Elder Services Executive Director Leaving Post
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Dean, of Dalton, has been in the post since 2003. He submitted his resignation to the board of directors at its Feb. 22 meeting. He will remain as a consultant through April 30 to assist in the transition to new leadership.
"Bob Dean has been a passionate advocate for senior citizens in our area for more than a decade. During that time, he has been the public face of Elder Services of Berkshire County," said board President Stephen M. Long Jr. "In that role he has worked tirelessly to assure that our seniors can continue to live their lives with independence and dignity. His resignation is accepted with sincere regret and a very deep appreciation for his unwavering commitment to our agency."
Dean was responsible for programs, services, initiatives, policy development and strategic planning. He has worked with local, state and federally elected officials to maximize service availability and responsiveness to elder concerns.
He was director of client services from 1999 to 2003, managing Elder Services' state-funded programs, and was responsible for the development and, later, the growth of Supportive Housing at Providence Court as well as the Family Caregiver Support and Choices programs.
As executive director, he oversaw the conversion of the former Lee Central High School into Crossway Village and Crossway Tower, creating 50 units of senior housing, and the expansion of agency's monthly newspaper Berkshire Senior to a circulation of 10,500. He also hosted local cable access TV program "Berkshire Senior TV," seen throughout the county.
Dean is also credited with the introduction into the county of "My Life, My Health," the Stanford University-based Chronic Disease Self-Management Program. This healthy aging program encourages seniors to take responsibility for their own health and well-being to the fullest extent possible. In the past year, Dean has headed the enhanced quality assurance effort and spearheaded the creation of Elder Services' in-house clinical team. More recently Elder Services, in partnership with Berkshire Medical Center, has submitted an application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services seeking funding to reduce hospital readmissions among seniors.
Dean was honorary chairman of the Berkshire Walk to End Alzheimer's in both 2010 and 2011 and served on Dalton's Senior Center Building Committee and Council on Aging director search committee.
The North Adams native holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Northeastern University, and a juris doctor from Suffolk Law School. A member of the Massachusetts Bar Association since 1983, Dean practiced general law in the Boston area from 1984 to 1993. In 1993, he began a second career in human services, serving first as service area coordinator of an intermediate care facility run by Developmental Services in Newport, N.H., and then as residential coordinator for Walnut Street Center Inc. in Somerville.
