Elder Decisions®
Elder / Adult Family Mediation Training
A Program for Mediators Interested in Serving Elders/Adult Families
Join Us
Our flagship training in Elder / Adult Family Mediation has been expanded in 2023. The new expanded course includes the interactive components, guest experts, small group exercises, role plays, and rich discussions that have made it such a positive experience for past participants, and now includes even more information.
About the Training
We have prepared this course specifically as an online training designed to foster participant engagement, learning, and connection, and have structured each day to allow for appropriate breaks for the comfort of our class members. Past participants have enjoyed a strong sense of community during our trainings, and this live online event weaves opportunities for connection into its design.
The skills, techniques, and principles discussed in the training are transferable to mediation in other contexts, and past participants have often remarked about the mediation “gems” they have received and “aha moments” they have experienced that have helped deepen their mediation work.
We look forward to having you join us.
November-December 2023 – Online
Tuesdays and Thursdays
12:15 to 5:00 PM Eastern
November 28, 30; and
December 5, 7, 12, and 14, 2023
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Approved under Part 146 by the NY State Unified Court System’s Office of ADR Programs for Additional Mediation Training*
Course Description
This live online training teaches mediators specialized skills and techniques for mediating adult family conversations (in-person and/or online) around issues such as living arrangements, caregiving, driving, family communication, medical care, Powers of Attorney / Health Care Proxies, financial planning, estate planning, family real estate, and personal property distribution. Topics and components include:
The Field of Elder / Adult Family Mediation
- Presenting Issues
- Common Hurdles
- Strategies for Intake and Convening Family Members
- Using Private Caucuses in Advance of Joint Mediation
- Working with Large, Dispersed Family Groups
- Managing Multiple Stakeholders and Multiple Issues
- Including the “Voice” of the Elder
- Ethical Concerns, Including Capacity, Financial Disclosure, Power Imbalances and More
- Considerations Regarding Remote Mediation via Videoconferencing
Challenges of Aging
- Mental & Physical Effects of Aging
- Maintaining Independence
- Coping with Loss
- Caregiving and Aging Families
- Long Term Care Options for Elders
Legal Planning
- Planning for Financial Management
- Medical Decision Making
- Long-Term Care Costs, and Options for Paying for Care
- Asset Protection
- Guardianship and Alternatives
Skill-Building Components
- Mediating via Zoom Videoconferencing
- Small Group Exercises
- Lively, Interactive Presentations
- Guest Experts in Elder Law and Gerontology
- Trainers’ “Fishbowl” Demonstration
- Multi-Party Role Plays Featuring “True-to-Life” Scenarios
- Extensive Training Manual to Support Your Ongoing Practice
Presented by Elder Decisions®, a division of Agreement Resources, LLC – A team of experienced mediators who work with seniors and their families to facilitate communication and proactive planning, and to address conflicts that arise in elder care and family decision-making.
“You offered a great training, and one that opened windows both into eldercare practice and your inclusive, evolving approach to mediation. You are trailblazers and I’ve already thought of ways to incorporate a number of your approaches into certain circumstances that may arise more generally in mediation. So, again, all my gratitude.”
“Thank you for an excellent training. The material was comprehensive and the exercises were rich in opportunities for expression and learning.”
“This exceeded my expectations! The Elder Decisions® Mediation Training makes a compelling case for why we need to step up to this national challenge and makes it possible for mediators to step into these critical but delicate family conversations. I got a great return on my investment: information-dense, practical, inspiring — allowing me to extend my company’s services to meet this growing demand.”
Lead Trainers:
Guest Experts:
Steven M. Cohen, Esq.
Anna Pollard, MSW, LICSW, C-ASWCM
Malya Kurzweil Levin, Esq.
The Weinberg Center for Elder Justice
Beth Polner Abrahams, Esq.
“…a fabulous, very enriching training experience that I will always remember.”
“Usually when one goes to a conference or training it is considered successful if one takes away one memorable piece of information from the whole event. In my case my expectations were higher given that I had a return trip of some 40 hours travelling time. I found all the presenters so knowledgeable and so passionate about their topics that I would have considered the training a huge success had I only been able to listen to any single one of them! This training was an unmitigated success for the organisers and I could not praise their work enough, from choosing their topics to their choice of presenters, this was indeed a formidable and professional effort that they can rightly be very proud of. I will certainly be looking to attend another of their events.”
