Elder Mediation Australasian Network - EMAN

Save the dates: 8th, 9th & 10th of March 2017 in Hobart

Come to Hobart when the rest of Australia is too hot to bear!

This 3 day intensive training will be provided by Associate Professor Dale Bagshaw, Dip.Soc.Stud, BA, M.Soc.Stud, PhD., Cert. EM.  It is a fantastic opportunity to learn from one of Australia’s most experienced elder mediators and trainers. We are just finalising the course details.  Registration forms will be available in early January 2017. Enquiries to eldermediationtas@gmail.com

In 2013, Dale Bagshaw co-convened the 6th World Summit on Mediation with Age-Related Issues in Adelaide and received the Sherren Award from the Elder Mediation International Network (EMIN) for global leadership in this field.  In 2016 she became one the first mediators from the Australasian region to complete EMIN’s Elder Mediation Certification Program. In 2014 she was awarded the Michael Klug LEADR Award “for her many, very varied and enduringly significant innovations in the Australasian DR landscape over many years”. She has led many national research teams, including those focused on family violence, elder abuse and elder mediation. Dale subsequently established and Chairs the Elder Mediation Australasian Network (www.elder-mediation.com.au). She is a member of EMIN’s Board and Certification Committee and is an adjunct Associate Professor with the School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia.

My Mediation Options – A Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Perspective Project

Catalyst Foundation (formally the Seniors Information Service SA) has received funding from Multicultural SA for a project which aims to raise awareness of the types and prevalence of elder abuse and of preventative services for CALD seniors who are at risk of or who are experiencing domestic violence or elder abuse. The project also aims to increase the capacity and confidence of service providers and ‘community champions’ to prevent and respond more effectively to abuse towards CALD seniors. The primary focus of the Project is to raise awareness of the types and prevalence of elder abuse and of preventative services for CALD seniors who are at risk of or experiencing domestic violence or elder abuse. One goal is to increase awareness and the capacity and confidence of service providers and community groups, to help prevent and respond more effectively to domestic violence and abuse towards CALD seniors. Our project is also seeking to improve engagement between organisations and will support communities to utilise practical solutions for dealing with issues of abuse and violence against CALD seniors.  We are conducting community surveys and will train and empower identified community champions by offering ‘train the trainer’ sessions and by providing information they can impart to people seeking it.  The two focus areas are the Adelaide metropolitan region and the regional centre of Whyalla.

The Catalyst Foundation ‘My Mediation Options’  Steering Committee is chaired by Ms Jenny Hughes, Chief Executive, Catalyst Foundation and Mr Sasha Drogovelic, Team Leader, and is made up of representatives from the University of South Australia (Associate Professor Dale Bagshaw), Relationships Australia SA (Ms Virginia Leeuwenbuerg) , Office of the Public Advocate (Ms Elly Nitschke), Multicultural Communities Council of SA (Ms Helena Kyriazopoulos),  Multicultural Aged Care (Ms Vicki Kanakaris), South Australian Police (Dr Juma Abuyi) and Aged Rights Advocacy Service (Ms Doris Gioffre).

For more information please contact Patricia Rios, The Project Officer, on: Phone 8168 8708 or Email: patricia@catalystfoundation.com.au

The objective of this program is to explore, discuss and address the multiple challenges faced in the provision of emergency care for older persons; not limited to the ED setting but across the care continuum.  More information regarding this event can be found at:
http://alfredetc-professional-development.cvent.com/events/integrated-emergency-care-for-older-persons-summit/event-summary-8200e9e7035343e995c5967905507e49.aspx

Rae Kaspiew, Rachel Carson and Helen Rhoades, Research Report No. 35 — February 2016.           https://aifs.gov.au/publications/elder-abuse                   This Report is now published on the Australian Institute of Family Studies website and provides an overview of elder abuse in Australia – including its characteristics, context, and prevention.

The new Elder Relationship Service is run by Relationships Australia and supported by federal government funding and aims to help support families deal with the complex issues of ageing. The service will run as a pilot for 12 months in Canberra ACT, Wagga Wagga NSW, Kew VIC, Adelaide SA, Launceston TAS and Moreton Bay QLD. Relationships Australia national executive officer, Alison Brook, said the service would help families have difficult conversations and resolve differences in ways that improve relationships. “It’s a common story as we age that family conflict emerges around significant health issues, where older parents will live or how estates will be divided,” Brook said: “We also want to support families to plan for future medical, health, financial or living arrangements and make decisions that protect the interests, rights and safety of all family members”. ”People can attend the new service on their own, with their partner or extended family. The Elder Relationship Service will be staffed by trained counsellors and mediators with specific skills in elder services. To find out more about the Elder Relationship Service, call 1300 364 277.

The South Australian Office for the Ageing (OFTA) has developed a public awareness campaign on safeguarding the rights of older South Australians and elder abuse. The campaign aims to safeguard older people against elder abuse and to help the South Australian community to recognise the signs and to take action if they suspect abuse is occurring.

Website address: www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/stopelderabuse

Family Mediation and Counselling Victoria and Benetas have launched a Seniors Mediation Program. Seniors Mediation is a unique type of mediation for elderly people and their families that uses a non-adversarial approach to resolving conflict or making important decisions. Contact: andrea.mcdougall@benetas.com.au

Seniors Victoria (page 3) has provided good coverage of research into elder mediation as a potential strategy to protect older people from financial abuse by their adult children – http://www.thesenior.com.au/News/Digital-Paper/Victoria

Here is a link to the Older People Clinical Network webpage where you will find the draft SA Health Services Plan for People with Dementia (and Delirium). The Older People Clinical Network welcomes any comments your may have on the plan.

http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/health+reform/clinical+networks/older+people+clinical+network