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If you see something, say something

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From time to time, I hear from readers about stories in Prime. Sometimes these comments come to me by email, other times by regular mail. Now and then, I get one by phone. There was one such comment on my voicemail last month, a message from a reader anxious to share with me how good they thought the piece on elder abuse that ran in a recent issue was, and how important stories like that were in Prime. Some of the comments, left by the timestamp late at night, also made me think the reader had another reason for talking about the topic of elder abuse.

That made me wonder how many others might have felt a connection to the piece that ran in July, penned for Prime by local expert Patricia-Lee Baskin-Scholpp, owner of Caring Solutions. As Baskin-Scholpp urged in the piece “ If you suspect abuse please notify Massachusetts Elder Abuse and Protective Services at 1-800-922-2275. They will be able to help 24/7 for any person over the age of 60. If it is an emergency situation or life-threatening situation please do not hesitate to call your local police station or 911.”

Please Prime readers, if you suspect someone you know is suffering from elder abuse  – or you yourself are a victim and it is safe to do so – call the Elder Abuse Hotline listed above. We at Prime care.

This month’s feature also gave me the opportunity to exercise one of the best perks of this job, the chance to speak with a legend. Who doesn’t remember the 1970s hits “Up, Up and Away” and “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In?” not to mention “One Less Bell to Answer?” Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. are not only founding members of the 5th Dimension, but also stellar performers in their own right, with seven Grammys between them. They’ve also been married for 50 years, and are candid about sharing the strengths that have gotten them through a showbiz union – both in talent and in love – that’s envy for anyone inside or outside the entertainment business. Sept. 20-22 will be their first-ever trip to the Big E, and let me tell you, they were both very excited to have the chance to visit our fair. Did you know it’s the sixth largest in the country? I didn’t until they told me!

And this month Prime also takes a deep dive into the subject of stress, in both our Three Big Questions and our Alternative Medicine columns. As Prime’s Alternative Medicine columnist Jonathan Evans points out, stress is so pervasive in our society today; we simply accept its effects, to the detriment of our mind, body and soul. If you are feeling stressed  – or know someone who is  – I hope you find some relief in the advice from our experts.  And please share it! We all need to de-stress (myself included).

As always, thanks for reading,

Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com