Elder Mediation

by Jeff Thompson

From Jeff Thompson's Enjoy Mediation Blog

March 2010

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Not sure if anyone saw this in the Wall Street Journal, but recently there was an article in it on Elder Mediation in California.

Some tidbits:

For years, divorcing couples have hired mediators to avoid court battles. Now, some mediators are starting to specialize in resolving disputes that relate to older adults, such as those over inheritances and caregiving.

"Elder mediation has started to take off over the past couple years," says Dana Curtis, an attorney who mediates disputes and trains elder mediators at Elder Mediation Group in Sausalito, Calif.

Families who hire an elder mediator often do so to save money. To work with a mediator in private practice, a family can expect to spend from $100 to $500 an hour. A national network of nonprofit "community mediation" services charge little to nothing.

In contrast, if a family opts to pursue a lawsuit, each party must retain an attorney.
And unlike court proceedings, the mediation process is confidential...

...Don't confuse mediation with group therapy, however. "To the extent that a mediator needs to deal with family dynamics, we do so. But the purpose of mediation is not to heal the relationships," says Ms. Curtis.

And if you are wondering if Ms. Curtis uses caucus often, keep reading:

Mediators also may provide information families can use to make decisions. For instance, when one family hired Ms. Curtis to referee a dispute over a child's request for an early inheritance, she helped them calculate how much they could afford to give the child -- after setting aside enough to cover the parents' needs and inheritances for the rest.

Read the entire article [HERE].

Biography

Jeff Thompson is a certified international mediator. He is also a law enforcement detective in New York. His law enforcement role include a being a communication and conflict specialist, interfaith dialogue, developing and implementing community engagement programs, and designing training workshops.

Jeff is currently a PhD candidate researching nonverbal communication and mediation at Griffith University Law School. He also received his MS in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution from the Creighton University School of Law. Jeff has presented and trained on the topic of conflict, mediation, communication and nonverbal communication internationally and has been published and featured with numerous international media organizations. He currently writes also at PsychologyToday.com.

(All posts by Jeff Thompson represent his personal reflections and opinions as a mediator and not that of any organization.)

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Website: www.EnjoyMediation.com

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