Conference: Ethical Issues in Elder Mediation

First National Symposium on Ethical Standardsfor Elder MediationApril 19-20, 2007, Philadelphia, PA

Symposium OverviewThe First National Symposium on Ethical Issues for Elder Mediation will be held April 19-20, 2007 at Temple University’s James E. Beasley School of Law. The Symposium will feature Harry R. Moody, Nancy Neveloff Dubler and Robert Baruch Bush who will be joined by distinguished panelists from the fields of mediation, elder law, gerontology, bioethics, and geriatric healthcare in an effort to examine the ethical issues that arise during mediation involving older adults.

The First National Symposium on Ethical Issues for Elder Mediation is an effort to address the special practice issues that arise when working with the older population. What makes elder mediation different from other areas of practice is that it is often multi-party, multi-generational and multi-issue. When a physical or cognitive impairment impedes an older adult’s participation in the process, mediators are working to find ways to accommodate the older person in order to use the process safely and effectively. It is imperative to examine how to prevent a vulnerable adult from becoming more vulnerable during the mediation process. The Symposium will seek to prevent such potential harm by posing the following questions:    * What are the ethical issues involved in elder mediation?    * How do existing ethical standards apply in elder mediation and are additional standards needed?    * What is the impact of societal bias regarding aging upon the value of self-determination and the mediation process? Upon mediator neutrality and impartiality?    * What is sufficient capacity to participate in mediation? Under what conditions? Who determines capacity to participate?    * What are the ethical responsibilities of the mediator when a capacity issue is identified?    * Do new ethical and practice issues arise for the mediator when the content of the dispute has ethical dimensions?
Planners of the Symposium include Montgomery County Mediation Center (MCMC), a non-profit community mediation center in Pennsylvania that has developed expertise in elder mediation, the Elderly Law Project of the Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, and the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation, Inc., (ISCT) a national think tank on conflict interaction.

Members of the National Elder Mediation Network organized by The Center for Social Gerontology will participate in the Symposium and the Network’s annual meeting will be held in conjunction with the event.

If you would like registration information, please contact the Symposium Coordinator Kathryn Mariani at (610) 277-8909 or email:eldermediation@verizon.net.