ROOTED 2026

A Texas Summit on Falls Prevention, Caregiving, & Living Well at Home

Thursday, September 17, 2026 · 9am-5pm

Hurst Conference Center · Dallas–Fort Worth Area

Continuing Education Available · In-Person & Virtual

“Falls prevention isn’t just about preventing falls. It’s about helping people remain safe, independent, connected, and rooted in the places and communities they call home.”
— Christina Bartha, CEO, Texas Healthy at Home & Family Caregiver to Her Mother, Mary
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Mary’s Story

FIVE CHAPTERS, ONE STORY

Is ROOTED for You?

Whether you come to ROOTED because this is your profession, your passion, or your family's story, there is a place for you here.

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Featured Speakers & Moderators

Opening Keynote | Carol Zernial

Senior VP, Social Responsibility & Foundation Executive Director, WellMed Charitable Foundation

Carol Zernial is a nationally recognized gerontologist with more than 30 years of experience advancing the health and well-being of older adults and family caregivers. She serves as Executive Director of the WellMed Charitable Foundation and has held national leadership roles focused on aging and caregiving, including service on the federal RAISE Family Caregiving Advisory Council and as past Chair of the National Council on Aging.

Throughout her career, Zernial has championed community-based approaches to healthy aging, falls prevention, caregiver support, and evidence-based disease prevention. Her work brings together healthcare, aging services, and community organizations to create practical solutions that help older adults remain healthy, connected, and independent.

Moderator | Matthew Smith, PhD, MPH, CHES

Director, Center for Health by Design | Professor, Indiana University School of Public Health–Bloomington

Dr. Matthew Lee Smith is a Professor at the Indiana University School of Public Health–Bloomington and a Director of the Center for Health by Design. A nationally recognized researcher in healthy aging and falls prevention, his work focuses on translating evidence-based research into practical solutions that help older adults remain healthy, independent, and connected.

Dr. Smith’s research spans falls prevention, chronic disease self-management, social connectedness, dementia caregiving, and the implementation of evidence-based programs for older adults. His work bridges public health, healthcare, and the aging services network, with a strong emphasis on building community partnerships that move proven interventions into real-world practice.

A Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, Society of Behavioral Medicine, and American Academy of Health Behavior, Dr. Smith has received national recognition for his contributions to aging, leadership, and mentorship.

Moderator | Marcia G. Ory, PhD, MPH

Regents and Distinguished Professor, Texas A&M University School of Public Health

Dr. Marcia G. Ory is a Regents and Distinguished Professor at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health and a nationally recognized leader in healthy aging and public health. Her work spans aging and health promotion, chronic disease management, evidence-based prevention, and the translation of research into programs that improve the lives of older adults and their families.

Over a career spanning more than four decades, Dr. Ory has helped bridge research and real-world community practice, with a particular focus on identifying effective strategies that support healthy aging and independence. Her extensive work in falls prevention has helped advance understanding of how evidence-based programs, community partnerships, and public health strategies can reduce fall risk and improve outcomes for older adults.

Summit Agenda

Thursday, September 17, 2026

  • Optional · $15 add-on
    Start the day with a gentle, all-levels yoga session presented in partnership with Bikram Yoga North Texas. Mats are provided, and every movement is optional and can be adapted for seated or standing participation. No prior yoga experience is needed.

  • Check in, pick up your badge and ROOTED Connection Kit, and explore the Coalition & Community Showcase. The Living Wall story installation will also open as we begin building the collective story of the day.

  • We’ll open the Summit by introducing the story that will guide us through the day. Across five chapters and three conversations, Mary’s experience will help us explore how falls affect individuals, families, care systems, and communities—and the role each of us can play in changing what comes next.

  • The State of Falls Prevention in Texas
    Carol Zernial, Senior Vice President & Foundation Executive Director, WellMed Charitable Foundation


    A look at the falls-prevention landscape in Texas, the challenges and opportunities ahead, and why meaningful prevention requires action beyond any one organization or sector.

  • Refresh, recharge, and visit the Coalition & Community Showcase.

  • What happens before a fall—and what happens in the moments immediately after? Through the experiences of an older adult and family caregiver, alongside first-responder and prevention perspectives, this conversation explores risk, prevention, emergency response, and the opportunities we have to intervene earlier.

    Moderated by Dr. Marcia Ory and Dr. Matthew Smith.

  • Take a brief reset with a guided chair-yoga and movement session led by Bikram Yoga North Texas. Participation is completely optional, with movements designed to be accessible from your seat.

  • Recovery from a fall is about more than healing an injury. This conversation explores the clinical, emotional, and practical realities of recovery through lived experience and perspectives from rehabilitation and discharge planning—and asks what it takes to help older adults regain confidence, independence, and connection.

