Housing Happenings: Having the Difficult Conversations – What to Say to a Bully

Having the Difficult Conversations – What to Say to a Bully

Bullying is usually associated with children and young adults, but in reality, senior bullying also happens frequently. In senior living communities where residents are in close proximity with one another, they can form cliques, exert power over others and bully. In recent years, this issue has garnered more attention, particularly because bullying among senior peer groups is on the rise. As some bullied victims choose to remain silent, there is no real way to find out how significant the problem is. And, often times, even when staff or peers intervene, the problem does not seem to go away.

This session will provide information that you need to know about senior bullying so as to take preventive measures or intervene on time.  In this session, participants will be offered a brief overview of the definition, incidence, characteristics and types of senior-to-senior bullying.  The impact of bullying is detrimental to the health and well-being of our seniors.  Even one instance can have a lasting impact!  Therefore, it is not enough just to define bullying – communities need to know the warning signs, the physical and emotional impact, and what to do if it happens to them.  Therefore, participants will be introduced to interventions they can apply to reduce bullying as well as specific and targeted recommendations for what staff and others can say to the bully to mitigate impact and minimize occurrence.

In this interactive session, participants will learn key evidence-based strategies for confronting and communicating with a bully.  Approaches include empathy, questioning, confrontation, deontology, acknowledgement, and others.  Several case examples will be offered with opportunities for participants to brainstorm approaches and dialogue about advantages and disadvantages of each approach.  Many people struggle with what to say to a bully to stop their behavior.  There is no one “right” answer to this issue.  But at the conclusion of the session, participants will have additional tools in their communication toolbox.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Describe the incidence and characteristics of bullying behaviors in senior living
2. Identify preventative measures communities can implement to reduce impact and mitigate bullying behaviors
3. List targeted communication, responses and interventions to reduce reoccurrence of senior-to-senior bullying

Speaker:

Dr. Kathleen Weissberg, MS, OTD, OTR/L, CMDCP, CDP, CFPS, CGCS

National Director of Education, Select Rehabilitation

LeadingAge New Jersey & Delaware is proud to partner with LeadingAge Maryland and LeadingAge Ohio to offer this educational series designed specifically for affordable housing professionals! Calls are held on the third Wednesday of every month from 9-10AM. These practical learning sessions are designed for service coordinators, property managers, and other individuals who work with older adults in affordable housing settings. Recordings of previous calls can be found here.

Reach out to the program contact for the registration link.