Time and money are both limited resources. There are myriad professional meetings that we can choose to attend each year, but we usually must narrow those choices to a precious few or even only one. For many professional topics, I usually pick a national or international meeting to get the broadest exposure to important information. When it comes to long term care topics, though, I pick the state meeting – in this case, the CALTCM annual meeting. The reason is that nursing homes are predominantly regulated by the state, and assisted living (RCFE in California) is entirely regulated by the state. It is important for me to keep up to date on the latest state regulations as well as any pertinent pending legislation. The CALTCM meeting gives me the scientific and clinical content relevant to long term care that I want, while also giving me the chance to learn the latest that affects California facilities. Generally, there is a healthy attendance and participation by some of our regulators, and I find it invaluable to hear what they have to say. I also relish networking with colleagues from across the state, in a way that larger national meetings make much more difficult. Unlike some meetings that are predominantly or entirely one discipline, the CALTCM meetings are fully interdisciplinary. I truly believe that if you are working in or interested in long term care, the most important meeting for you to attend is the CALTCM annual meeting. 

As a smaller organization than the big national ones, it is also easier to participate with CALTCM – to ask a question during a talk or In-The-Trenches Session, or to join a committee. I’ve been attending CALTCM meetings (of course most under our previous name CAMD) since the 1980’s, and I appreciate all the friendships and helpful contacts that have resulted from these meetings. This is the time of year to make your plans for the fall – join us November 2-4 at the 2023 CALTCM Summit for Excellence at the Sheraton Universal Hotel, Universal City, CA.