What happens when planning systems, professional practices, and services assume family support will be available — but it isn’t?

The 2026 Navigating Solo™ White Paper, Navigating Solo: What 507 Voices Reveal About Planning, Support, and Systems for Solo Aging, examines how solo agers are thinking about planning, support, access, community, professional resources, and the systems they may need to rely on as they age.

In this live online session, Ailene Gerhardt, MA, BCPA, CSA®, founder of Navigating Solo™, will highlight key findings from the 507-person study and explore what they mean for professionals working with older adults. The session will move beyond simply asking what solo agers need to do differently and consider what professionals, organizations, and systems may also need to reconsider.

Topics will include:

- assumptions about family and informal support

- gaps in planning, access, coordination, and backup support

- questions professionals can ask to better understand a client’s actual support infrastructure

- what it means to begin building more Solo-Aware practices, services, and systems

Who Should Attend

Professionals who work with, advise, serve, or design programs and systems for older adults, including those in aging services, healthcare, advocacy, financial planning, law, housing, social services, research, nonprofit organizations, and the public sector. Solo agers who are interested in the findings are also welcome.

Download the White Paper: https://navigatingsolo.com/2026whitepaper