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Elder Law Prof Blog
Katherine C. Pearson, Editor, and a Member of the Law Professor Blogs Network on LexBlog.com

Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) has forms a new Section on Elder Decision-Making and Conflict Resolution

By Elder Law Prof Blog

The Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) has formed a new Section on Elder Decision-Making and Conflict Resolution.  Thecreation of the Section on Elder Decision-Making and ConflictResolution was unanimously approved by the ACR Board of Directors atits July Board meeting.

Themission of the Section is to advance the development, provision, anduse of high quality facilitated conflict resolution and decision-makingservices by older persons, their families, public and private serviceproviders and others in response to the myriad of issues that may comewith aging. These matters may include, but are not limited to:caregiving, estate planning and estate administration, inheritancedisputes, guardianship decisions and alternatives, health care,housing, insurance, end-of-life planning and decision-making. They mayalso involve issues related to consumer matters, neighbor conflicts,and other matters not particular to older persons, but that may requireappropriate accommodations when an older person is involved. 

TheSection will work to foster professional standards, ethics, trainingstandards and practice to promote the maximum effective participationof all persons to achieve informed self-determination regardless ofpossible age-related or other limitations of involved parties. It alsowill work to address the potential of ageism or age discrimination byany person (including the practitioner, participants, and others) inthe provision of such conflict resolution and decision-making services.

“Theformation of this Section demonstrates ACR’s interest in responding tonew areas of practice,” says ACR President James A. Rosenstein. “Theneed for a home for specialists in elder conflict resolution becameclear to me recently when I received elder mediation training. Ilearned there the additional expertise required for even experiencedmediators to be effective in helping to resolve conflicts in whichelderly persons are either parties or their interests or rights wouldbe affected by its resolution.” 

Rosenstein announced that the Section leaders will be Arline Kardasis (arline@elderdecisions.com), Carolyn J. Rodis (cjrodis@yahoo.com), and Robert J. Rhudy (bobrhudy@yahoo.com).

ASection meeting is being planned for the ACR Annual Conference inAtlanta, October 7 – 10, 2009. Watch for details in the August ACRUpdate. 

To join this new Section, please goto Member Center and log in. On the left sidebar, click on the link”Add a Section,” and check off “Elder Decision-Making and ConflictResolution Section.” Alternatively, you may call the Member ConciergeCenter at 202-464-9700, press option 2, and the Membership conciergewill help you. Questions also may be e-mailed to sections@ACRnet.org. 
Specialnote: Watch for the Summer issue of ACResolution. The theme is NewPerspectives on Elder Mediation: Evolving Ethics and Best Practices.

For those who are not already members of ACR:
You can join online at http://impak.acrnet.org/members_online/members through the secure server or call ACR staff at 202-464-9700 for assistance.