What I Love about Elder Mediation

When talking about elder mediation, reactions often toggle from “How can you deal with such difficult people?” to even “Don’t you want to take a hot bath to clean off all that toxin?”  It’s easy to feel discouraged (sometimes), but then I consider all the positives: 

1. There are no winners and losers.  Mediation encourages parties to identify the issues dividing them, reach an agreement about their differences, and then collaborate on a plan to carry out their agreement. That’s anything but winning and losing. It’s giving families a path on which they can move forward – a path they themselves have forged.

2. We keep families out of court.  What can be worse than family members in court combat? Their wounds may never heal whether they win or lose. Since judges are bound to rule one way or the other, the loser is likely to harbor ill will for the long term. Plus, consider the expense, time, and emotional energy that litigation consumes. Mediation costs just a fraction of the financial and emotional expense. And it can be over in days, not months.

3. We provide family members with conflict resolution tools so they can settle future disputes without our involvement.  Once family members experience ending a long-standing dispute, they build confidence in their capacity to resolve possible future conflicts.

4. Family members collaborate on how to carry out their agreement.  One of the joys of mediation is observing family members design a plan to carry out their settlement.  Who will report on Mom’s condition?  How can we arrange alternative transportation for Dad once he stops driving?  Who should handle rental for the beach house now that we’ve agreed on a lease-sell arrangement during the next five years?

5. Elder mediation brings out the best in people.  Once family members are engaged in the mediation process, their dispute can move from friction to traction, from deadlock to determination to put their issues behind them.

Convinced?  If not, give us a call so we can discuss this further. We are here to help you navigate your family’s differences and explore new paths to resolve conflict.

Sig Cohen
Beyond Dispute Associates
202-359-6141
www.toughconversations.net
sigcohen@toughconversations.net

 

© Sig Cohen and Beyond Dispute Associates, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sig Cohen and Beyond Dispute Associates with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. – See more at: http://toughconversations.net/what-i-love-about-elder-mediation