Walter O. Coffey

Founder/Managing Partner, WD International Consulting & Co-Director for The Eden Alternative

Before forming WD International, Walter was the CEO of LeadingAge Georgia and the Georgia Institute on Aging for 18 years. His career spans from Georgia Council on Aging to the Alzheimer’s Association to various senior housing settings.

He is committed to the education and development of individuals with an emphasis on supporting organizations to empower and retain their staff. Walter is an international leader in the culture change movement and has the demonstrated ability to transform organizations to become person-centered.

Walter is a national leader in focusing on care for people living with dementia.  He has a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in Gerontology, from Georgia State University and is a Certified Eden Educator via The Eden Alternative.

Joseph Musgrave

CEO, Home and Community Care Ireland (HCCI)

Joseph has led HCCI since 2018, bringing an essential mix of leadership and partnership to home care in Ireland.  Joseph passionately believes in an individual’s right to quality, regulated home care and that ‘There is no Place Like Home’. 

Over the last five years as CEO Joseph has led an important public discussion about home care by highlighting the challenges the sector faces whilst putting a spotlight on the great work its’ member organisations, and their 12,000 carers, do for their 20,000 clients every day.  HCCI is acutely aware of the significant and important role care in the home will continue to play in the lives of older and more vulnerable people for decades to come.

Patrick Döbelin

Patrick Döbelin is the CEO of Heime Uster, a Swiss public provider of care, support and assisted living near Zurich. Before moving into elderly care, he led a facility-management company – a deliberate move toward more meaningful, hands-on leadership. Since 2022 he has guided a four-year professionalisation of the organisation, built on a clear, co-created vision, mission and strategy. Heime Uster is a member of the European Ageing Network.

Alain Dichter

Alain Dichter is Chief Executive Officer of SERVIOR, Luxembourg's leading public provider of housing, care and support services for older adults.

He is leading SERVIOR's ongoing transformation from a traditional residential care provider into a comprehensive 360° support ecosystem supporting older adults throughout their ageing journey.

Beyond his executive role, Alain serves as Board Member, Treasurer and Executive Committee Member of COPAS, the Luxembourg federation representing organisations active in social services, care and support. In this capacity, he is responsible for coordinating sector-wide negotiations with Luxembourg's National Health Fund (CNS) regarding financing and tariffs.

He is also Vice-President of Alliance Saveurs & Santé, a company specialised in meal production and catering services for healthcare institutions, and President of Île aux Clowns, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting vulnerable people through human connection, emotional support and social inclusion.

A strong advocate for person-centered and integrated models of support, Alain is committed to developing sustainable solutions that enable older adults to age with dignity, autonomy and quality of life.

Marzena Grochowska

Master of Nursing, Psychotraumatology Specialist, Neuroeducator, Brainologist, Trainer, and Mental Wellbeing Expert. Founder of the Neurony do Roboty (Neurons at Work) brand, academic lecturer, and advocate for knowledge on the brain, mental resilience, and the neurobiology of human relationships.

She holds postgraduate qualifications in neuropsychology and is a certified business trainer, accredited mental resilience trainer, coach, and trainer supervisor. For more than twenty years, she has been working with people, combining medical, psychological, and educational expertise with the latest developments in neuroscience. She is the author of the popular science book “I Have a Brain and I’m Not Afraid to Use It.”

For many years, she has delivered training programs, lectures, and development projects for the healthcare sector, long-term care services, social welfare organizations, and businesses. She collaborates with nursing homes, non-governmental organizations, universities, and public institutions. Over the years, she has trained thousands of participants in the areas of mental wellbeing, psychological resilience, burnout prevention, communication, and brain health.

Her professional interests focus on the neurobiological foundations of wellbeing, longevity, loneliness, and the impact of social relationships on human health. She is particularly interested in co-regulation, belonging, and the role of human connection in recovery, healthy ageing, and quality of life.

Beata Bugajska

Habilitated doctor of social sciences in the field of pedagogy, professor at the University of Szczecin; educator and gerontologist professionally affiliated with the Institute of Pedagogy at the University of Szczecin; author of numerous publications on social policy and gerontology; recipient of the West Pomeranian Nobel Prize and the Theophrastus Award. Organizer of the "Świat (nie)przyjatynie starości" (A (non-)friendly world) scientific conference series and the West Pomeranian UTW Leaders Forum. Committed to the development of senior policy. She combines her academic work with local government activities, serving as director of the Department of Social Affairs at the Szczecin City Hall. Member of the Council for Senior Policy at the Minister for Senior Policy (2024-2026); chairwoman of the senior policy team at the West Pomeranian Voivode.

dr Dorota Kalka

Head of the Department of Developmental Psychology at SWPS University. Director of three postgraduate programs at SWPS University, including the Psychogerontology major: Senior Specialist.

She specializes in the psychology of supporting human development across the lifespan, focusing on health, including psychosexual aspects. She is interested in quality of life from a life-span perspective.

She is the co-author of several diagnostic methods used throughout Poland.

Zuzanna Józefowicz

Zuzanna Józefowicz is a psychologist and psychotraumatologist based in Toruń, Poland, specializing in supporting individuals experiencing health crises and their families. At the Matopat Hospital and Specialist Clinic, she works within the Early Senior Intervention project, providing psychological support to older adults and their loved ones as they adapt to illness, changing life circumstances, and the challenges associated with ageing.

She also works at the 22nd Military Rehabilitation and Spa Hospital in Ciechocinek, where she conducts psychoeducational and therapeutic sessions for cardiology and neurology patients, as well as for military personnel and their families.

In addition, Zuzanna runs a private therapeutic practice at the TerazJa Center, offering psychological support to adults facing crises, trauma, loss, and life transitions. She is also actively involved in community work through the Serce Torunia Association, where she supports socially excluded and vulnerable individuals

dr n. med. Anita Sikora – Szubert

Dr. Anita Sikora–Szubert, MD, PhD – Master’s degree in Physiotherapy, Master’s degree in Psychology, and psycho-oncologist. Certified urogynecological physiotherapist (PTUG II). Her professional and scientific interests focus on physiotherapy in gynecology and obstetrics, urogynecological physiotherapy, as well as oncology and palliative medicine. She is the author of scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals related to gynecology and obstetrics, as well as psychology and oncology. An active participant and award recipient at national and international scientific conferences in the fields of physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Assistant Professor at the Clinic of Pregnancy Pathology and Gynecology, 1st Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical University of Łódź. Academic lecturer in the Physiotherapy program. She conducts original workshops and training courses for specialists—physiotherapists, midwives, and physicians—in the field of urogynecological physiotherapy and psychology. Owner of the Fizjo Psyche Intima practice in Łódź.

Agnieszka Kawula

Agnieszka Kawula is a touch researcher, educator, and founder of the Institute of Touch and Massage in Puck. For over 16 years, she has been conducting training in Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage and developing her own educational programs dedicated to the role of touch in care and health. She completed postgraduate studies in "Geriatrics and Gerontology with Elements of Palliative Care" and "Supportive Therapies in Oncology" at the Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences in Poznań. She is the author of the innovative project "Touch of Care," which aims to incorporate empathic touch into everyday caregiving practice by developing educational tools for formal and family caregivers. She organized the first scientific-practical conference in Poland, "Touch in Illness," devoted to the importance of empathic touch in healthcare. Her research interests focus on the humanization of care and the importance of touch in building a sense of security and well-being in older people and the chronically ill.