02 Nov 2008
November 2, 2008

Upcoming Speaking Engagments

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I have a number of speaking engagements scheduled during the first few weeks of November 2008 that may be of interest to readers of this blog.

  • On November 8, 2008, I am scheduled to speak at the Alzheimer’s Association Conference, in Union County College located in Cranford, NJ. My presentation is entitled “Planning for Disability and Long-Term Care Needs”.  I will discuss voluntary and involuntary surrogate decision-making arrangements, such as guardianships, powers of attorney and the like, and government sources of funding for long-term custodial care, such as Medicare, Medicaid and VA benefits.
  • On November 12, 2008, I will be speaking at the Family Support Center of New Jersey, located on Route 35 in Manasquan, NJ. I will be speaking on “Guardianship and Estate Planning for Parents of Children with Special Needs” I plan to discuss the fundamentals of guardianship practice as well as special needs planning for adult disabled children and the use of special needs trusts to maintain the disabled person’s eligibility for needs-based public benefits while providing assets in trust which can be used to improve the quality of the disabled person’s life.
  • On November 13 and 19, 2008, I will be speaking at the law offices of Dalena, Dalena & DeStefano, P.C. in Madison, NJ along with other members of the NJ Association of Professional Mediators and the Central Jersey Collaborative Law Group, an affiliate of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. The topic is “Exploring Divorce: Traditional Divorce, Divorce Mediation and Collaborative Divorce.” The presenters will discuss the legal, financial and psychological issues involved in divorce in comprehensive seminars led by an interdisciplinary team of attorneys, financial experts, child specialists and mental health professionals. There is a separate seminar offered for men (on November 13th) and women (on November 19th).
  • On November 15, 2008, I will participate in the Annual Conference of the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators in Somerset, NJ. At that time, members of the The Elder Mediation Center of New Jersey, of which I am a co-founder, will present a workshop on “Unique Perspectives in Elder Mediation – A Paradigm Shift.”

All of the above presentations are open to the public, but advance registration is required, by calling 908-232-7400. Several of the presentations charge an attendance fee.

  • Finally, I wanted to mention an upcoming speaking engagement that I am particularly proud to be a part of, even though the event will not take place for several months. On April 15 – April 18, 2009, the members of The Elder Mediation Center of New Jersey, geriatric care manager Marcie Cooper, and attorneys Tony Serra, Nina Weiss, and Donald Vanarelli, will present a program entitled “Elder Mediation: An Ethical Approach” at the 11th Annual Conference of the American Bar Association’s Section of Dispute Resolution, which will be held in New York City. The program description follows: Elder mediation is designed to resolve conflicts involving older adults including matters related to surrogate decision-making, real estate issues, living arrangements, second marriages or partnerships, neglect, community disputes and bioethical decision-making. Participants will learn of an elder mediation process that upholds fundamental ethical principles stressing autonomy and addressing the capacity of the older adult to participate in the mediation process. More information about our elder mediation program will be posted on this blog in the future. In addition, information is available at the ABA’s Section of Dispute Resolution Homepage.