Twelve LeadingAge and Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) technology leaders were honored with McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards on Sept. 16, 2026. The 16th annual ceremony took place as part of the virtual McKnight’s Tech + Awards Summit. Both aging services providers and technology vendors are recognized for outstanding innovations and practices that enhance care, services, and/or the bottom line.

LeadingAge Member Jewish Home gained the top honor with the Best in Show award, selected from all top entries. Its “Building more with less through AI development” initiative was chosen for its strategic thinking, innovative delivery, and highly effective outcomes.

LeadingAge Bronze Partner with CAST Focus LCS and LeadingAge Business Member Helpany were presented with three awards each, and LeadingAge Business Member Zemplee received two awards.

Winners by Category

LeadingAge and CAST members accepted awards for the following initiatives, taking home honors in 11 of the 14 categories.

Building Bridges: Honors technology that improves connections between staff members, care providers, or residents/patients and their families.

• Silver: “Connecting care teams with intelligent hiring,” LeadingAge Business Member Viventium + Apploi and Saber Healthcare Group

Creative Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): A new category recognizing creative applications of AI in products or services that made a significant difference for senior living and care operators.

• Gold: “Nursing homes without walls: Attentive AI keeps seniors home” – LeadingAge Business Member Zemplee, plus United Health of Kansas, Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services, and Windsor Place Telehealth
• Silver: “Zero falls with AI: A new benchmark in care” – LeadingAge Business Member Helpany and United Zion Retirement Community
•  Bronze: “Retention Radar – Redefining retention with AI-powered insights” – LeadingAge Bronze Partner with CAST Focus LCS

Electronic Health Records (EHR) Integration: Lifts up stakeholders who together played a pivotal role in helping communities and/or agencies via electronic health records, streamlining resident/patient information management.

• Gold: “A partnership for transformation: Mary’s Woods, Parasol Alliance, and PointClickCare” – LeadingAge Gold Partner with CAST Focus PointClickCare, Parasol Alliance, and Mary’s Woods
• Silver: Mary’s Woods “How Ascent gained 135 days of length of stay” – LeadingAge Business Member ALIS by Medtelligent and Ascent Living Communities

Falls Prevention, Management or Detection: Highlights technology use that helped senior living and care providers reduce the risk of falls-related injuries among residents, patients, or clients.

• Gold: “How United Zion achieved zero falls with AI” – LeadingAge Business Member Helpany and United Zion Retirement Community

Home Grown: Honors senior living and care operators that have independently developed and implemented a technology-driven improvement that enhances care or services and/or the bottom line.

• Gold: “Building more with less through AI development” – LeadingAge Member Jewish Home
• Bronze: “Retention Radar – Redefining retention with AI-powered insights,” LeadingAge Bronze Partner with CAST Focus LCS

Innovator of the Year: Recognizes technological innovations that positively affected senior living and care operators’ provision of care, services, and/or the bottom line.

• Silver: “Retention Radar – Redefining retention with AI-powered insights” – LeadingAge Bronze Partner with CAST Focus LCS

Keep It Super Simple (KISS): Elevates simple but effective applications of technology that improved the provision of care and/or services and/or operations.

• Gold: “How real-time visibility improved overnight safety and proactive care” – LeadingAge Business Member Tenera Care and Dublin Glenn Memory Care / Continental Senior Communities

Quality: Taps technology applications that improved quality of care or services.

• Gold: “VNS Health and Netsmart HVLDL mortality risk dashboard” – LeadingAge Bronze Partner with CAST Focus Netsmart and VNS Health
• Silver: “Next-generation rehabilitation with Armeo Power” – LeadingAge CAST Patron RiverSpring Living and Hocoma AG
• Bronze: “Zero falls with AI: A new benchmark in care” – LeadingAge Business Member Helpany and United Zion Retirement Community

Resident Engagement and Recreation: Highlights senior living and care providers that used technologies to promote resident engagement, social interaction, and recreational activities, enhancing overall well-being and quality of life for residents, patients, and clients.

• Bronze: “How The Forum built one digital front door to community life” – The Forum at Rancho San Antonio, managed by LeadingAge Bronze Partner with CAST Focus LCS and LeadingAge Business Member Cubigo

Resident/Patient Monitoring and Safety: Recognizes senior living and care providers and vendors that partnered to deliver innovations in monitoring systems and safety technologies that helped providers improve resident/patient well-being and reduce risks.

• Gold: “Nursing homes without walls: Safer homes with AI” – LeadingAge Business Member Zemplee and United Health of Kansas, Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services, and Windsor Place At Home Care, Kansas

Tech Champion: A new award honoring those who have had a significant effect on their organizations’ use of technological products or services to deliver outstanding results for individuals, departments, communities, facilities, or companies with which they associate.

• Bronze: “Empowering clinicians with real-world AI innovation” – LeadingAge Business Member WellSky and Ayisha Bradley, director of informatics and clinical reimbursement at Care Centers Management Consulting

LeadingAge CAST extends congratulations to all of the winners.