    Moderated by Dr. Marcia Ory and Dr. Matthew Smith.

  • Enjoy a catered lunch while continuing conversations with fellow attendees, speakers, exhibitors, and community partners. Lunch selections are made during registration and are included with all in-person registrations.

  • Coming home can be one of the most important—and vulnerable—moments after a fall. Our final panel explores what it takes to return home safely, from home modification and community-based programs to the support of families and caregivers. Together, we’ll look beyond one person’s journey to ask how communities can build a safer path forward for everyone.

    Moderated by Dr. Marcia Ory and Dr. Matthew Smith.

  • Visit the Coalition & Community Showcase, connect with exhibitors, and continue the conversations sparked throughout the day.

  • The five chapters of Mary’s story come together as we shift from reflection to action. Because Chapter 5 is not Mary’s alone—it belongs to all of us. The question becomes: What do we do next?

  • Now it’s your turn. Through live audience polling and facilitated discussion, attendees will share perspectives, identify priorities, and help shape what stronger falls prevention can look like across Texas. Responses will come to life in real time as we explore where we agree, where gaps remain, and where collective action can take us next.

  • We’ll bring together the stories, ideas, and commitments shared throughout the Summit and close with the message at the heart of our day: We are all part of Mary’s story. We are all part of the solution.

  • Attendees receiving continuing education credit will complete the required sign-off process before we draw the winner of our Grand Prize. The winner must be present to win.

  • Stay a little longer and continue the conversation. Our come-and-go Connection Hour offers a relaxed close to the Summit with light bites, cocktail tables, and time to connect with speakers, exhibitors, coalition members, and fellow attendees in the Coalition & Community Showcase.

    No formal program—just space to turn the connections made throughout the day into conversations that continue beyond the Summit.

Find the ROOTED Experience That's Right for You

Join us in Hurst or participate virtually from wherever you are.

Early-bird pricing ends August 31, 2026.

Registration Options

  • For healthcare professionals, nonprofit staff, coalition members, physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, community health workers, wellness practitioners, researchers, educators, and others working to improve healthy aging across Texas.

    You'll leave with:

    • One meaningful new connection

    • One practical action you can put into practice

    • One new resource to strengthen your work

    • Fresh ideas and inspiration from leaders across Texas

    Includes: full-day access to the ROOTED Summit, the opening keynote, the immersive story-driven experience, the Coalition & Community Showcase, networking with leaders from across Texas, lunch (selected during registration), Continuing Education opportunities (eligible professions), summit materials and digital resources, access to exhibitors and the wellness marketplace, and a post-event resource library.

  • For family caregivers, older adults, students, community members, personal care attendants, and anyone passionate about healthy aging in Texas.

    You'll leave with:

    • One meaningful new connection

    • One practical idea you can implement immediately

    • One new resource for your community

    • Fresh inspiration from leaders across Texas

    Includes: full-day access to the ROOTED Summit, the opening keynote, the immersive story-driven experience, the Coalition & Community Showcase, networking with leaders from across Texas, continental breakfast, lunch (selected during registration), afternoon refreshments, Continuing Education opportunities (where applicable), summit materials and digital resources, access to exhibitors and the wellness marketplace, and digital access to select post-event resources.

  • The full ROOTED experience, live, from anywhere in Texas or beyond. Built for healthcare professionals, nonprofit staff, coalition members, physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, community health workers, wellness practitioners, researchers, and educators. Your virtual login link arrives by email the week of the summit.

    You'll leave with:

    • One meaningful new connection

    • One practical action you can put into practice

    • One new resource to strengthen your work

    • Fresh ideas and inspiration from leaders across Texas

    Includes: live virtual access to the summit, the opening keynote, main stage presentations, the interactive story experience, the digital resource library, eligible continuing education sessions, and a post-event resource library.

  • Experience ROOTED from wherever you are. Built for family caregivers, older adults, students, community members, and personal care attendants who can't make it to Hurst in person. Your virtual login link arrives by email the week of the summit.

    You'll leave with:

    • One practical idea you can implement immediately

    • One new resource for your community

    • Fresh inspiration from leaders across Texas

    Includes: live virtual access to the summit, the opening keynote, main stage presentations, the interactive story experience, the digital resource library, virtual networking opportunities, and digital access to select post-event resources.

REGISTER for rooted 2026

What You'll Take Home

Every ROOTED experience is designed to leave you with:

  • One meaningful new connection

  • One practical idea you can put into action

  • One new resource for yourself, your family, or your work

  • Fresh perspective and inspiration from people working across Texas

In-person registration includes the opening keynote, main-stage program, Coalition & Community Showcase, ROOTED Connection Kit, catered lunch, refreshments, networking opportunities, Summit resources, and applicable continuing education opportunities.

