A small but growing number of mediators (people who help resolve disputes, typically outside a courtroom) now specialize in elder affairs. They help families work through concerns — and fights — involving caregiving, inheritance, living arrangements, estate planning and related issues.
Family arguments have a terrible way of escalating into something akin to thermal nuclear war. This especially is the case when the fight is over an elderly loved one, their future, and their well-being.
A recent article in SmartMoney, titled “When to Call an Elder Mediator,” provides some helpful guidance for families working through myriad issues regarding an elderly loved one.
Enter the elder mediator.
An elder mediator essentially allows the family to come together around the advice of a third party who has no interests, no psychological baggage, and no need to distrust anyone. Sometimes you simply can’t say that of other adult siblings or loved ones (or, if we are honest, of ourselves).
When the end sought by the family is the well-being of the elderly loved one, an elder mediator can be essential in helping the family work out solutions while preserving family harmony.
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Reference: SmartMoney (August 28, 2012) “When to Call an Elder Mediator”
Suggested Key Words:
Elder Law, Mediation