AGING IN HARMONY
Peace of Mind for Elders and Families
PRESENTS:
How Can You Hear Me if You Aren’t Listening?
Conflict Resolution Skills for Aging and Community
A One And A Half Day Workshop
Are you helping older family members or friends navigate the challenges of aging and find it difficult to communicate about their plans for the future? Or would you like to talk to your spouse, adult children or grandchildren about your own aging-related concerns, but don’t feel heard and understood? Or maybe you live or work with older adults and their families and would like to better support them during difficult discussions and decisions? Whether you are facing your own aging process or are a family member, friend, neighbor, caregiver, or service provider for older adults, this workshop series is for you!
During the introductory evening, we will explore the impact of aging on the individual, family, community and society at large. Participants will examine cultural biases around aging and learn to recognize their own assumptions regarding older adults. Based on this understanding, we will discuss why most of us find it challenging to communicate effectively about aging-related concerns and decisions. Finally, we will offer helpful tools to facilitate communications during controversial and highly emotional discussions with elders and to support collaborative decisions that address the needs of everyone involved.
Participants in the hands-on training will have extensive opportunities to practice these tools in role plays and learn how to apply empathic listening and conflict resolution skills during interactions with elders in their daily lives.
PRESENTERS:
KATHARINA W. DRESS, MA, has been a mediator for 5 years and a facilitator and trainer for over 25 years. As founder of AGING IN HARMONY, she provides conflict resolution services to older adults and their families, caregivers and aging services providers. She is on the Civil Court Mediation Panel of the Superior Court of Alameda County. She also serves as community mediator and trainer for SEEDS Community Resolution Center (Alameda), as community and guardianship mediator for Conflict Resolution Programs (Contra Costa), and as mediation training coach for Bay Area Nonviolent Communication (Oakland).
JOHN G. ELLIOTT, MA, MFT has been a marriage and family therapist for 40 years. He has integrated mediation into his practice of Collaborative Divorce work and volunteers at SEEDS Community Resolution Center (Berkeley). With 25 years of grief support/ bereavement work experience, he facilitates a partner-loss group for Sutter-VNA Hospice (Emeryville).
Co-produced by East Bay Cohousing thanks to Raines Cohen, Certified Senior Cohousing Facilitator, Cohousing Coach and Aging-In-Community author published in Audacious Aging.
