
DeLila Bergan
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205 Windy Court
Highland Village, TX 75077
USA
972-809-0247

Description of Practice
At AIM Aging Issues Mediation, we help families stop fighting. Our eldercare mediators serve as neutral facilitators to help parties talk with each other, listen to each other and move forward in a respectful fashion to find mutually acceptable solutions to their conflicts. We help parties build consensus, share ownership of their problems and develop realistic solutions to meet the challenges facing older, ill or disabled adults today.
We welcome calls directly from older adults or family members who want to decrease family tensions, as well as from the courts, attorneys, doctors, care facilities and other senior care professionals who want to help families resolve conflicts and preserve vital family relationships.
Professional Background
Ms. Bergan is also a bioethicist with a special focus on aging and end-of-life issues. This training in medical ethics and patient rights complements her legal background.
Individual and family-decision making for aging individuals is a complex mix of practical day-to-day concerns, financial quandaries, questions of physical and cognitive capacities and decisions for long-term and end-of-life care, all of which center on the needs of the individual at the heart of the controversy. Ms. Bergan’s legal and bioethical training and experience make her uniquely qualified as a mediator to assist older adults and family members in working together on a wide range of challenges.
Experience
Degrees
Approach
We next encourage all parties to meet together for an initial group session to improve communication, lessen tensions and identify primary issues for discussion. When it is helpful, we provide education on aging issues and we refer families to appropriate senior care professionals for expert assistance. We then follow up to facilitate communication among the parties as they explore resources and potential solutions. We again encourage all parties to meet together for discussion when it seems they have enough information to form a plan to meet the needs of the individual(s) at the heart of the controversy. We help the parties define and state their plan in writing and ask each to sign off on the plan as a pledge of their support going forward. Throughout the process, we help those involved express themselves to other family members and, in turn, listen to others. We encourage parties to express their feelings, but require that they treat everyone with respect throughout the mediation process. We continue to remind everyone involved that the decisions they make must be the best choices possible for the older adult involved and should honor his/her wishes to the extent possible.
Fees
For ongoing facilitation/mediation services for senior care professionals, we can charge either a per-session fee or work from a monthly-averaged fee.
For court-ordered mediations, the judge may specify an hourly or flat fee.
Areas of Practice
- Adult Family
- Bioethics
- Elder
- Estate Planning
- Family
- Health Care
- LGBTQ
- Probate
Professional Services
- Mediator