Mediation, for the most part, involves parties with two different interests, such as in a divorce case. However, when a family is considering questions involving an elder, there are typically many more than just two interests. Elder and family mediation has evolved to deal with such multi-party issues. “Should Dad stop driving” or “Is Mom ok living where she is?” are typically issues about which siblings or other family members may disagree.
And not all family mediations involve an elder. Sometimes the issues relate to the “family camp” or a family business involving a variety of family members. Other times the issues arise only after the death of the elder, such as the disposition of those possessions of the elder not distributed by the Will or Trust.
While having some similarities to traditional two-party mediation, multi-party mediation has its own complexities – some of which are unique. Successfully conducting such mediations usually requires special training and preparation. This is an area of high interest for me, and I have been training for such mediations, most recently by participating in a 23-hour course devoted to these topics.
If you are involved in a family situation, before hiring lawyers, consider family mediation. I’d be happy to discuss this with you at no charge. Easiest for me is if we can schedule a call, so please email me at barry@barrykohlerconsulting.com and propose a couple of days and times for us to speak.