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Local officials and representatives of elder service agencies held a press conference on Friday at City Hall to discuss elder abuse. State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier was joined by her colleagues state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing and Rep. Paul Mark, and Vincent Marinaro of the Pittsfield Council on Aging.

Local Officials Ask Residents to Help Combat Elder Abuse

By Joe DurwinPittsfield Correspondent
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Maureen Tuggey of Elder Services of Berkshire County, Mary O'Brien of Berkshire Elder Protective Services and Mayor Daniel Bianchi spoke about some of the issues surrounding elder abuse.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Local officials and elder services administrators gathered at the Ralph J. Froio Senior Center on Friday to outline issues affecting area senior citizens as part of the international effort for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.

Now in its seventh year, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was begun by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse in 2006 to draw attention to what experts say is an all too often invisible problem. In Washington, the White House Office of Public Engagement held an all-day symposium yesterday to discuss issues and approaches to the elder abuse problem.

Incidents of elder abuse are on the rise in Massachusetts in recent years, with reported incidents received by the state's Executive Office of Elder Affairs rising from around 16,000 in 2009 to 18,000 in 2011. Compounding this, federally-funded research suggests that elder abuse is significantly underidentified and underreported, and that as few as 1 in 5 cases come to the attention of authorities. 

More alarmingly, the National Center for Elder Abuse estimates that in domestic settings, this number may be closer to 1 in 14 cases that reach the attention of authorities.

Pittsfield state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, who was instrumental in organizing the event, said one of the most unfortunate aspects of this problem is that often it is the victim's own adult children perpetrating the  abuse, which can be a major obstacle to the reporting and investigation of incidents.

"I really think it's one of the most important roles of government, to protect our most vulnerable populations," Farley-Bouvier said at the Friday morning press conference.

"Before we can even begin to solve this problem, we need to raise awareness," said state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing. "To make sure the senior citizens of Pittsfield, Berkshire County and this commonwealth know who to reach out to, and how to reach out."

In the Berkshires, multiple agencies coordinate to try to safeguard seniors from the growing dangers of abuse in today's society, issues which affect more individuals every day as the vast "baby boomer" generation continues to enter this demographic. 

Mayor Daniel Bianchi said that while Pittsfield is a small city, it has many of the same services and offices as some larger communities. 

Important Numbers
• Berkshire Elder Protective Services: 1-855-874-3242
• Elder Services of Berkshire County: 1-800-544-5242
• Pittsfield Council on Aging: 1-413-499-9346
• Elder Abuse Hotline: 1-800-922-2275
More Information
Pittsfield Council on Aging
North Adams Council on Aging
Other Councils on Aging Links
Executive Office of Elder Affairs
"We've got a lot of resources here," Bianchi said. "We're very fortunate in this community to be able to link seniors to a lot of agencies where they can relate with other seniors, and staff there to help with a lot of issues."


Such agencies in attendance Friday included Berkshire Elder Protective Services, Elder Services of Berkshire County, and Pittsfield's Council on Aging. In a county that has the largest elder population per capita in the commonwealth, though, these services must meet a significant challenge.

Mary O'Brien, protective services supervisor for BEPS, an offshoot of the Franklin County Home Care Corp., oversees five protective service workers from its Pittsfield office at 152 North St. Seniors can report abuse, ask questions and get connected with services there to address a wide variety of issues affecting the elderly.

O'Brien said that in Massachusetts, 55 incidents of elder abuse or neglect are reported every day statewide, and there are more than 1,800 under active investigation. Here in Berkshire County, the agency has received 530 reports just in the last eight months, 379 of which were deemed serious enough to demand assessment.

Given that statistically even this deluge of complaints represents only the tip of a largely unreported iceberg, the most important thing citizens can do is disseminate information about the services that are available. 

"Make sure you tell people. Get the word out," O'Brien told those gathered Friday morning. For this purpose, BEPS is distributing "Show You Care" bookmarks that list numbers to report elder abuse directly.

Opportunities for socialization and staying connected to the community and its resources is an important part as well, officials said, and this is part of the mission of the Ralph J. Froio Senior Center.

"I consider Pittsfield one of the best centers in the state," said Vincent Marinaro, director of the Pittsfield Council on Aging. "It's just a place, with all the activities we do, for socialization, for people to not be alone, to feel comfortable, for people to have access to the information and be able to come to a place where they know they can ask the questions they need when they're unsure of something."

In addition to physical and verbal abuse, the problem of financial fraud and scams targeting the elderly was discussed. Local elder services programs work regularly with police and the district attorney's office, who were represented at the conference by Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Keegan, director of victims services.

"Any time we're 50 percent or more sure that a crime has been committed, we're required to report to the DA," said O'Brien, but they often consult with this office even in instances where the situation is more uncertain.

Elder Services of Berkshire County also provides free seminars on money management for seniors to help them avoid scams and other financial pitfalls, according to Client Services Director Maureen Tuggey.

Farley-Bouvier concluded by applauding the "teamwork" between the various local agencies involved, and called on citizens to take a more active role in curbing this rising social ill.

"The member of the team that we're calling to be part of this the public, and that's why we're here today," said Farley-Bouvier, "If you see abuse, please report it.  As the bookmark says, show you care."

Incidents of elder abuse can be reported 24 hours a day to the Elder Abuse Hotline at 1-800-922-2275. All reports are confidential. 

Tags: COA,   elder abuse,   elderly,   senior citizens,   

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Pryor & Peacock's Whimsical Furniture Environmentally Friendly

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
 

The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.

Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director. 

Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.

The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.

"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.

Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.

"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."

One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.

Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.

"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.

They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.

"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.

The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.

Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.

"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said. 

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