“I’ve got more to contribute,” said Mark Phillips, 64, a longtime mental health and substance use professional with Island Health, when he retired in 2017. He just knew that “not working” wasn’t part of the plan.
“I like helping people, and learning keeps my mind active.”
It was his curious mind, combined with a professional life supporting the vulnerable, that pivoted his retirement into Elder Mediation training.
While Mark continues to volunteer with Victoria’s Citizens’ Counselling Centre, he sees his ongoing work as focusing on the elder population. “I want to support them in being heard,” says the associate mediator with Mediate BC.
Elder Mediation, according to Mark, is a proactive tool through which issues such as financial discord, self-neglect, and intergenerational isolation are addressed before they escalate into conflict. “This type of support can improve and maintain quality of life.”
Mark, a resident of Victoria, where many elders continue living in their homes, says, “I want to guide them in continuing to have a voice.”
Whether it’s communicating with partners or family members, caregivers, or professionals, his role as an Elder Mediator includes facilitating conversations that proactively reach resolutions and resolve misunderstandings for all parties.
“It’s a needed field designed to support our ageing population in feeling safe, being acknowledged, reaching understanding, and ultimately finding peace in that vulnerable stage of life that is inevitable.”
Meanwhile, Carol Dale, 85, continues to give back to her communities by reinventing herself, while staying grounded, informed, and engaged through her lifelong love of reading.
“My book wall at home holds the story of my life,” she admits. “It’s staying there.”
“I’m always working on learning something that moves me forward in the wider world,” says the former literary editor and co-founder and co-owner of two iconic Vancouver bookstores of their day (Hager Books and Women in Print). “And that experience of learning supports me in finding ways to give back.”
She says that continuing to develop human connections, along with finding intellectual stimulation through her love of books, has kept her going throughout her life.
As a longtime breast-cancer survivor, Carol still actively trains and volunteers, 30 years later, with her fellow Dragon Boat members of the Abreast in a Boat team, women who celebrate “strength, sisterhood, and survivorship” on the water.
Nowadays, Carol offers an engaging morning greeting at Vancouver’s Brock House Bistro, where she serves coffee and baked goods to senior members. “I just passed the Serving It Right certificate,” she adds. “It’s a useful skill for the society’s social events.” “Use it or lose it,” she concludes, referring to her love of learning, staying active, and always being available to serve her communities.
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* You can find me at Mediate BC, but also at Mediated Solutions (www.medso.ca) where all your conflict resolution needs can be met! – Mark Phillips, 250-588-0872.