About Elder Mediation Services

Elder Mediation Services (EMS), established in 2003, is owned and operated by mediator Pat
E. Medford. EMS was created to inform Oregon and Southwest Washington communities
about the benefits of elder mediation and to provide conflict prevention and resolution
services specialized for elders, their family members and others in their lives. Elder Mediation
Services’ ultimate mission is helping elders to age peacefully.

The individual who first contacts EMS may be, but often is not, the elder involved. EMS
clients can include elders (defined as 50 plus); family members; landlords; agencies,
businesses and non-profits who provide services to elders; professionals whose
patients/clients are elders, elder care and retirement facilities; and others interested in
preserving the autonomy and dignity of elders whom they know. Businesses may refer
resolution of significant conflicts or complaints that impede their work with an elderly client to
EMS so that the matter is handled by a neutral third party professional with no stake in the
outcome.

EMS is a resource for owners and managers of adult care homes that operate with very small
staffs. Eldercare facilities may engage Pat to facilitate resident or family council meetings to
increase customer satisfaction by encouraging open discussion of concerns in a neutral, safe
environment.

Pat welcomes the opportunity to speak to small or large groups of elders, family caregiver
support groups, agency and facility staff, and other business, community or church groups.
She tailors her presentation to the size and needs of the group, ranging from a ten to sixty
minute informational overview at no charge; she also offers a customized workshop ranging
from one to four hours.

Pat E. Medford, owner of Elder Mediation Services, Portland, is a trained, experienced
professional providing mediation, conflict prevention and conflict resolution services to elders
50-plus, families, and others involved with elders, either directly or indirectly. An advocate for
community elders since 1995, Pat understands the aging process and respects and
appreciates elders’ quality-of-life issues. She is knowledgeable in adult guardianship and
eldercare mediation as presented by The Center for Gerontology, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Pat
is a practitioner of elder mediation since 1997 and mediator of small claims and landlord-
tenant cases for Multnomah County Circuit Court since 1998.

In 1995, Pat began a transition from her career in telecommunications customer service to a
new career providing advocacy and support to elders in the community. From 1995-97 she
volunteered with the Portland-Multnomah Commission on Aging as a commission member,
elder sensitivity trainer and subsidized housing ombudsman. From 1998-2000, she managed
the Elders in Action Ombudsman for Victims of Elder Abuse program. Following her passion
for helping elders to age peacefully, she determined that using her skills as a neutral
facilitator in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and mediation is the ultimate form of
advocacy for elders. She helps elders maintain dignity and autonomy by having a voice in
the decisions impacting the elders’ lives.

Pat regularly continues her education through active memberships in the Oregon Mediation
Association, and the Oregon Gerontological Association and associate memberships in the
Elder Law and the Estate Planning & Administration Sections of the Oregon State Bar.

Pat’s professional training, volunteer roles and work experience combine to make her a
skilled practitioner of this new area of mediation.