NAPSA Monthly Scam Webinar
April 2026 Scam Advice Forum:
APS Work with Clients at the End of Life: Challenges, Support Needs, and Advance Care Planning
THURSDAY, APRIL 2ND, 2026
Description:
Adult Protective Services (APS) professionals often work with clients who are seriously ill or nearing the end of life while addressing cases of elder abuse and self-neglect. This webinar presents findings from focus groups with APS professionals exploring the unique challenges they face in these situations, including family conflict, service barriers, client self-determination, and emotional strain. We will also discuss how APS workers approach advance care planning conversations and identify critical support needs, including improved interagency collaboration and organizational resources to strengthen practice in end-of-life contexts.
Guests:
- Wei-Lin Xue, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. Her research focuses on dementia caregiving, dyadic relationship quality, and elder mistreatment, with an emphasis on developing theory-driven interventions to strengthen caregiver commitment and well-being. Her work integrates social, behavioral, and health sciences to improve outcomes for caregivers and persons living with dementia.
- Joy Swanson Ernst, PhD, MSW, is Associate Professor Emerita at the Wayne State University School of Social Work. Her research draws on Adult Protective Services (APS) data and community partnerships to examine caregiver neglect, self-neglect, APS workers’ experiences in end-of-life care, and the effectiveness of interdisciplinary social work–nurse teams in APS interventions. Her recent work explores innovative approaches to addressing mistreatment, including technology-based strategies for self-neglect prevention. Dr. Ernst is a long-time member of NAPSA’s Research to Practice (R2P) Interest Group.
