Annual State Conference

8:00 – 8:25 am registration
8:25 – 8:30 am Welcome, John Wehrly and Laura Zdychnec, Conference Committee Co-Chairs

8:30 – 9:30 am Preservation of a Person Amid Unraveling Circumstances – Panel Discussion
Panelists: Dr. Victor Sandler, MD, Fairview Home Care and Hospice; Paul Galchutt, MPH, MDiv, BCC, Research Staff Chaplain, UMN Medical Center; Jessica Hausauer, PhD, Executive Director for Minnesota Network of Hospice & Palliative Care
This presentation will review end-of-life decision making with a focus on medical perspectives, ethics, and the role of religion and spirituality. Information about education and advocacy efforts around serious illness and end-of-life will be shared.

9:45 – 10:45 am The Changing Intersection Between Law Enforcement and Crisis Response
Jamie Sipes, Program Coordinator, St. Paul Police Department, Community Outreach and Stabilization Unit
Law enforcement agencies across the country are changing the way officers respond to crisis calls for service. Community-based resource agencies and law enforcement are collaborating at historical levels to ensure appropriate responses to individual needs. In this presentation, Sergeant Sipes will discuss what is being implemented in the St. Paul Police Department, and ideas across Minnesota.

11:00 – 12:00 pm An Introduction to Work-Related Trauma for Guardians, Tonya Wilhelm, LICSW, Therapist and Consultant
Exposure to work-related trauma for Guardians is real, and it’s complicated. This presentation will provide the basics for understanding why we are impacted by trauma exposure at work, as well as strategies to manage the effects of that exposure.

1:00 – 2:00 pm How to Work Through Conflict, Melissa Johnson, LGSW| Care Manager, Volunteers of America - Minnesota
This session will explore how culture and individual biases impact the work we do—specifically how these can create, solve or mitigate conflict. Attendees will learn how to recognize implicit bias as well as how our own experiences guide our perception of a situation. Finally, we will delve in to strategies and approaches to use when working through conflict with others.

2:15 – 3:15 pm Fleeced by Trusted Loved Ones and Caregivers: Investigation and Prosecution of Financial Exploitation in Minnesota, Susan B. Crumb, Senior Assistant Hennepin County Attorney
Susan Crumb of the Hennepin County Attorney’s office will provide an outline of information useful in investigating and prosecuting elder financial exploitation cases.

3:30 – 4:30 pm What To Do When You Get Appointed: The ABCs of Guardianship and Conservatorship – Panel Discussion
Panelists: Jenna Sartorius, professional fiduciary, First Fiduciary Corporation; Elizabeth Ohnesorge Powers, professional fiduciary, Powers Professional Fiduciary, LLC; Daniel Steinhagen, attorney, Steinhagen & Crist
Moderator: Stacy Kabele, attorney, Kabele Law Firm
Join this panel of distinguished professionals who will provide guidance about things a professional should consider before accepting a new client. The panel members will also provide advice about things to do upon appointment in order to best set your client and you up for success. Finally, there will be discussion about how to identify and approach potential and unique issues that may arise during the course of the appointment.