ELDER MEDIATION – A POWERFUL APPROACH FOR REDUCING AGEISM AND ELDER ABUSE Online

Online – Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 11:30am – 5:00pm ET

Join us for a day of learning and inspiration where you’ll discover the power of Elder Mediation and how it can enhance your work and the lives of the people you serve.

“When my mom got scammed, my brother became extremely protective, but controlling.  Elder mediation helped us as a family, to not only help my mom with her feelings of shame/grief but helped us as adult children to balance our protectiveness of her without bulldozing her autonomy.  We better understood her vulnerability and our responsibility to respect her dignity.”

Ageism and Elder Abuse often go unnoticed or are not acknowledged until they become egregious in the lives of seniors.  Ageism is prevalent in all aspects of our society and by gaining awareness, it empowers us to challenge and correct ageist assumptions.  This mini-conference will feature speakers focused on the unique needs of seniors and their families. You’ll hear from experts on the use of Elder Mediation in a wide variety of circumstances and gain greater understanding in how it can be applied in your own work.

Who Should Attend?

Whether you’re a mediator, lawyer, social worker, healthcare professional, caregiver, funeral home professional or any type of specialist working with seniors, you’ll find valuable insights and connections at FMC’s Mini-Conference.

The full agenda and bios are below.

Topics covered at the conference include:

• Understanding how Elder Mediation addresses the unique needs of seniors and their families.
• Using mediation to prevent ageism and elder abuse.
• Legal considerations in Elder Mediation.
• Linking Elder Mediation to your professional practice.
• Implications of recent research to the development of Elder Mediation.

Four hours of training, cost:

Members and partners $99 (no tax)

Non-members $115

Full brochure with agenda and registration information here>>>

SPEAKER BIOS:

Research Keynote: Talk To Me with Dignity, Talk With Me: Understanding the Subtle and Complex Nature of Ageism Through Research and Lived Experiences – 12:20 – 1:05pm

Martine Lagacé, Ph.D. was appointed Associate Vice-President, Research, Promotion & Development at University of Ottawa in August 2018. She is a professor in the Department of Communication and is affiliated with the School of Psychology. Professor Lagacé was Vice-Dean, Governance of the Faculty of Arts from 2014 to 2018, and Director of the Department of Communication from 2011 to 2012. In addition to her administrative experience, she has extensive expertise in journalism, having worked at Radio-Canada for more than 10 years.

Professor Lagacé has contributed greatly to the advancement of knowledge on the psychosocial aspects of aging, particularly as they relate to discrimination based on age. She has led several field surveys in Canada and abroad, with workers as well as elderly patients to better understand the impact of age-based discrimination. In the francophone community, her academic work on ageism has been ground-breaking. She has edited two books on the topic and regularly publishes articles in academic journals, in both official languages. Professor Lagacé has also forged several international research collaborations, particularly in France and Italy.

Elder Mediation – What it is and why it is a Powerful Approach to Reducing Ageism and Elder Abuse – 11:35am – 12:20pm

Judy McCann Beranger B.A., B.Ed., M.A., Cert.CFM & Cert.EM Advanced is an international trainer, bestselling author, guest lecturer and certified Family Mediation Canada Family Comprehensive Mediator Advanced and EMIN Advanced Elder Mediator. Judy pioneered training for elder mediators in 1994 and was hired to lead the development and implementation of the National and International Elder Mediation Certification program. With the assistance of numerous focus groups, over a two-year period, Judy drafted the code of conduct for elder mediators and has been involved with every international review since. She has been involved in several research initiatives on Elder Mediation, leading a community-based research project to inform the practice of Elder Mediation. Judy is Chair of Summits for the Elder Mediation International Network and has led 11 World Summits on Elder Mediation. She was actively involved with the development of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults international document. Judy is President of Family Mediation Canada.

Intergenerational Trauma, What Can We Learn? – 1:10 – 1:45pm

Doreen Healy – As a residential school survivor, and as a member of the indigenous community, Doreen is acutely aware of how the trauma of genocide has impacted those who were subjected to the abuse of residential schools.  But the long-term consequences do not end there.  Doreen outlines the intergenerational trauma that resulted and the devastating effects to families.

