Elder Mediation

Originally posted @ www.EnjoyMediation.com

Not sure if anyone saw this in the Wall Street Journal, but recently there was an article in it on Elder Mediation in California.

Some tidbits:

For years, divorcing couples have hired mediators to avoid court battles. Now, some mediators are starting to specialize in resolving disputes that relate to older adults, such as those over inheritances and caregiving.

"Elder mediation has started to take off over the past couple years," says Dana Curtis, an attorney who mediates disputes and trains elder mediators at Elder Mediation Group in Sausalito, Calif.

Families who hire an elder mediator often do so to save money. To work with a mediator in private practice, a family can expect to spend from $100 to $500 an hour. A national network of nonprofit "community mediation" services charge little to nothing.

In contrast, if a family opts to pursue a lawsuit, each party must retain an attorney.
And unlike court proceedings, the mediation process is confidential...

...Don't confuse mediation with group therapy, however. "To the extent that a mediator needs to deal with family dynamics, we do so. But the purpose of mediation is not to heal the relationships," says Ms. Curtis.

And if you are wondering if Ms. Curtis uses caucus often, keep reading:

Mediators also may provide information families can use to make decisions. For instance, when one family hired Ms. Curtis to referee a dispute over a child's request for an early inheritance, she helped them calculate how much they could afford to give the child -- after setting aside enough to cover the parents' needs and inheritances for the rest.

Read the entire article [HERE].

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