Elder and adult mediation offers families the opportunity to have the difficult conversations about elderly care with support from an independent and experienced mediator; their ultimate goal is to make the conversation easier and equip them to make decisions with which they are all comfortable. In episode two, Corporate Caregiver Camp podcast host, Tanya Krim, interviews Crystal Thorpe, an expert in elder mediation and the lead principal of company Elder Decisions and its parent company Agreement Resources, LLC. 

Crystal has 18 years of experience in elder mediation and states that the value and purpose of a mediator is to focus on the present and the future in order to help resolve family conflict and disagreements. She has co-authored the book, Mom Always Liked You Best: A Guide to Resolving Family Feuds, Inheritance Battles & Eldercare Crises (2011), 

a practical guide for resolving family feuds, inheritance battles and eldercare crises.

In this episode, you will hear:

• The definition and goal of elder mediation
• Why people opt to engage in elder mediation and identification of its key benefits 
• The diverse nature of the caregiving issues which siblings confront vis-à-vis aging parents which can lead them to consider mediation
• Why investing in elder mediation plays a valuable and effective role in the management of sibling relationships when caregiving for aging parents 
• How the Covid-19 pandemic has added additional stresses to families 
• The role of the elder family member in the conversation, and why it is important to include them in the decision-making process
• The availability of Zoom in elder mediation as a method to enable geographically dispersed siblings to engage in mediation 
• How companies can support employees by offering an elder mediation option

Crystal Thorpe Bio:

Crystal Thorpe is a mediator, trainer, co-founder and the principal of Elder Decisions® and its parent company Agreement Resources, LLC. She facilitates family meetings for families to have successful conversations, and she mediates disputes among adult family members about caregiving, living arrangements, family communication, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies, estate planning, family real estate, and personal property distribution.

Crystal has trained hundreds of mediators from around the world in the growing field of Elder & Adult Family Mediation, and provides trainings in Conflict Resolution Skills for public audiences, eldercare professionals, work groups and others. She has presented seminars and workshops for the Academy of Professional Family Mediators, the Association for Conflict Resolution, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, the New York State Bar Association Elder Law and Special Needs Section, the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, and the Northeast Human Resources Association.

Crystal is an author and contributor to publications such as The Washington Post and New York Times.  She holds an MSW and an MBA from Boston College and an undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science/Psycholinguistics, magna cum...