Elder Care

When Families Try Elder Care Mediation, but Don’t Reach Agreements: How Can they Benefit Anyway?  

by
Aging in harmony

As an Elder Care or Adult Family Mediator, I serve older adults and their families by helping them resolve conflicts that often arise on the journey of aging. Topics can range from housing to financial and health care issues and as far as Estate and End of Life planning. Sometimes the Elders and their adult children and/or grandchildren participate in the process, but often it’s only the children who are fighting about what should happen to mom and/or dad and … Read more

When One Party Withdraws from Family Mediation: How Can the Others Move Forward?

by
Aging in harmony

Did you know that every year May is Older Americans Month, intended to recognize the contributions of older adults, highlight aging trends, and reaffirm commitments to serving them? As an Elder Care Mediator, I serve Seniors and their families by helping them resolve conflicts that often arise on the journey of aging. Tensions may arise either between the older generation and their adult children or grandchildren, or between adult siblings who disagree about what should happen to mom and/or dad … Read more

When Multiple Powers of Attorney Must Make Decisions Together: How Can They Reach Consensus?

by
Aging in harmony

Did you know that April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD)? The purpose is to inspire, educate, and empower the public and medical services providers to engage in advance care planning, to document medical wishes and appoint a healthcare proxy (Power of Attorney for the Person) to ensure that personal preferences are honored in case of a crisis. When choosing their Power(s) of Attorney (POAs), parents often name two or more of their adult children to jointly make decisions … Read more

When Siblings Who Never Got Along Compete to Care for Aging Parents: How Can Mediation Help?

by
Aging in harmony

As an Elder Care Mediator, I help families resolve conflicts about their aging parents’ current and future housing, care, finances, and estate. Sometimes the Elder is part of the conversation, but often it’s just the adult children who are fighting about what should happen to their aging loved ones. These battles are particularly fierce when the siblings didn’t get along since childhood. And when their lifelong competition turns into a tug-of-war about the care of mom or dad, they may … Read more

Family Conflicts About Aging Parents’ Needed Level of Care: How Can Mediation Help?

by
Aging in harmony

As an Elder Care Mediator, I help families resolve conflicts about their aging parents’ current and future housing, care, finances, and estate. An issue that often leads to tensions is how much care an Elder needs to be safe and whether they should receive it at home or in a Senior Community. Sometimes all adult children and grandchildren agree about what would be best for their parents or grandparents, but the older generation resists accepting the offered help. But even … Read more

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

by
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 Stepchild Competes with Second Spouse to Take Care of Parent: How Can Mediation Help?

by
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. But recently some second spouses reached out to me for help, because their partner’s children from a prior marriage wanted to be in charge of their mom’s or dad’s care. The special dynamic of blended families can make the decision who should care for an aging loved one especially complicated. Here are a couple of examples from … Read more

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

by
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

FAQ for Mediators: How Many Meetings Does it Take to Resolve Family Conflicts about Eldercare?

by
Aging in harmony

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, more families visit their aging parents and grandparents than during any other time of the year. At such gatherings, concerns about the Elders’ future can easily lead to disagreements. So it’s not surprising that as an Elder Care Mediator, my phone is ringing more often during this season. A frequently asked question during initial complimentary consultations with potential clients is “How many meetings will it take to resolve our family’s conflicts?” I usually answer … Read more

Do you have more questions or concerns?

Call us for a free consultation

510-356-7830 

Or Use Our Intake Form

Contact us now so we can explore how we may support you and your loved ones or clients on the journey of AGING IN HARMONY.