Are you passionate about healthy aging, supporting older adults, or advancing geriatric care? The 2026 Aging Well Conference is your opportunity to learn, connect, and grow with an incredible interprofessional community dedicated to improving the lives of older adults.

The 2026 Aging Well Conference is focused on promoting healthy aging for older adults. As our population ages, it is essential for health professionals to meet the evolving needs of this demographic.

May 14-15, 2026
In Person at Appalachian State University Boone Campus, Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences.

This year’s conference brings together healthcare professionals, caregivers, community members, researchers, social service providers, and aging adults for two days of dynamic learning and collaboration.

Whether you support aging adults in a clinical setting, community program, or within your own family, you’ll walk away with practical, person‑centered tools you can use immediately. Aging Well is more than a conference, it’s a community movement. Past attendees describe it as “one of the greatest conferences I have ever attended” and praise the collaborative, uplifting atmosphere.

Come be part of meaningful conversations, innovative learning, and a mission rooted in improving the health and well‑being of older adults across our region.

What's New for 2026

• New breakout topics (LGBTQ+ aging, women’s intimacy/sexual wellness, wearable sensors, behavioral health & loneliness, planning for longevity)
• Even more interprofessional speakers
• Pre-recorded sessions for additional CEU access
• Expanded sponsorships and exhibitor hall
  

In Partnership with:

Appalachian State University, Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina and Northwest Area Health Education Center (AHEC), a program of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and part of the NC AHEC System and The UNC Center for Aging and Health, Carolina Geriatric Education Center.

Northwest AHEC would like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to all phlebotomists for the vital role you play in health care every day. Your skill, precision, and compassion are essential to patient care and clinical decision-making. We celebrate you every week, but highlighting now since this past week was the official recognition week. 

Whether you are drawing blood in hospitals, clinics, labs, or community settings, your work often happens behind the scenes—but its impact is felt throughout the entire health care system. You help ensure accurate diagnoses, guide treatment plans, and provide comfort to patients during vulnerable moments.

Thank you for your dedication, professionalism, and commitment to excellence. We are grateful for all you do to support patients, providers, and communities across our region.

With appreciation,
Northwest AHEC

Each November, North Carolina joins the nation in recognizing Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. A time to honor families walking through memory loss, uplift caregivers, and renew our commitment to building communities where older adults can thrive with dignity and support.

Join us in honoring the incredible Nurse Practitioners (NPs) who make a difference every day in our communities. November 9–15 is recognized as National and North Carolina Nurse Practitioner Week, a time to celebrate the dedication and expertise of these vital healthcare professionals.

With approximately 16,687 Nurse Practitioners reported in North Carolina (per the NC Board of Nursing), this growing workforce plays a critical role in expanding access to high-quality healthcare across our state—from the mountains to the coast and everywhere in between.

To all Nurse Practitioners: thank you for your extraordinary work and the compassionate care you provide. Your commitment strengthens the health and well-being of North Carolina communities.

👉 Explore Northwest AHEC’s Upcoming Nursing Programs - Click Here

August is National Breastfeeding Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the incredible journey of breastfeeding. From lactation consultants to providers, nurses, and educators, these experts provide essential guidance, compassion, and care to families navigating the path of infant feeding. It is important to celebrate those who work diligently to empower parents with the knowledge and confidence to nourish their babies. At the same time, we are proud of and support all families, no matter how they choose to feed their babies, because every feeding journey is valid and deserves respect.

On April 8, 2025, an Interprofessional Education (IPE) event brought together a diverse cohort of over 320 students from multiple institutions and healthcare disciplines. This collaborative experience centered around a simulated patient case, designed to foster interprofessional communication, critical thinking, and team-based problem-solving within a realistic clinical scenario. The event is put on in collaboration with Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Winston-Salem State University.

Participants represented a broad spectrum of healthcare education programs, including students from Winston-Salem State University’s Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Nursing, Healthcare Management, Therapeutic Recreation, Rehabilitation Counseling/Services, Social Work, and Clinical Laboratory Science departments. The event also welcomed students from Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s Physician Assistant Studies program and Forsyth Technical Community College’s Nursing program.

Post-event evaluations are currently under review. The review process aims to identify key strengths—such as team engagement, communication effectiveness, and scenario realism—as well as areas for improvement to further enhance future iterations of the event.

This initiative not only highlights the value of interprofessional education but also reinforces the importance of preparing future healthcare professionals to work in diverse, team-based environments. As we analyze outcomes, we remain committed to refining this collaborative model. The continued success of this event underscores its potential to shape more cohesive healthcare teams and ultimately improve health outcomes for the communities we serve.

We look forward to the continued evolution of this initiative and the positive impact it will have on the development of competent, compassionate, and collaborative healthcare professionals.

On May 15–16, nearly 200 healthcare professionals, advocates, and caregivers gathered at Appalachian State University for the 2025 Aging Well Conference—a two-day event dedicated to improving the quality of care for older adults. Now in its second year, this interprofessional and collaborative conference was hosted by Northwest AHEC and the Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness.

This year’s event featured expert-led sessions covering a wide range of critical topics, including healthy aging strategies, cognitive health, dementia care, medication optimization, mobility and fall prevention, and patient-centered decision-making. Breakout workshops allowed for deeper discussion and hands-on learning, while also fostering networking across disciplines.

An interprofessional lineup of speakers created a dynamic learning environment where attendees could share insights, discuss real-world challenges, and explore innovative approaches to aging care. The timing of the conference aligned perfectly with Older Americans Month, making it all the more meaningful as we celebrated and empowered the older adults in our communities.

We’re grateful to everyone who joined us to learn, connect, and grow. The feedback we received was incredibly encouraging:

“This is one of the greatest conferences I have ever attended and I can’t wait to attend next year!”

“After attending last year, I knew I needed to bring my friends. My friends came with me this year and it has been so great. We can’t wait to come again next year!”

Mark your calendars—Aging Well 2026 is already in the works! Stay tuned for details as we continue to grow this powerful event focused on healthy aging and collaborative care.

At the start of January 2024, Northwest AHEC launched the opening day of the 2024 North Carolina Lactation Educator Training Program, a longstanding initiative dating back to 1996.

WSSU School of Health Sciences students, WFUSM Dept. of PA students, and Forsyth Technical Community College nursing students collaborate through Northwest AHEC on an inter-institutional, interprofessional program.

Excitement filled the air on June 8th, 2023, as the AHEC Nurse Educators embarked on a journey to Iredell County for their first in-person visits since the pandemic. This momentous occasion allowed the nurses to connect with valuable partners within the Northwest AHEC region at Iredell Health System and Iredell Health Department, setting the stage for productive collaborations and discussions.