The New York Times published a piece yesterday by Abby Ellin titled “Strengthening Troubled Sibling Bonds to Deal With an Aging Parent.” It appears in the Saturday Personal Business section in the print edition and the Your Money section of the digital edition, here. In the article, three sisters in their fifties describe how working […]
End-of-Life Planning
Today’s New York Times included an article titled “End-of-Life Talks May Finally Overcome Politics” by Pam Belluck. The focus of the article was “advance care planning” and the growing interest in having important, if difficult, conversations about how we each want to live our last days. Although the main points were mostly about possible Medicare […]
Speziale Alternative Dispute Resolution Symposium
Last month, Quinnipiac University School of Law hosted the Eighth John A. Speziale Alternative Dispute Resolution Symposium. This year the symposium covered “ADR in Hard Times: Can Alternative Dispute Resolution Maintain Access to Justice When Resources Are Limited?” I was honored to ask to serve as a Resource Participant in the afternoon breakout session on […]
Elder Mediation Featured on Slate.com
Earlier this month, Slate.com ran an article on Elder Mediation, titled: “The Ties That Blind — It’s Tough enough making decisions about elderly parents; What if you don’t like the siblings you have to agree with?” The article quotes experienced elder mediators who talk about the types of sibling and adult family conflict that are […]
Help preventing or healing family heartbreak
Around Valentine’s Day we hear a lot about romantic love. But family love is important, too, and a family break-up can be just as tragic as a couple’s. Sometimes it’s even worse. Family mediation among adult siblings, between parent and child, or in some combination can prevent or heal family heartbreak. A facilitated family meeting […]
Aging Loved Ones, Thanksgiving, and Elder Mediation
Thanksgiving brings together extended families face-to-face, perhaps for the first time in many months. Adult children see with their own eyes the effects of aging on their parents and others. Addressing those effects is a challenge that often leads to conflict. Elder Mediation provides help with difficult conversations with and about aging loved ones. As […]
My Elder Mediation Letter Published in the Hartford Courant
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 […]
ABC World News Piece on Helping Aging Relatives
Tonight I stumbled on an ABC World News piece called: “Families on the Brink: Roundtable Discussion on How to Help Aging Relatives.” Apparently, it is the beginning of a series about some of the challenges of aging. Although the broadcast segment was short, a longer article appeared online (as did some poignant comments from viewers, […]
Your “Big Picture” Year-End Review
As 2010 draws to a close, year-end reviews become popular. We’re all told to take a cold, hard look at where we are and where we need to go. Businesses are encouraged to examine where they can make marginal changes to improve their bottom line. Individuals are urged to pick one, small change that they […]
“Holidays and Tough Conversations”
Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking on “Holidays and Tough Conversations” at The Hearth at Tuxis Pond in Madison, CT. It’s a timely topic: when families gather for the holidays they may find that family situations have changed since they last gathered: a loved one may be more frail, a caregiving plan in […]
