Association for Conflict Resolution Guidelines for Eldercaring Coordination: From Conflict to Collaboration toward the Care and Safety of Elders

Abstract

Th e Association for Confl ict Resolution endorsed the work of its Task Force on Eldercaring Coordination, composed of twenty-one U.S. and Canadian organizations that developed a dispute resolution option specifi cally for high-confl ict cases involving the care and safety of elders. Currently there are no options for dispute resolution that diff erentiate between the unique needs of cases involving elders. Using parenting coordination as a model, Guidelines for Eldercaring Coordination contain an ethical framework for the practices of eldercaring coordinators. Training protocols, a court pilot project template, and project assessment tool complete the package so that this new application to a promising fi eld can be applied responsibly and productively.C ourts and participants agree that mediation is a successful process for many family issues (Emery and Wyer 1987;Johnston 1994;Johnston and Roseby 1997;Kelly 2000Kelly , 2003Kelly , 2004Koch and Lowery 1984;Pearson and Th oennes 1984;Sprenkle and Storm 1983;Taichert 2006). However, when the focus becomes primarily self-interest and perpetuating the confl ict itself, rather than the resolution of the issues at hand or the needs of a family member, another alternative is needed.To address this issue, on October 5, 2014, the board of directors of the Association for Confl ict Resolution (ACR) unanimously approved Guidelines for Eldercaring Coordinators, posted on the ACR website at http:// acreldersection.weebly.com/, and endorsed by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts as of November 6, 2014. Th ese guidelines were Th ese organizations joined the ACR Task Force because of their commonality: each recognized the negative eff ects of confl ict on elders when decisions are delayed or actions undermined by contentious family members, at times putting the elder at risk and at other times ignoring the rights of the elder. In addition, they acknowledged the need to treat elders and their families caught in high-confl ict situations more humanely and more productively within the judicial system. ACR Guidelines for Eldercaring Coordination 415Conflict Resolution Quarterly • DOI: 10.1002/crq Th e ACR Task Force had this mission:To develop a dispute resolution option specifi cally for high confl ict cases involving issues related to the care and safety of elders in order to complement and enhance, not replace, other services such as the provision of legal information or legal representation, individual/family therapy, medical, psychological or psychiatric evaluation or mediation. (ACR 2014, 3) Family courts seem to diff erentiate the needs of families with minor children involved in divorce or separation proceedings by giving them options for dispute resolution, recognizing that most of the time parents have a better chance of following their own agreements rather than court orders (Bush 1996). Alternatives for dispute resolution are routinely off ered, such as family mediation, brief focused evaluations, settlement conferences, and parenting coordination. Cur...