Pushing Our Potential: Making Transformative Change in the Aging Life Care Field

The following blog is adapted from Nina Pflumm Herndon’s address at this year’s Aging Life Care Association national conference that took place in April in Austin, TX. Nina is serving as ALCA’s board president this year and is Sage’s founder and Executive Director. This blog should be of interest to anyone working in the Aging Life Care field or considering a career in this area.

 

Forty years ago, renowned gerontologist Ken Dychtwald coined the term “Age Wave” to describe the imminent sea change driven by unprecedented longevity and the aging of baby boomers. I had the pleasure of working with Ken at Age Wave back then. Now, the Age Wave is upon us, and it’s Aging Life Care’s time to shine.   

This year, the oldest baby boomers will turn 80. In 2026, that phenomenon coincides with the Year of the Fire Horse–a rare, intense, and transformative period that occurs only once every 60 years. The convergence of the Age Wave with the Year of the Fire Horse (along with inspiration from our team at Sage Eldercare Solutions) has lent energy to my theme for the next year in the Aging Life Care Association® (ALCA)’s evolution: Pushing Our Potential. 

A Bold Charge to Each of You

Today I’m issuing a friendly challenge to each of you. 

Make the most of this year of transformative change–for yourself, our association, and our entire field–by fully owning the title of Aging Life Care Professional® or Aging Life Care Manager. Be part of the momentum to elevate our brand and reputation as experienced, qualified, well-educated professionals who adhere to a strict code of standards and ethics. 

The first step for each of us is simple yet powerful: update your email signature across all professional communications and marketing materials to include your Aging Life Care title and ALCA’s logo. That’s where I’m asking each of you to start on an individual level.

Bold Goals for the Aging Life Care Association

As an association, we also have bold goals in motion. 

At our January 2026 gathering of ALCA’s board of directors and chapter presidents, we examined ways to Push Our Potential by drawing on Dan Sullivan’s book, 10x Is Easier Than 2x. We challenged ourselves to envision how we could “10x” our association and to embrace thinking beyond incremental improvement, pursuing bolder opportunities, and expanding our vision well beyond what we’ve done before. As always, our initiatives and programs will center on ALCA’s values: Impact, Community, Collaboration, Excellence, and Advocacy. 

Prioritizing Community

First, we will very deliberately prioritize community. 

Our Member Resource Groups (MRGs) create a space for members to share best practices, refine skills, support one another in our unique roles, and seek mentorship from leaders in our field. MRGs, representing sole practitioners, supervisors, family caregivers, and business owners, meet monthly to learn, share, and support one another in the vital work we do. Soon, we’ll host an MRG to discuss and explore proven, effective ways to incorporate AI into our practices.

As part of prioritizing community, ALCA will be even more deliberate this year in welcoming and celebrating our newest members–professionals who are discovering and entering our profession for the first time. We will also continue to keep our emeritus members engaged by developing targeted outreach and programming for our most seasoned members, many of whom served as mentors and laid the groundwork for the practices that guide our work today. 

We also want to be particularly mindful of fostering a safe and welcoming community for members with diverse backgrounds and life experiences.

Strengthening Alliances

Second, ALCA is finding new ways to strengthen alliances.

As part of our Aging Life Care Month initiatives to increase visibility and reach, this year we’ll offer 100 complimentary consultations to Hilarity for Charity members.

We’re planning to enhance collaboration with corporate partners by creating compelling presentations and storytelling that highlight the win-win outcomes of meaningful strategic partnerships.

Lastly, I encourage each of you to visit ALCA’s corporate partner store, where you can find products and services discounted for members.

Building Awareness

Third is our concerted push to build awareness.

As tens of millions of Baby Boomers face the challenges of aging, including the need for and planning of care and caregiving, our field–and the need for our services–is seeing a significant increase in media coverage. This year, ALCA will be even more proactive in connecting with journalists, especially at healthcare conferences, to build relationships with media outlets covering our sphere of “caring for aging parents,” “aging well,” and related themes.

In 2025, the ALCA “Find an Expert” webpage averaged 25,000 visits per quarter. With Q1 2026 approaching 40,000 visits, the page is outperforming last year’s quarterly average by 60%. In other words, in three months, that page alone did what previously took five. Increasing awareness will build on this incredible momentum, helping our members grow their businesses and positively impact the lives of the families they serve.

Increasing the Value of ALCA Membership

Lastly, we will work to increase the unique value of ALCA membership to attract new members and build the future Aging Life Care workforce that American families will desperately need.

While continuing to deliver value throughout the Aging Life Care career span, ALCA is introducing new offerings, such as “How to Build an Aging Life Care Business,” for those just starting out. We are also offering unique member programs, including Leadership Collective, the AI Essentials Mastermind, and Exit Strategy.

In closing, I challenge each of you to define how you’ll push your potential to get the most out of your ALCA membership to benefit your practice and professional development. We’d love to hear how you plan to Push Your Potential between now and December 2026.

For those who are not currently ALCA members, please consider exploring membership here.

 

For more information about Aging Life Care Professionals, read our blog, What Do Aging Life Care Professionals Do: 8 Things to Know or feel free to contact Sage and The Hummingbird Project for a complimentary consultation here.