Seniors For Living

It doesn’t matter if you have 10 brothers and sisters or two. It doesn’t matter if you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings or a strained one. It doesn’t matter if you and your mother-in-law get along well and (almost) always agree on things.

When the time comes for an elder care decision to be made, things can get ugly. Old tensions resurface; unresolved wrongs bubble up. Dissension emerges as each family member stands by their ideas of “what’s best for Mom & Dad.” Discussions about money intensify these already difficult dynamics.

The parent or parents may take sides with one child, pitting the others against them, or they may try to avoid taking sides and clam up when it’s time to talk. More than likely though, whether they speak up or not, they have an entirely different position and plan than what their children have proposed.

Families need help. Elder care mediators may be a viable option for navigating the stormy seas of choosing assisted living, home care or another elder care arrangement amidst a deluge of diverse opinions, mixed emotions, and hurt feelings.

Though elder care mediation is still an emerging field, there is a great need for these professionals, for an unbiased third party voice of reason amidst the clamor of family chaos.

Read more about them in our post, Business Booming for Elder Mediators as Boomers & Aging Parents Collide.

Talk back: Did your family use a mediator? Was it a positive experience?