Guest Blog by Associate Professor Ben Livings, Professor Eileen O’Brien, Adjunct Professor Dale Bagshaw and Dr Pen Roe, all of Adelaide University.
Eldercaring coordination is a dispute resolution process specifically created for families experiencing high level conflict regarding the care, autonomy and safety of older adults. The process helps families become more focused on how they can meet the needs of the older person, and less focused on other relational, financial and legal issues. Unlike elder mediation, eldercaring coordination is a longer-term, more intensive intervention that combines elements of case management, education and dispute resolution , making it better suited to complex, entrenched family conflict.
Eldercaring coordination has been in use for over a decade in parts of the United States, where it can be ordered by a court as part of family or guardianship proceedings. This month sees the launch of a report which documents a project that implemented a pilot program in Adelaide, South Australia, from November 2022 to June 2024. The project involved a collaboration between researchers at the University of South Australia (now Adelaide University) and practitioners at Relationships Australia South Australia trained in eldercaring coordination.
The pilot program marked the first use of eldercaring coordination in Australia. It was designed to allow researchers to assess the feasibility of implementing eldercaring coordination as a response to the significant harm caused to older persons in South Australia by high levels of family conflict. In the Australian context, participation is voluntary rather than court-mandated – a distinction that shaped both the design of the pilot and the approach taken by practitioners.
The authors – Ben Livings, Eileen O’Brien, Dale Bagshaw and Pen Roe – conclude that eldercaring coordination has a clear and important role to play in the Australian context. It offers families the tools they need to focus on the needs of the older person, elevates and reinforces the voice of the older person at the centre of the dispute, and provides a meaningful safeguard against elder abuse. As Australia’s population ages and the prevalence of family conflict around care decisions grows, there is an urgent need for responses that are both person-centred and practically effective. Eldercaring coordination is one such response, and this pilot demonstrates that it can work here.
Looking ahead, the case for broader implementation is compelling. Eldercaring coordination can and should be made available as a voluntary resource for families navigating complex care conflicts and the benefits of wider access would be significant regardless of any formal legal integration. At the same time, its availability to courts and tribunals dealing with guardianship and administration matters would extend its reach, enhance available options, and offer a genuine pathway to better outcomes for older people – including, in many cases, avoiding the need for formal orders altogether. The US experience shows what is possible. It is time for Australia to build on this pilot and take the next step.
Find out more and read the full report, here.