GPS Navigation for Caregivers 2026

Join us for a day of learning, support, and connection at Riverbend Church Community Center! This year’s event is designed to help caregivers like you navigate the challenges of caring for loved ones with confidence. Hear from keynote speakers Kim & Mike Barnes, founders of Parenting Aging Parents (a trusted resource hub and online community with over 32,000 members) as they answer the Top 10 Caregiver Questions. Gain practical strategies for caregiver resilience with expert Lisa Milliken, owner of Milliken Healthcare, and explore the latest insights on anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer’s research with Dr. Cherie Simpson, Clinical Nurse Specialist with ATX Primary Care and Senior Adults Specialty Research (SASR).

Connect with other caregivers, discover valuable resources, and leave feeling empowered. Free breakfast and lunch provided (vegetarian and gluten-free options available).

**Early Bird Bonus: Register by January 15th and receive 2 free raffle tickets for a chance to win our Grand Prize Package valued at over $2,000, which includes:

• 18 Hours of in-home professional respite care
• An overnight hotel stay at a premium Austin hotel
• Dinner and breakfast for two
• Spa treatments for two
• $100 Uber Gift Card

Tickets will be sold at the event for $20 each.

EARLY BIRD registrants (before Jan. 15) will receive TWO FREE tickets!

DRAWING WILL TAKE PLACE DURING THE CONFERENCE AND YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN.

Schedule Highlights

8:30am - 9:00am: Check in and Resource Fair

9:00am - 9:15am: Welcome and Opening Remarks

9:15am - 10:15am: "Caregiver Resilience"– Lisa Milliken

10:15am - 10:30am: Break

10:30am - 11:30am: "Unpacking the Quiet Struggle: Anxiety and Depression in Aging Adults – Dr. Cherie Simpson

11:30am - 12:00pm: Lunch

12:00pm - 12:15pm: "Host Highlights"

12:15pm - 1:15pm: Keynote:"Top 10 Caregiver Questions Answered" – Kim & Mike Barnes

1:15pm - 1:45pm: Q&A w/Kim & Mike Barnes

1:45pm - 2:00pm: Closing Remarks

2:00pm - 2:30pm: Resource Fair

Keynote Speakers

Mike and Kim Barnes, Parenting Aging Parents

Mike and Kim Barnes are well-known Central Texas media personalities whose caregiving journey became personal and profound. With Mike’s mom living with Alzheimer’s, his dad in his 80s, and Kim’s mom also in her 80s, they experienced firsthand the challenges of supporting aging parents. To help others navigate similar paths, they founded Parenting Aging Parents, a trusted resource hub and online community with over 32,000 members. Through expert interviews, practical guidance, and shared experiences, Mike and Kim empower caregivers to ask the right questions, discover available services, and find the support they need—ensuring no caregiver feels alone on their journey.

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Featured Speakers

Lisa Milliken, MA, CCC-SLP, FNAP, CDP, RAC- CT, CADDCT

Lisa Milliken is the owner of Milliken Healthcare, where she teaches conferences for multiple organizations, and is Director of Research and Program Development for Regency IHS. She is President of the Texas Speech-Language and Hearing Association and is the ASHA State Advocate for Medicare Policy Representative for Texas. She is also a Certified Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Care Trainer, is a Distinguished Fellow of Public Policy for the National Academies of Practice and has taught over 450 interprofessional continuing education national/regional courses.

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Dr. Cherie Simpson, PhD, APRN, CNS-BC

Dr. Cherie Simpson is a Clinical Nurse Specialist with ATX Primary Care and Senior Adults Specialty Research (SASR). She has over 20 years of experience in geriatric psychiatry and now focuses her practice on cognitive care, with a passion for assisting patients with dementia and their families as they navigate this challenging journey.

She continues to participate in pharmacological research on Alzheimer’s disease through SASR, with the goal of expanding health care options via research. Previously, she conducted her own research on health promotion for caregivers of persons with dementia as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the UT School of Nursing.

Prior to her nursing career, Dr. Simpson worked as a physical therapist for 20 years.

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