NADSA's 2025 Conference Tackles Industry's Most Pressing Workforce Challenge

As the National Adult Day Services Association prepares for their 2025 National Conference in Chicago this October 22-24, the agenda reveals a strategic focus on the workforce challenges that have become the defining issue for adult day services nationwide. With more than 400 professionals expected at the Palmer House Hilton, this year's conference sessions center squarely on recruitment, training, retention, and the technology solutions that can help providers navigate an increasingly difficult staffing landscape.

The timing couldn't be more critical. Recent industry data paints a sobering picture of workforce challenges across healthcare and direct care services. ANCOR's 2023 workforce crisis report found that 95% of providers experienced moderate to severe staffing shortages, while Commonwealth Fund research documents that more than three-quarters of service providers are not accepting new clients due to direct care workforce shortages.

Conference Sessions Signal Strategic Industry Response

NADSA's conference planning reveals the association's recognition that traditional approaches to staffing are insufficient in the current environment. Based on the session focus areas outlined for the conference, tracks emphasize "recruitment, training, and retention" alongside "staff leadership support and career development," acknowledging that centers must become comprehensive workforce development partners rather than simply employers.

The focus on "leveraging technology for services and case management" reflects the industry's growing understanding that operational efficiency and training effectiveness increasingly depend on technological solutions. For centers struggling with staffing shortages, technology becomes essential not just for service delivery but for creating scalable training programs that don't require pulling experienced staff away from direct care responsibilities.

"ADS at the Crossroads" Theme Reflects Strategic Moment

The connection between NADSA's conference and National Adult Day Services Week (September 21-27, 2025) creates a cohesive narrative around this year's theme: "ADS at the Crossroads: Policy, Practice, Progress." The theme's three components directly address the workforce challenges facing the industry, with particular emphasis on how providers must evolve their approaches to training and staff development.

The "Policy" component acknowledges the legislative and funding challenges that impact workforce development. The American Rescue Plan Act's enhanced federal funding, which helped stabilize direct care workforces, expires March 31, 2025—just months before the NADSA conference. This timing makes the conference's focus on advocacy and policy engagement particularly urgent for providers seeking sustainable solutions to workforce challenges.

Training Takes Center Stage in Industry Transformation

The conference's emphasis on training and professional development reflects a fundamental shift in how adult day services must approach workforce challenges. With median wages for direct care workers at just $16.72 per hour and 37% of the workforce living in or near poverty, centers can no longer compete primarily on compensation. Instead, they must offer comprehensive career development, professional growth opportunities, and training programs that position staff for advancement within the healthcare sector.

The "Practice" element of NADSA's theme speaks to this reality. Adult day service centers must redesign their operational models to support both current staff development and new employee onboarding while maintaining quality care delivery. This requires sophisticated training approaches that can accommodate varying experience levels, diverse learning styles, and the scheduling constraints created by 24/7 care environments.

Advocacy as Workforce Development Strategy

NADSA's conference tracks on "grassroots advocacy" and "building influence with legislators and stakeholders" represent a strategic recognition that workforce challenges cannot be solved through individual center improvements alone. The association's theme explicitly aims to energize "providers to also step into advocacy roles," acknowledging that sustainable solutions require policy changes at state and federal levels.

This approach reflects lessons learned from the pandemic response, when coordinated advocacy efforts secured temporary funding increases that helped stabilize the direct care workforce. As those emergency measures expire, the industry faces the challenge of making the case for sustained public investment in workforce development and training initiatives.

Chicago Conference as Strategic Planning Session

Under the leadership of new Executive Director Tia Sauceda, NADSA is positioning the Chicago conference as more than a professional development opportunity. The September 25th preview session promises insights into "advocacy updates" alongside traditional conference content, suggesting that the association views the October gathering as a strategic planning session for industry-wide responses to workforce challenges.

The conference's focus on both immediate operational solutions and longer-term policy advocacy reflects the complex nature of workforce challenges facing adult day services. Centers need practical tools for improving recruitment and retention in the current environment, while simultaneously building the advocacy capacity necessary to secure sustainable funding for workforce development initiatives.

Progress Metrics in Crisis Environments

The "Progress" component of NADSA's theme addresses perhaps the most challenging aspect of the current workforce environment: measuring success when maintaining current service levels requires extraordinary effort. Traditional metrics like staff retention rates and training completion percentages take on new significance when interpreted against industry-wide shortages and turnover challenges.

NADSA's emphasis on "measuring impact via research, standards, data collection" suggests that the association recognizes the need for sophisticated approaches to tracking progress during challenging periods. Centers that previously measured success through growth may now define progress as maintaining stable staffing levels or achieving complete compliance with mandatory training requirements.

The direct care sector is projected to add over 1 million new jobs between 2021 and 2031, more than any other occupation in the United States, while facing unprecedented recruitment and retention challenges.

Training Investment as Competitive Advantage

The workforce challenges documented across healthcare and direct care services create both crisis and opportunity for forward-thinking adult day service providers. Centers that view comprehensive training programs as strategic investments in workforce development position themselves to attract and retain quality staff even in challenging labor markets.

The conference's focus on technology solutions reflects growing recognition that training effectiveness increasingly depends on platforms that can deliver consistent, engaging content while providing the flexibility required by healthcare environments. Online learning systems that track completion, assess competency, and provide detailed reporting help administrators demonstrate compliance while supporting staff development in ways that accommodate operational constraints.

Industry Evolution Through Strategic Response

NADSA's 2025 conference agenda reflects an industry in transition, moving from reactive crisis management to strategic workforce development planning. The emphasis on advocacy alongside operational improvements suggests that adult day services providers are recognizing their role in shaping the policy environment that determines their ability to recruit, train, and retain quality staff.

The conference tracks addressing leadership development and career advancement acknowledge that workforce stability requires creating clear pathways for professional growth within the adult day services sector. This represents a significant evolution from traditional models that focused primarily on basic job requirements rather than long-term career development.

As the October conference approaches, NADSA's strategic focus on training, technology, and advocacy positions the adult day services industry to emerge from current workforce challenges with stronger systems for staff development and policy engagement. The "crossroads" theme captures both the urgency of current challenges and the opportunity for strategic transformation that could strengthen the industry's capacity to serve growing numbers of older adults and individuals with disabilities who depend on community-based services for independent living.

The Chicago conference represents more than an annual gathering—it signals an industry ready to move beyond crisis management toward comprehensive workforce development strategies. Centers that embrace this evolution, investing in robust training programs while engaging in advocacy efforts, will be best positioned to provide quality care in an environment where skilled, well-trained staff have become the most valuable resource. For an industry built on supporting independence and dignity, the workforce challenges of 2025 may ultimately drive innovations in training and professional development that strengthen adult day services for decades to come.