underscored the idea that the need for caregiving can arise at any time and under vastly different circumstances. Carter emphasized that caregiving can be emotionally, physically and financially demanding, but also deeply meaningful. The conversation served as a reminder that behind every policy discussion, medical advancement and financial solution are real families navigating difficult circumstances together.

Bringing The Pieces Together

While each session approached long-term care from a different perspective, a common message emerged throughout the day: Better outcomes depend on stronger connections between health care providers, caregivers, employers, policymakers, financial professionals and families. Whether discussing early dementia detection, caregiver well-being, legislative solutions or personal caregiving experiences, the speakers repeatedly returned to the idea that care works best when people and systems work together. That spirit of interconnected care defined the summit and provided a road map for addressing the growing long-term care challenges facing families across the country.