TESTIMONIALS
See what people we’ve helped have to say
When families face conflicts regarding their elders’ care or finances, we provide mediation services to help them find common ground. For those unsure how to plan for their loved ones’ future, our professional facilitation ensures productive family meetings. When relatives are unwilling to come together and talk, our conflict coaching helps family caregivers learn to navigate difficult conversations.
Click the tabs below to read inspiring family caregiver testimonials from those who have benefited from our conflict resolution services.
WHAT OUR FACILITATION CLIENTS SAY
LJK, Campbell, CA:
I have found the Facilitation from Katharina to be an excellent source of structure and the guidance that our family desperately needed. We have been guided through the communication process in a positive and professional manner, with the emphasis on everyone being heard and respectfully understood. This has not been our family’s experience before our work with Katharina.
Teresa Dwire-Elliott, Denver, CO:
I am so grateful for the role Katharina provided in our family’s effort to support my mother-in-law. Katharina is a detailed listener and thoughtful questioner. The initial one-on-one conversations helped everyone feel heard, and even helped get the right people engaged in the conversation. Without this step, it is probable some would have been left out. The online family facilitation spanned four time zones and three states. During that time Katharina made sure everyone felt heard and helped collect commitments and next steps. When the family got distracted, she gently pulled us back to the task at hand. I’m grateful we went through this process. Our family is much more clear on our next steps and everyone is on the same page. This is no small accomplishment. Many thanks!
Seth Melchert, Oakland, CA:
During a family care planning meeting that Katharina facilitated with me and several family members, we found her to be thorough, methodical and careful. She clearly knows the territory of aging and the unique, complex issues faced by elders, and she has a wealth of knowledge for meeting those needs. She also has relational skills, with tools for effective communication; she can coach and role-play to help us become more authentic, honest and effective in how we speak.
Perhaps the greatest benefit we found by working with Katharina is the confidence we have gained, having a clear path forward and a sense of competency as we navigate caring for our aging parents. We are deeply grateful for her support and skills.
S. M., San Leandro, CA:
Katharina Dress is compassionate, professional, and organized. She was responsive to our needs and flexible. I wish I had found her earlier and my family could have started working with her sooner.
Cecilia G. Berkeley, CA:
Katharina Dress of AGING IN HARMONY worked with my siblings and myself to get my parents to discuss some of the difficult subjects that needed to be addressed as they grow older. She not only coached us on how to get them to discuss these subjects, but she facilitated a family meeting in such a way that many decisions were made and an action plan was developed during our initial meeting. In addition, she has many contacts to whom she referred us, including attorneys, realtors, and financial and tax advisors – many of whom specialize in providing services to elderly people. We are continuing to work with her to ensure follow-through with the action plan. We would not have been able to make the progress we made to date without her.
Eliza S., Oakland, CA:
My father, my siblings, and I had a proactive meeting with Katharina Dress to discuss the arrangements for any future illness and eventual death. I thought I knew most of what my father wanted, but this was an opportunity to go much deeper than any of us had before and to bring up difficult questions that none of us would have talked about on our own. It also means that we have all heard the same things and that there are no major secrets or surprises. My father was very organized and in three hours we covered everything that we needed to cover — from very big questions about illness and incapacitation to smaller questions about possessions of sentimental value. Katharina’s facilitation was vital to focus us and empower us to dig deeper and to keep talking through the things that needed to be said. I definitely recommend her services to anyone who needs additional clarity or has questions they haven’t managed to ask — or maybe haven’t even thought of.
Jeff Cambra, President, Mobile Mediations
Assistant City Attorney (ret.), City of Hayward, CA:
I am the president of Mobile Mediations, a mediation service that specializes in community mediations involving senior residents living in mobile home parks. I had the pleasure of working with Katharina Dress on a particularly difficult conflict.
She was part of the team that designed the information packet and the educational program I used to assist the senior residents in taking charge of their conflict and in resolving their dispute with the owner of the park. She also served as a table facilitator at a residents meeting. She clearly understands the unique nature of mediating with a single senior or facilitating an entire community. Her assistance was invaluable in helping resolve the issues surrounding the dispute, leaving all parties pleased with the outcome. I would work with her again in any situation involving older persons.
