When Family Conflicts Escalate via E-Mail or Text: How Can Mediation Help?

Aging in harmony

As an Elder Care Mediator, I mostly help families resolve conflicts about their aging parents’ current and future housing, care, finances, and estate. Although usually all parties have their parents’ or grandparents’ best interest at heart, they disagree about what that should look like. Since everyone feels strongly about the issues at hand, emotions run high and misunderstandings can easily lead to conflicts. When I ask potential clients how they have tried to communicate with their family members, they often … Read more

When Sibling Roles Change during their Middle Age: Can Mediation Restore Family Peace??

Aging in harmony

As an Elder Care Mediator, I mostly help families resolve conflicts about their aging parents’ current and future housing, care, finances, and estate. However, recently an adult daughter contacted me with a different problem: The relationship between her and her oldest sister had become so strained that she was afraid that the upcoming Holiday family gatherings would be unbearable for all generations. During initial individual confidential consultations with her and her two sisters, I learned that 3 issues had caused … Read more

When Stay-At-Home Child Fights with Siblings about Parents’ Care: How Can Mediation Help?

Aging in harmony

As an Elder Care Mediator, I frequently get contacted by adult children who are fighting with family members about their aging parents’ care. Most recently some of them reached out to me, because they had a special reason to be in conflict with their sibling:  While the one who asked me for help was trying to manage their parent’s finances in their best interest, their stay-at-home sibling had other plans for the funds and family home. Here are a couple … Read more

When Aging Parents Won’t Participate in Elder Care Mediation: How Can Families Resolve Conflicts?

Aging in harmony

As an Elder Care Mediator, I frequently get contacted by adult children whose family does not see eye to eye about the future of their aging parents’ housing, care, or finances. Since the parents are at the center of the conflict, I always ask to speak with them first, before I can decide how I may be able to help. More often than not, mom or dad is willing to meet with me for an initial confidential consultation – in … Read more

Adult Children Living Near and Far Away: Should Aging Parents Treat Them the Same?

Aging in harmony

As an Elder Care Mediator, families often reach out to me for help when adult children have different opinions about what’s best for their aging parents, e.g. what care they need or where they should live. But lately I’ve been working with some families who disagree about a different topic: If some adult children live close to their parents and others live further away, should they be treated the same? Conflicts about this question can arise either between the adult … Read more