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Providence Court, a home with support
By Martha Ceijas
Louis J. Cimini (his friends call him Louie) was living in Texas and he loved it. Louis and his wife now have an apartment in Providence Court, Berkshire County’s only supportive housing site, located at 379 East Street in Pittsfield. When I met Louie, he was wearing a cowboy hat and blue jeans, an outfit that suited him perfectly. There was plenty of spunk in his eyes and he wasn’t shy about sharing his feelings. He said, “This is really a nice place to live. The people are nice and they respect your privacy,” and after a brief pause he added, “but it ain’t Texas.”
Upon their arrival seven months ago Pam Ripley, the Residential Coordinator at Providence Court, designed a “personal care package” tailored to the Ciminis' specific needs. Now Louie and his wife can continue to live independently without the stress of having to deal with unexpected personal care emergencies, most of which occur in the middle of the night. Ripley explained that this, above all else, is what makes Providence Court unique.
Three years ago, the State of Massachusetts implemented a supportive housing program, and Elder Services collaborated with Pittsfield Housing to establish Providence Court as a supportive housing facility.
“Having a number of home health care clients in one location makes it possible to reduce costs,” Ripley stated, “and the savings helps make it possible to provide additional services, like an on-site personal care attendant, or someone to remind you that it’s time to take your medication, or who will come to your apartment to prepare your evening meal.”
Eugene Loveday was sitting outside the main entrance to Providence Court enjoying a cigarette and visiting with friends. He told me he moved to Providence Court about four months ago. He has some difficulty breathing and sometimes needs a personal care attendant to help him with his inhaler. He also receives help with his evening meal, house cleaning and laundry. Loveday heard about Providence Court from a friend who lives there too. When asked if he would recommend Providence Court to his friends, he didn’t mince words. “The rent is cheap, the food is good, and the people are friendly. I’d tell them to move in and find out for themselves [how good it is].” When asked what he likes best about living at Providence Court, he smiled and said, “The lunches they give us in the community room.”
That’s probably because of the hard work and dedication of Mary Beth Burris, the Personal Care Attendant on the day shift. In addition to handling any unforeseen personal care emergencies, Burris coordinates the volunteers who help with lunch. “I oversee the delivery of the food from the Elder Services kitchen in Lanesboro. I check the food temperature when it arrives, and again before it is served to make sure it is safe. Then I work with the volunteers to set the tables, serve the meals, and clean up.”
Asked Burris what she loved most about her job, “The people!”
I talked to Pam Ripley about her job and what she found most challenging about working in supportive housing. She responded, "The confidentiality. Even though we have our confidentiality policy posted in several areas of the building, people still come to me, out of concern mostly, and they’ll say ‘the ambulance was here last night. Who was did they take in it?’ and I have to say ‘Why do you ask me questions you know I can’t answer?’ It’s hard, because you know they’re concerned. But I don’t breach confidentiality.”
Among Ripley’s many memorable experiences at Providence Court was one about a woman unaware she was having mini-strokes. “The Visiting Nurses were here doing blood pressure checks, but they didn’t catch it, because she wasn’t having an episode at that time. But I knew something wasn’t right, so I kept an eye on her. We ended up sending her to the hospital, and they were able to prevent a full blown stroke because of early detection.
“One of the best things about being here,” she continued, “is you get to see the people every day. You get to know them, and you can ‘cue in’ on the subtle, non-verbal things that let you know someone is in need. Sometimes they just want someone to talk to, and I love to listen to them. I think of elders as ‘living history.’ I’ve learned so much from them. It’s an honor, being here.”
Later in the day, I asked Louie Cimini if there was anything he would change about Providence Court. He said, “I’d move it to Texas!” We can’t help with that, but in every other respect, it appears Providence Court is helping keep seniors independent, meet ing their growing home care needs, and “cueing in,” as Ripley said, on the subtler signals that more help is needed..
As I was leaving I watched Ripley go inside with Louie to listen to some Conway Twitty.
For more information, call Elder Services 499-0524 or Pittsfield Housing Authority 443-5936.