This page has quotes from the 2026 Dignity Digest issues ordered by newest first. Older quotes are accessible at the bottom of the page.
January 20, 2026
“It’s clear C.M.S. [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] has no interest in ensuring adequate staffing. They’re repealing a regulation that could have saved 13,000 lives a year.”
Sam Brooks, director of public policy for the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care citing an analysis by University of Pennsylvania researchers, 3 Policy Moves Likely to Change Health Care for Older People (New York Times (free access), January 17, 2026)
“[ The sisters of the Congregation of the Divine Spirit’s] ministry at the House of Loreto was a profound witness to the Gospel. It is painful to see their legacy overshadowed by the serious concerns that have emerged under the new ownership [by Hari Group LLC].”
Youngstown, OH Bishop David Bonnar, Private Equity And American Lives (Health Affairs Forefront, January 16, 2026)
Patients can get stuck in the hospital for several months or indefinitely. If you’ve ever spent time in a hospital, you know they’re not designed for long-term care. It’s not a comfortable place to live.”
Brian McGarry, PhD, assistant professor of Geriatrics & Aging at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Diminished US nursing homes capacity may limit access to long-term care, slow hospital release (CIDRAP, January 15, 2026)
“I can’t believe Donald Trump is cutting funding for mental health and addiction services. I don’t know a family in America that hasn’t been touched by one or both of these issues.”
Governor Healey Condemns President Trump’s Cancellation of Millions in Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Grants (Office of Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, January 14, 2026)
Skilled nursing facilities do not experience emergencies as isolated technical failures. They experience them as cascading events, where power, climate control, clinical systems, and human decision-making converge under intense pressure. In these moments, preparedness is defined less by what equipment a facility has and more by how well its systems are prioritized and how staff respond when assumptions break down.
Why skilled nursing preparedness breaks down under real-world stress (McKnights Long-Term Care News, January 16, 2026)
[W]e found that a Medicaid policy that incentivized high staffing levels was associated with modest improvement in some dimensions of patient health. However, even modest effects are extremely meaningful at scale.
Health Impacts of Nursing Home Staffing (JAMA Health Forum, January 16, 2026)
At the height of the pandemic, capacity had fallen by 14.7% nationally; it had rebounded to just 5.1% below 2019 levels by the fourth quarter of 2024. On the rural front, 14% of counties had declines in operating capacity of 25% or more. Worse, counties with the largest declines also had a higher share of their population aged 75 and older.
US nursing home capacity declines twice as steep as estimated: JAMA study (McKnights Long-Term Care News, January 12, 2026)
The federal government approved $60 billion worth of extra Medicaid funds for hospitals, doctors, nursing homes, and other medical providers in the closing months of 2025 — money that will gradually get cut under Republicans’ tax law. The new approvals lock in Medicaid payment rates that are on par with the lofty prices paid by commercial insurers until 2028.
Government approves $60 billion of enhanced Medicaid funding for hospitals, other providers (*STAT+, January 12, 2026)
“[The nursing home] is a setting where the consumer is so vulnerable. Nothing against the workers themselves, but rather, it takes some time to build a connection with a patient. That’s important, and when you see a facility relying heavily on contract labor, it’s kind of a red flag that something’s wrong.”
Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Samuel Antill, How Nursing Home Bankruptcies Make Patients Sicker (Havard Business School, January 9, 2026)
Healthcare firms are filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy at record rates. We find that bankruptcies increase healthcare staff turnover, worsen care, and harm patients.
Healthcare Provider Bankruptcies (*Harvard Business School, April 2025)
At its essence, the “dignity of risk” framework promotes self-determination and the right to take reasonable risks as essential for a person’s autonomy and self-esteem.
The Dignity of Risk: Empowering Support for People with Disabilities (Health Affairs, January 11, 2026)
Assisted living is an important option, and with an aging population in Massachusetts, the need for safe places for seniors to live is only going to grow. But facilities need to be honest about what they cost and what they provide, and must offer a safe living environment for all residents. Enacting the commission’s recommendations would be an important step toward making sure those expectations are met.
Gabriel House fire shows need for oversight of assisted living (*Boston Globe, January 15, 2026)
Here’s the bottom line: Virtue signaling is no substitute for being virtuous. Trust isn’t claimed; it’s earned. That means accountability, transparency and calling out bad behavior, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Virtue signaling is no substitute for actual virtue (McKnights Long-Term Care News, January 18, 2026)
January 13, 2026
I am not confined to a wheelchair; I am liberated by one.
Penelope Ann Shaw, Liberated by a Wheelchair, Liberated by a Wheelchair (Disability Issues, Winter 2026)
The tax rules for partnerships were created in the 1950s, when such vehicles were used to operate, say, family grocery stores — not multibillion-dollar investment vehicles with partners across the globe. Business activity has moved increasingly from traditional corporations to partnerships — or “pass-throughs.”
Profits reported by partnerships exploded to $2.6 trillion by 2022, from $267 billion in 2000, the most recent I.R.S. data shows. Profits reported by traditional corporations grew at about half that pace.
But the I.R.S. failed to keep up.
Push to Audit Private Equity and Venture Capital Falters Under Trump (*New York Times, January 8, 2026)
“This is a hospital that’s supposed to be for the community, and it does not feel safe. This is supposed to be a healing space. This is supposed to feel like a space where I should feel safe. This is my place of work, and it 100% does not feel that way.”
Veronica Velasquez, a physical therapist at a California hospital, who has been granted temporary protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) program, Many Filipino healthcare workers in the US live in fear of ICE: ‘This is my place of work. I should feel safe’ (The Guardian, December 29, 2025)
“Most of the caregivers who are here, we are not here to harm America. We are a help in this country.”
Bella, a 57 year-old Philipina undocumented health care worker, Many Filipino healthcare workers in the US live in fear of ICE: ‘This is my place of work. I should feel safe’ (The Guardian, December 29, 2025)
January 6, 2026
“Why is it so hard to provide care in this country? Why is providing care so insanely complicated?”
U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ), Policy relief for family caregivers seems stalled out. But there are signs of change( NPR – What It Takes, December 30, 2025)
“We know that people in our rural communities face unique challenges when it comes to health care access.”
Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Governor Healey Secures $162 Million to Improve Rural Health Across Massachusetts (Office of Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, January 2, 2026)
“This agreement ensures that critical medical research projects are able to continue, paving the way for lifesaving medical advancements, driving job creation, and fostering academic competitiveness at Massachusetts’s world class research institutions.”
Attorney General Andrea Cambell, AG Campbell Secures Agreement With Trump Administration Preventing Further Delays In Medical And Public Health Research (Office of Attorney General Andrea Campbell, December 30, 2025)
“Honestly, I’m kind of puzzled by the whole thing, but I think 80 must sound really old to people. That’s the only thing I can figure. I don’t feel old. So to me, it just was a race.”
Natalie Grabow, at 80, the oldest woman ever to finish the140.6-mile competition Ironman World Championship triathlon, The 80-year-old Ironman triathlon finisher who isn’t slowing down: ‘This is my passion’ (NBC News, November 13, 2025)
Health care policy is often discussed in abstractions—budgets, subsidies, market dynamics. But at its core, it is about who gets care, when they get it, and at what cost. When Congress chooses delay over action, inequality fills the gap. A system this large, this expensive, and this unequal does not fail quietly. It fails in bodies, budgets, and lives. And every time lawmakers walk away, Americans are left to pay more—for less.
Congress Went Home. