Lunch & Learn: Elder Mediation - Preventing & Addressing Elder Abuse

This session features the Elder Mediation Australasian Network (EMAN), an organisation dedicated to promoting elder mediation practice and supporting the rights, safety and participation of older people in decision making.

EMAN Chairperson, Adjunct Professor Dale Bagshaw, together with Board members Nick Carter and Fiona Tait, will lead a discussion on the growing role of elder mediation in preventing and addressing elder abuse.

What is this webinar about?

Elder Mediation is a collaborative, rights based process that supports older people to participate in decision making about their lives, directly or indirectly, and with or without capacity. It is at the heart of EMAN’s mission to uphold the safety, rights, will and preferences of older people while promoting peaceful and respectful resolution of family conflict.

This session will explore how Elder Mediation differs from other forms of mediation and the vital role it plays in preventing and addressing elder abuse.

The discussion will delve into:

• How Elder Mediation provides a specialised approach to decision making that places the rights and safety of older people at its core

• The knowledge, values and skills required to practise Elder Mediation, including understanding ageing, capacity, and intergenerational family dynamics

• How mediators are trained and accredited through EMAN under Australia’s first recognised mediation specialisation

This is an essential session for anyone working with older people, including professionals in aged care, mediation, legal support, social work and community services. Advocates, family members and community leaders seeking constructive ways to resolve conflict and safeguard the rights of older people will also find this session invaluable.

This session will soon be available to view on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@elderabuseactionaustralia8741

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A BIT ABOUT OUR PRESENTERS:

Professor Dale Bagshaw - Founder and Chair, Elder Mediation Australasian Network (EMAN)

Adjunct Professor Dale Bagshaw is the Founder and Chair of the Elder Mediation Australasian Network (EMAN) and a Certified Elder Mediator (Advanced) with the Elder Mediation International Network (EMIN), where she also serves on the International Board and Certification Committee.

A respected academic and mediator, Dale is an Adjunct Professor at the University of South Australia (now Adelaide University) and has led national and international research on family violence, elder abuse and conflict resolution. She played a key role in developing the first South Australian Strategy to Prevent the Abuse of Older South Australians (2007–2014) and continues to advise government on safeguarding the rights of older people.

Dale has conducted elder mediation training across Australia and New Zealand since 2015, with a strong focus on elder abuse prevention. She led the successful proposal to the Australian Mediation and Dispute Resolution Standards (AMDRAS) Board, making Elder Mediation Australia’s first recognised mediation specialisation.

Nick Carter - Board Member, Elder Mediation Australasian Network (EMAN)

As well as being a Board Member of the Elder Mediation Australasian Network (EMAN), Nick is a Dispute Resolution Practitioner with the Office of the Public Advocate (South Australia), where he mediates in matters involving older and vulnerable adults within supported decision-making frameworks.

Through his private practice, Lotus Creek Mediation, based in the Adelaide Hills, Nick provides elder mediation services alongside family dispute resolution and conflict coaching. He holds a Master of Dispute Resolution (Dean’s Award) and has training in elder mediation, family dispute resolution, collaborative practice, and crisis support.

Nick has recently commenced a PhD with the University of South Australia, investigating the impact of elder mediation in residential aged care communities.

Fiona Tait - Board Member, Elder Mediation Australasian Network (EMAN)

A Board Member of the Elder Mediation Australasian Network (EMAN), Fiona is an Advanced Certified Elder Mediator with the Elder Mediation International Network (EMIN).

For the past six years, she has worked with Relationships Australia NSW in the Let’s Talk Elder Mediation and Support Service, helping older people and their families address, resolve and prevent interpersonal conflict, and supporting decision making that protects the rights, interests and safety of older people.

Fiona’s background includes research and program work supporting vulnerable groups across victims support, aged care and community services. She holds qualifications in counselling, criminology, family dispute resolution and elder mediation.