If you haven’t explored family mediation for families, here’s why you might want to give it a try.
When you’re working together to make sure the needs of your older parents are satisfied, even the closest siblings could find themselves in contradiction. Stress and emotions are, obviously, running high. Add to that your past family dynamics and history, which have a tendency to resurface in the midst of challenging times, and it’s easy to see how problematic this phase in life can be for each of you.
The most prevalent aspects of contention among siblings involve financial decisions, differing viewpoints on medical treatments or living arrangements, and an unfair balance of tasks pertaining to caregiving, just to mention a few.
Oftentimes, no matter how hard you try, you and your siblings are just not able to come to an understanding on precisely how to best provide care for your parents. An impasse like this is quite common, often stemming from challenging family dynamics and unresolved conflicts. However, there is a solution many families are not aware of that may be exceedingly helpful: enlisting the help of elder mediation for families.
What Is Elder Mediation?
A professional skilled in resolving conflicts, an elder mediator brings an impartial, third-party voice to family conversations. They can help defuse elevated emotions and outbursts and direct the discussion in a way that leads to an outcome that all parties can accept.
Elder mediator Susanne Terry explains, “Most of the time siblings want what’s best for the parents. They just look at it in a different way. Our goal is to help them figure out what their common interests are, so they can work together to find solutions.”
Unlike family therapy, which helps families work through challenges bit by bit over a prolonged period of time, elder mediation is a focused, compacted strategy that usually results in an agreeable outcome in just a few sessions.
Elder mediators give siblings the opportunity to both provide input and listen with respect to one another. The goal is not only to look for the very best outcome for the elderly parents, but to help siblings maintain healthy relationships with each other in the process.
When researching elder mediation solutions, there are a number of questions you should ask:
- Are you a member of the Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM) or other professional associations?
- What are your fees?
- What is your education, training, and background?
- What amount of experience do you have in our particular situation?
To locate an elder mediator in your community, check out APFM’s mediator directory. Once you and your brothers and sisters determine the best path forward in caring for your parents, reach out to Advanced Home Health Care, the top home care company in Burlington, Fort Madison, Keokuk, and throughout Southeast Iowa. We will be glad to provide more information on elder mediation for families as well as a free in-home consultation to discuss how we can help ensure all their care needs are met. You can reach us any time at 800.791.7785.
