Ombudsman Program brings professionals together at fourth annual Summer Symposium
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Professionals, advocates and community partners serving older adults gathered Aug. 13 at the Parkview Mirro Center for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program of Northeast Indiana’s fourth annual Summer Symposium, an event focused on education, collaboration and strengthening support for older adults across the region.
Built around the theme “Creating Conversations. Cultivating Community,” the symposium brought together professionals from long-term care, aging services, law, health care and community organizations to discuss issues affecting older adults, their families and those who serve them.
The event concluded with the presentation of the program’s Doing The Good Awards, recognizing a business and an individual whose work demonstrates a commitment to serving others and making a positive impact in the lives of older adults.
Wealth Advisors Group received the Corporate Doing The Good Award, while Jeff Snow, a certified nursing assistant at Northern Lakes Nursing & Rehabilitation, received the Individual Doing The Good Award.
“The Doing The Good Awards give us an opportunity to recognize people and organizations that are putting compassion, service and advocacy into action,” said Zanzy Lewis, CEO and executive director of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program of Northeast Indiana. “Jeff and Wealth Advisors Group demonstrate what it means to show up for others, and we are proud to recognize the difference they are making in our community.”
Throughout the symposium, attendees heard presentations addressing elder law, Medicaid, guardianships and powers of attorney, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, and long-term care advocacy.
Pictured on top, from left to right, is Lane Outten, Mark Vanderhagen, and Tyler Smith with Wealth Advisors Group. Pictured on bottom, from left to right, is Executive Director Zanzy Lewis, Jeff Snow from Northern Lakes Nursing & Rehabilitation, and Board Chair Anna Outten.
Presenters included Sherri Berghoff, CEO and co-founder of OPS Living and Like Minded Ladies; elder law attorney David Anthony of Burt Blee Dixon Sutton & Bloom; Dennis Frick, director of the Senior Law Project of Indiana Legal Services; attorney Keith P. Huffman of Dale, Huffman & Babcock; and Katie Houghman, senior vice president of PACE of Northeast Indiana and Aging & In-Home Services of Northeast Indiana.
The symposium also featured a panel discussion with Guy Dupuis of Dignity Memorial Funeral Homes; Todd Hunnicutt of Aging & In-Home Services of Northeast Indiana; and Kassandra Buckland, owner of Mindful Transitions LLC. The discussion brought together perspectives on the legal, health, caregiving and personal decisions older adults and their families may encounter.
“This symposium is about bringing people into the same room who may approach aging and long-term care from different perspectives but ultimately share the same goal — making sure older adults are treated with dignity, respect and compassion,” Lewis said. “When we create opportunities to learn from one another and build stronger relationships, we are better equipped to advocate for residents and support families throughout our community.”
The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program also recognized Foellinger Foundation, Wealth Advisors Group and OPS Adventures for their support as symposium sponsors.
The annual symposium is an extension of the Ombudsman Program’s work throughout northeast Indiana. The organization serves nine counties, 106 long-term care facilities and more than 9,500 residents. Its trained and certified ombudsmen advocate for residents of nursing homes and licensed assisted living facilities, help resolve complaints and provide information to residents and families. Services are free and confidential.
The fifth annual Summer Symposium is scheduled for Aug. 12, 2027, at the Parkview Mirro Center.
