The Resolution of Conflicts Involving the Elderly

by Tim Hedeen

June 2001

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While some sectors of conflict resolution practice are quite specific, the work of community mediation is as broad and diverse as the community itself. In this installment of the Community Section, we'd like to focus on an emergent area of community mediation service: the resolution of conflicts involving the elderly.

The American Bar Association's Commission on Legal Problems of the Elderly has recently published Building Coalitions in Aging, Disability and Dispute Resolution , detailing four innovative pilot programs to serve the conflict resolution needs of the elderly and disability communities. Three of the four programs are based at community mediation programs, including those in Bozeman, MT, Norristown, PA, and Louisville, KY.

Through the support of the Hewlett Foundation, the ABA Commission funded four local or regional coalitions to serve as models for replication in other areas. The objectives of the coalitions were to:

Increase communication and collaboration among the aging, disability and dispute resolution networks,
Educate each network about the needs and resources of the others,
Develop a state/regional dispute resolution agenda by and on behalf of the elderly and persons with disabilities, and
Explore the use of collaborative approaches to formulate state policy on critical issues for the aging and disability communities.

In cooperation with the ABA Commission, we have provided the body of the report here for your review. The ABA Commission has developed a listserve to encourage communication among the pilot programs and other interested in the project: for information about the listserve, email collaborate@mail.abanet.org.

The coalition-building steps outlined in the report are instructive to community mediation centers not only for their work with the elderly, but in any number of service areas. Community mediation can play an integral role in the social service network of every community.

The MIRC Community Section welcomes your contributions and feedback. If you know of materials relevant to elder conflict (in specific) or community mediation (in general), please drop us a line at tkhedeen@mediate.com or scottbradley@mediate.com.

Timothy Hedeen is a researcher, trainer, and professor of dispute resolution. He formerly directed mediation programs in Minnesota and New York, and serves as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the National Association for Community Mediation. A doctoral candidate affiliated with Syracuse University's Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts, his present research examines the influence of coercion in referrals to mediation and the role of disputant relationship in determining participation in mediation.

Email: tkhedeen@mediate.com
Web site: www.nafcm.org

Scott Bradley is Executive Director of the Mediation Network of North Carolina, the umbrella organization of NC's 25 community mediation centers. Active in community mediation for nearly 25 years, he helped start NC's first center, the Orange County Dispute Settlement Center, and served as its first director on a volunteer basis. Scott was co-chair of the founding Board of Directors of the National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM) and retired from the Board in May 2001. He is the Governor's appointee to the 14 member North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission and serves on the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the State Judicial Council. Scott was the Guest Co-Editor of the Summer 2000 issue of Mediation Quarterly, a Special Issue on Community Mediation. He has served in an advisory capacity to numerous state and national projects related to mediation, including the US Department of Justice's 1997 study Community Mediation Programs: Developments and Challenges.

Email: scottbradley@mediate.com
Web site: www.mnnc.org

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Janet E. Mitchell, Fort Wayne IN

janetmitchell1@aol.com 11/19/04

Network of Eldercare Mediators?

Dear Eldercare Mediator: Are you interested in forming a formal or informal network of Eldercare Mediators? If so, please respond to this email, noting your preference: 1. Informal Network: Share information about Eldercare Mediation books, articles, training seminars, contracts to mediate, evaluations, and "peace stories" by email. 2. Formal Network: The above, plus perhaps have a Web listing of Eldercare Mediators and a Website. Also, if there is a good response, we will need a volunteer to coordinate this Eldercare Mediator Network. Interested? Please forward this email to others who provide Eldercare Mediation. Thanks! Cordially, Janet E. Mitchell, J.D., Eldercare Mediator Family and Civil Mediator, and Mediation Trainer, Midwest Mediation Training Center

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