On August 25, 2011, the Hartford Courant published my letter on Elder Mediation. The previous week, on August 17, the Courant ran a Kiplinger News Service article by Erin Peterson, “Help in arriving at what’s best: specialized mediators can work with families to settle elder care disputes.” As I stated in my letter, the Courant provided a valuable public service by running the article, which explained how an elder mediator “can guide squabbling siblings and elderly parents to solutions before conflicts tear a family apart.” Carolyn Rosenblatt, a California elder mediator, noted that “‘the trigger points tend to be how money will be spent, who will take care of the elder and whether the person who wants to do the caregiving is competent to do it.'” I would add that often the person who has been taking care of an aging loved one is becoming overwhelmed and overburdened by the responsibility and a transition needs to be made.
Media coverage of elder mediation can help families to become aware that there are options that can help as they face these challenging, but common, situations.