Virtual registration includes live access to main-stage Summit programming and available digital resources.

Optional Experience

Gentle Morning Yoga

Presented in partnership with Bikram Yoga North Texas. Before ROOTED begins, take a moment to ground yourself. This gentle, all-levels session releases tension, steadies your breath, and helps you feel centered and ready for the day ahead. No experience or mat required, every movement is optional and can be done seated or standing. Come as you are, and begin the day rooted for growth.

Includes: a 45-minute guided session, a certified instructor, a yoga mat provided (or bring your own if preferred), mindful movement and stretching, and time to connect with fellow attendees before the summit begins.

Learn more

Need Help Attending?

Scholarships are available for eligible attendees.

APPLY FOR A ROOTED SCHOLARSHIP 
About the Texas Takes on Falls Coalition

The Texas Takes on Falls (TTOF) Coalition is a statewide network of clinicians, community health workers, caregivers, and aging services professionals united by one goal: reducing falls among older Texans. Falls are the leading cause of injury and injury-related death for adults 65 and older in Texas, but they are largely preventable. TTOF works to change that by connecting professionals and communities across the state with evidence-based training, practical tools, and a shared network of support so that fewer families experience the physical, emotional, and financial toll of a preventable fall.

The Coalition is co-led by Texas Healthy at Home and WellMed Charitable Foundation, and is supported by the National Council on Aging.

Learn more about the coalition

Our Partners

ROOTED 2026 partners will be announced here as they're confirmed. Interested in sponsoring? Contact Jen Gardiner at j.gardiner@texashealthyathome.org.

Travel, Parking & Accessibility

VENUE

Hurst Conference Center
1601 Campus Drive
Hurst, TX 76054

PARKING

Complimentary parking is available for all attendees at the Hurst Conference Center.

Attendees may park in the parking garages located underneath and behind the Conference Center. The entrance to the lower-level parking garage is located on the south end of the building (to your left when facing the front entrance of the Conference Center).

Additional parking is available in the 7-level parking deck behind the Conference Center and in designated street parking along Campus Drive and Thousand Oaks Drive.

Accessible parking is available in the Lower-Level Parking Garage and throughout the Parking Deck. Parking areas are located just steps from conference center entrances.

Please note that overnight parking on Hurst Conference Center property is not permitted.

 

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS

A discounted room block is available for Rooted: Fall Prevention Summit attendees at the Hilton Garden Inn Dallas at Hurst Conference Center, conveniently connected to the Summit venue.

Hilton Garden Inn Dallas at Hurst Conference Center
1615 Campus Drive
Hurst, TX 76054
817-281-5800

Summit Rate: $119 per night, plus applicable taxes
Group Code: 91G
Reservation Deadline: August 26, 2026 at midnight

Breakfast is not included in the group rate.

Reserve Your Room

By phone: Call 817-281-5800 and ask for the “Rooted - Fall Prevention Summit” room block or provide Group Code 91G.

Online: Rooted - Fall Prevention Summit reservation link

After the reservation deadline, rooms and the discounted group rate will be subject to availability.

Cancellation: Reservations may be cancelled up to 48 hours prior to arrival. Late cancellations may be charged one night’s room rate plus applicable taxes. Guests are responsible for their own room, tax, and incidental charges.

Hotel Amenities:

  • Complimentary covered parking

  • Complimentary Wi-Fi

  • Garden Grill Restaurant and hotel bar

  • 24-hour fitness center

  • 24-hour indoor pool and hot tub

  • Outdoor patio with gas fire pit

  • In-room microwave, mini-refrigerator, and Keurig

  • Hilton Honors benefits for eligible members

TRAVELING BY AIR

For attendees traveling from outside the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is the recommended airport.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
Approximately 10 miles from the hotel and Conference Center, with an estimated drive time of 13 minutes depending on traffic.

Dallas Love Field (DAL)
Approximately 23 miles from the hotel and Conference Center and may be a convenient alternative depending on flight availability.

The Hilton Garden Inn does not provide airport shuttle service. Attendees should plan to use a rental car, taxi, rideshare service, or other ground transportation.

ACCESSIBILITY

The Hurst Conference Center is wheelchair accessible, with accessible parking available in the Lower-Level Parking Garage and Parking Deck.

We are committed to providing an accessible and welcoming experience for all attendees. If you require an accessibility accommodation, interpretive service, or other assistance to fully participate in the Summit, please indicate your needs during registration or contact H.Gilbert@texashealthyathome.org.

To allow adequate time for coordination, we encourage accommodation requests to be submitted at least 48 hours prior to the event.

For questions regarding physical accessibility at the Hurst Conference Center, contact the venue directly at 817-581-0044.