Wednesday, November 12, 2025

12:00pm ET, 11:00am CT, 10:00am MT, 9:00am PT
(1.5 hours with Q&A)
$39.00 for CMCs, $59 for non-CMCs

Click here to register. Registration Deadline November 10, 2025

About the Presentation

It’s mid-November and nurse practitioner Elle Larson is gearing up for another quiet Thanksgiving in Charlotte. Twenty-nine, single, and struggling to keep her geriatric care management business afloat, Elle is eager to please when her mentor, attorney Tommy Sumpter, asks her to do a medical evaluation of an elderly client for his upcoming guardianship hearing. Elle’s resolve quickly turns to chaos after she arrives at Charlie Blackwell’s mansion and finds him comatose from a fentanyl overdose. When she discovers his missing caregiver’s dead body later that morning, what started as a typical day on the job quickly becomes the most difficult case of her career. Now Elle must decide if facing an unknown killer is worth securing a fair trial for Charlie—and saving both of their lives.

Set against the backdrop of mid-1990s Charlotte, North Carolina, this debut novel by Emeritus Aging Life Care Manager-turned-author Karen Knutson, is equal parts vibrant and chilling; a smartly written mystery that sheds light on elder abuse in America.

Join us for a discussion around the unique perspective Aging Life Care / Care Managers have as expert witnesses in legal cases involving older adults in the area of elder abuse. Using the Expert Witness story, the author explores how Care Managers are a valuable resource for the attorneys, the judge, and the client’s medical team to:

• Identify how Care Managers assess standards of care, investigate evidence of abuse, identify potential sources of abuse, provide testimony on capacity assessments, and offer expert opinions on complex family, medical, and care issues.
• Discuss key qualifications, such as advanced degrees in social work, nursing, gerontology or related areas, years of experience in providing care and support.
• Understand the legal/medical interface and the importance of effective communication skills to communicate findings and opinions in court to ensure that older adults receive the care and protection they deserve.

NACCM is pleased to present Emeritus Aging Life Care Manager-turned-author Karen Knutson in conversation, followed by a moderated discussion with Byron Cordes.

Karen Knutson, MSN, MBA, RN, is a writer and Emeritus Aging Life Care Manager. As a former nurse practitioner, she drew on her twenty years as a care manager in Charlotte, North Carolina for her debut novel, Expert Witness.

Byron Cordes, MSW, LCSW, CASWCM, CMC is NACCM Board President, a Fellow of the Leadership Academy of the Aging Life Care Association, and President of Sage Care Management.

What’s a media book club?

It’s more fun if you read the book – but you don’t have to! This webinar will be dynamic and informative, covering topics outside the scope of the book through conversation with the author, and a facilitated dialogue with the audience and other experts in the field. Expert Witness is available in a soft cover through Warren Publishing a 10% discount using code EXPERT – so grab a copy, enjoy the novel, and join your colleagues in the discussion – while earning CE contact hours too!

Goals and Learning Objectives 

Using the Expert Witness story to explore how Care Managers are a valuable resource for the attorneys, the judge, and the client’s medical team, attendees will be able to:

• Identify how Care Managers assess standards of care, investigate evidence of abuse, identify potential sources of abuse, provide testimony on capacity assessments, and offer expert opinions on complex family, medical, and care issues.
• Discuss key qualifications, such as advanced degrees in social work, nursing, gerontology or related areas, years of experience in providing care and support.
• Understand the legal/medical interface and the importance of effective communication skills to communicate findings and opinions in court to ensure that older adults receive the care and protection they deserve.