Author of Avoid Retirement & Stay Alive Harper Collins & McGraw Hill 2007 and What’s Keeping You Awake at Night Harper Collins 2010
“The training program was the best I have experienced over the years – so much information to process – I’m still working on it.”
Registration Fee
$1,500. Includes course materials. (For registrants located outside the United States, please contact us to make arrangements regarding shipping materials, which will require additional time and incur additional cost.)
Scholarships
We welcome and want to support greater diversity in the field, and offer scholarships for Black and BIPOC participants to register at a reduced rate of 50% off the rate at time of registration.
Financial Aid Policy
20% discount available from rate at time of registration (including BIPOC rate) for Seniors, Students, Current Community Mediation Volunteers, and/or anyone for whom the regular rate would pose a hardship.
Please include in the Comments section of the registration form your request for a BIPOC discount of 50% and/or a Financial Aid discount of 20%.
Need additional assistance? Very limited work study may be available, for approximately one spot per training, based on projects available at the time; please inquire for details.
Cancellations / Transfers
Cancellations must be made in writing. A full refund is available up to 21 days before the start of a program for registrations that have not been previously transferred. Cancellations received between 21 and 14 days before the start of a program will receive a refund less a $100 fee, or registrants may make a one-time transfer to another program within a one year period without incurring a fee. No refunds or transfers will be made if a cancellation is made within 14 days of the start of a program. Registrants who transfer their registration more than one time will be charged a $100 administrative fee for each transfer. Transferred registrations are not eligible for refunds. Elder Decisions® reserves the right to cancel a program for any reason and issue a full refund.
Location
The training will take place via Zoom videoconferencing. Please contact us at (617) 621-7009 x29, or training@ElderDecisions.com, with questions.
Prerequisite
Completion of prior basic mediation training is strongly preferred. Registrants who have not completed basic mediation training are required to participate in a 90 minute “Introduction to Mediation Tutorial” with Elder Decisions® (for an additional fee), and will need to take basic mediation training prior to providing mediation services. (Contact us for more information and to schedule this tutorial at a mutually convenient time.)
“I’m still raving to everyone how valuable I found the training and how I enjoyed all of the presenters.”
“Elder Decisions®’ Advanced Elder Mediation Training…was excellent; actually the best I have ever experienced. It was well organized (and) the subject matter was completely covered. (This was) the most sequentially programmed and clearly presented (training) I have yet attended.”
“Thank you all for the excellent program last week – the presentations were excellent, the materials just the type of thing that I will use in the future as a reference tool. Obviously you have devoted much time, thought, and effort to creating this workshop – your work has paid off for the participants! “
Elements of Participation
By registering you acknowledge that you have read the following elements of participation:
This is an interactive training and we’ll be asking you to keep your camera on during most of class time. Please register for a time when you’ll be able to be fully present and engaged – for your own benefit and that of the class.
The ability to see nine (9) or more participants on a Zoom screen at once will be important for mediation role plays; for this reason, please join the training on either a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet.
Portions of the training may be recorded with the permission of trainees.
Let us know if you have questions or wish to discuss any of these elements. We welcome a conversation and are looking forward to a collaborative learning environment!
Continuing Education
* This training is approved under Part 146 by the New York State Unified Court System’s Office of ADR Programs for 16 hours of Additional Mediation Training. Please note that:
(1) Pursuant to Part 146, court-based mediation rosters require both a combination of mediation training and experience mediating;
(2) Acceptance on court rosters depends on a court’s need for mediators at any given time and may include a court’s need for mediators with specific case-type training or experience and mediation experience;
(3) Final placement on any court roster is in the discretion of the local Administrative Judge.
**Application for New York accreditation of this program is currently pending. This course offering is appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys.
Questions/Next Steps
If you are interested in this training or future programs, please call (617) 621-7009 x29, email training@ElderDecisions.com, or register below.
We look forward to connecting with you.
Elder / Adult Family Mediation Training Registration
Please note: If you wish to keep a copy of this form or are mailing in a check, please print this page before your press “submit.”
You may mail your check (payable to Agreement Resources, LLC) to:
Elder Decisions®, a division of Agreement Resources, LLC
30 Walpole Street
Norwood, MA 02062
Please include a copy of the printout with your check. Thank you.