Doreen brings a very real look at what has been helpful to families, what more needs to be done and how Elder Mediation might be a tool to bring some healing within the family and community.

Future Us: A Roadmap to Elder Abuse Prevention – 1:45 – 2:15pm

Margaret MacPherson, M.A. is a Research Associate for the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children at Western University in London, Ontario. She has been leading social change initiatives on gender-based violence for over twenty years. She designs projects, curriculum and related materials on issues that include elder abuse, community coordination, exploitation, intimate partner violence and workplace harassment and violence.

Margaret is passionate in her belief that everyone has an important contribution to make in creating safe and supportive environments at work and in our communities and that setting out the different roles and opportunities to contribute is fundamental to engagement.

 2:15 – 2:45pm

Isobel Mackenzie is Canada’s first Senior’s Advocate. Isobel has devoted her career in advocacy to seniors for over 25 years. Isobel’s recognized accomplishments:

• been named BC’s CEO of the Year for the not-for-profit sector
• been nominated as a Provincial Health Care Hero
• led the largest not-for-profit agency, serving over 6,000 seniors annually
• implemented a new model of dementia care that has become a national best practice
• led the first safety accreditation for home care workers
• released her most recent report on February 23, 2023, entitled:  “We Must Do Better:  Home Support Services for B.C. Seniors”, a comprehensive review including recommendations aimed to better address the financial barriers, respite care needs, quality in all aspects of service-delivery, and modernize care plans and performance measures

Isobel Mackenzie’s shares her insights on the complexities elders face, and where increased awareness of Elder Mediation could further advocate and mitigate vulnerabilities, particularly within health care systems.

Ageism – Individual and Collective Opportunities to Change the Conversation – 2:45 – 3:15pm

 Henry Kielley, MSW, RSW is the Director of Seniors & Aging with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and is also the Provincial Director of Adult Protection. Henry has vast experience working with mental health and community supports, mostly in long-term care. Henry managed a long-term care single entry program and also has experience serving as Manager of Social Work and Spiritual Care in a long-term care facility.

“When Everything Changes – Change Everything” (Neal Donald Walsch): Conversation with Sharrie Dahl & Alvina Snell – 3:25 – 3:55pm

Alvina Snell BA, CertFRM has worked within the legal field for nearly 30 years. Since 2009, she has served as Family Justice Counsellor with the Ministry of Attorney General, Family Justice Division. Alvina was coordinator for the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren legal research project. Alvina is an FMC Elder Mediation Committee member and Board Member of Elder Mediation International Network.

A Road to Elder Mediation – 3:55– 4:25pm

 Jennifer Wells began her career as a classroom teacher where she taught science at the junior and senior high school levels for 10 years.  After leaving teaching to raise her young children, Jennifer trained as a mediator and worked for 15 years at Alberta Justice (Government of Alberta) as a family mediator and, over time, progressing to oversight of the parenting education, mediation, and court counselling programs.  Eventually Jennifer left the government to become the Director of Alternative Dispute Resolution and later Vice President of Communication and Stakeholder Engagement at the Alberta Energy Regulator.

Since leaving the regulator, Jennifer has refocused on her love for mediation and the desire to work with families.  Her personal experiences with her own family and those around her have underscored the value of Elder Mediation. Presently, Jennifer is working toward completing her Family Mediation Canada Elder Mediation National certification.

 Legal Considerations in Elder Mediation – 4:25 – 4:55pm

Katherine L. McKinnon Forgeron BA, LL.B, FMC Cert.CFM graduated from the University of Calgary in 1995 with a degree in Political Science and graduated from the University of Alberta with her LL.B in 2000.  Katherine’s practice has included mediation since 2012 and she holds the Practicing Mediator designation with the Alberta Family Mediation Society. Katherine is a Certified Comprehensive Family Mediator holding the national Advanced designation with Family Mediation Canada.  Katherine is currently in the process of working towards her certification as an Elder Mediator with Family Mediation Canada.  Since 2020 Katherine has served as a director on the board of the Alberta Family Mediation Society.  Katherine is a member of the Family Mediation Canada Elder Mediation Committee.  Katherine has considerable experience working with families and she is committed to assisting families to reduce their conflict and work towards solutions to resolve their issues outside the court process.

Click link above with full brochure and registration form or simply email us at [email protected]