Start Date: 4/23/2025 11:00 AM EDT
End Date: 4/23/2025 12:00 PM EDT
Organization Name:
Virginia Assisted Living Association
Contact:
Many seniors improve their quality of life after moving into assisted living communities, getting the support they need to live full and engaged lives. However, there are occasions when residents develop issues that surpass the capacity of the assisted living community, such as residents becoming unable to make decisions for themselves due to the onset of dementia or their financial resources are depleted. In scenarios such as these, guardianship may serve as a feasible option to explore to ensure the resident in question continues to receive the best care available.
Join VALA for a panel discussion on what guardianship is and is not, as this webinar will cover all aspects of guardianship, from the differences between private and public guardianship to a step-by-step guide on how to complete a public guardianship referral.
CEUs will be available.
Panelists
Sheryl Herndon, Esq., Elder Law Attorney, Herndon Law
Sheryl L. Herndon is the owner and founder of Herndon Law, P.C., a client-centered law firm that helps clients protect and provide for the people they love and preserve the things they hold dear. Sheryl is a Virginia native and former Henrico County prosecutor. Since 2005, she has focused her practice on estate, special needs, and long-term care planning. She is the recipient of numerous awards and a frequent guest speaker for local community groups. Sheryl serves on the Advisory Board for The Span Center and is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Virginia Association of Elder Law Attorneys, and the Trusts and Estates Section of the Virginia State Bar. Sheryl received her undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech (GO HOKIES!) and graduated cum laude from University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law.
Laurie Hunter, Long-Term Care Manager, The SPAN Center
Laurie began her human services career as a community organizer for St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center, a non-profit housing developer, in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. Her career experience also includes work that led to securing state funding to develop the Maryland Community Resource Center, now evolved into Maryland Family Resource, Inc. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.S. Degree in Urban Studies and Planning, Laurie has been deeply connected to the concept of stable housing as a key factor to support healthier individual and community outcomes. After relocating to Richmond with her family in 2015, Laurie joined The Span Center (formerly known as Senior Connections) in 2016 as a Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman and was later promoted to manager of the program. Laurie’s current role focuses on resident rights, providing support and education to those residents who live in long-term care communities. Additionally, Laurie provides education and guidance to LTC leadership on ethical and person-centered practices to assist in minimizing disruption in their communities. Laurie recently graduated from the Emerging Non-Profit Leadership Program sponsored by the Community Foundation and the Enterprising Ventures of Color Leadership Academy. These programs focus on capacity building and strengthening communities through a leadership style that is inclusive, innovative, and thoughtful.
Laura Koch, Public Guardian and Conservator Program, Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)
Laura Koch has been the director of the Public Guardian Program at DARS since 2023. She has a background in social work, public agency program administration, and law.
After getting her MSW at Virginia Commonwealth University, she was a clinical social worker for about 11 years, then worked in program administration with the departments of social services and behavioral health of a large county in the Bay Area of California. Prior to her current position, Laura spent seven years as an attorney at a nonprofit providing free legal services to seniors, focusing primarily on consumer protection, housing law, and eviction defense.
In her free time, she is an amateur genealogist and history nerd.
