As I write this message, LeadingAge team members, along with aging services providers across the country and around the world, are packing their bags and getting ready to travel to Boston for the 2025 LeadingAge Annual Meeting and the Global Ageing Network Biennial Conference.

We’re coming together during a very challenging time for the aging services sector. Many American providers feel discouraged by the devastating cutbacks in store for social safety net programs, including Medicaid. Providers worldwide are struggling to meet the rapidly growing needs of the global aging population. Many of us are worried about what the future might bring. Others feel isolated as they try to fulfill their missions amid mounting challenges and shrinking public support.

It’s an ideal time to connect with our community of providers, share words of encouragement and support, and work together to find a way forward for our organizations, our national and global communities, and the people we serve.

The Annual Meeting and Global Ageing Network conference will help jump-start this process. However, our work can’t be limited to our conference venue or the members who attend. Instead, all LeadingAge members have opportunities to foster close connections, mutual support, and collective action throughout the year.

How do we begin the work ahead? LeadingAge has a few ideas.

Seek ongoing support within the provider community. Let LeadingAge connect you with fellow providers nationwide. We offer many opportunities for connection, but a simple first step is to join our weekly National Policy Pulse call. During this call, you can meet with other providers, learn about pressing issues in our field, and then choose from our wide-ranging resources—such as our website, education programs, and member networks—to further explore the issues that matter most to you.

Join us behind the headlines. Today’s headlines often create division and uncertainty. LeadingAge’s success comes from our ability to work behind the scenes to thoughtfully influence policies and practices within our specialized area of influence. In this role, we can help you distinguish between real threats and perceived ones, allowing you to focus on policy issues that enable providers to carry out their daily work of service. You can support our advocacy efforts by sharing your stories with policymakers and responding to our Action Alerts.

Stay optimistic. LeadingAge remains optimistic. Together, let’s break down the issues and discuss them in ways that feel manageable. For example, there may still be an opportunity to reverse the devastating Medicaid cuts that will be implemented over the next decade. If these opportunities arise, we will do everything possible to seize them.

Acknowledge our many victories. LeadingAge works in areas where we can make a genuine difference. Our successes should reassure you. Did you know, for example, that our advocacy led to a nine-year pause in implementation of the nursing home staffing rule—and its ultimate repeal? Did you know that LeadingAge advocacy prompted the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to revise and restart the Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program? Did you know we partnered with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop better strategies to preserve affordable senior housing? Did you know that, thanks to our efforts, Medicare Advantage reform is attracting new attention at CMS and on Capitol Hill? Every victory is a step forward on the long path ahead.

Expand your network of partners. LeadingAge has a long history of working with a diverse range of partners beyond the aging services sector. For example, we’re collaborating with the American Business Immigration Coalition to advocate for immigration reform. We’re also partnering with hospitals, disability rights groups, and other organizations that share our concerns about affordable health care, affordable housing, and fair housing. These collaborations benefit both LeadingAge and our partners. Engaging with similar partners at the local level could bring similar benefits to your organization and the people you serve.

Feeling exhausted as 2025 comes to an end is completely understandable. During tough times like these, we need each other to move forward, guided by hope and determination. Together, we can build a brighter future, one small step at a time.

You have my word that LeadingAge will lead the way.