Description

Vulnerable Adult Abuse and Neglect Workshop

📅 Thursday, November 5, 2026
🕘 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM
📍 Angela Hospice, 14100 Newburgh Rd, Livonia, MI 48154

A full-day education event on recognizing, responding to, and reporting abuse and neglect in vulnerable adult populations. Sessions cover mandated reporting fundamentals, trauma-informed communication strategies, and clinical tools for identifying hoarding disorder, one of the most under-recognized risk factors for neglect.

AGENDA / SESSION DESCRIPTIONS 

Check in: 8:30

Session 1 (9-10:15): 

Building and Rebuilding Trust: Motivational Interviewing and Rapport-Based Communication
Dawn Gramling, Hospice of Northwest Ohio

Recognizing and responding to suspected abuse is difficult territory for healthcare professionals, who must balance the therapeutic relationship, patient autonomy, and mandatory reporting duties. This session introduces Motivational Interviewing and trauma-informed care techniques that build psychological safety and trust, encourage disclosure, and help clinicians maintain or repair the relationship when a report becomes necessary. Includes case examples and practical communication tools.

Break: 10:15-10:30

Session 2 (10:30-11:45): 

Recognizing the Line: When Concern Becomes Reportable
Jamie LaLonde, President and CEO, Angela Hospice

This session provides an overview of mandated reporting as it pertains to vulnerable adults. Attendees will work through case studies in small group discussion to explore how to engage and act when serving vulnerable adults, followed by practical guidance on next steps and an open Q&A.

Lunch: 12-12:45

Session 3 (1-2:15): 

Identifying Hoarding Disorder & Understanding Treatment Options
Laura M. Lokers, LMSW, Anxiety and OCD Treatment Center of Ann Arbor

Hoarding disorder affects an estimated 2 to 6 percent of the population, yet it rarely presents as the identified concern, leaving many clinicians underprepared to assess severity or plan treatment. This 75-minute training offers a practical, evidence-based framework for identifying and treating hoarding disorder, including standardized assessment tools (Saving Inventory-Revised, Clutter Image Rating, Hoarding Rating Scale), the biological, cognitive, and environmental factors behind the disorder, and hoarding-focused CBT strategies. The session closes with Motivational Interviewing and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy techniques for building willingness in clients with limited insight, with case examples throughout.

Wrap up: 2:15-2:30

Nursing Contact Hours:

Michigan HomeCare & Hospice Association is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Social Work Contact Hours:

Applied for to the Michigan SW CE Collaborative.

Criteria for Successful Completion:

In order to receive contact hours you must stay for the entire session and not miss any more than 30 minutes, Signing in and out the day of the workshop is also required.  Participants must also complete an evaluation for the session at the conclusion.

No Relevant Financial Relationships or Commercial Support at this time!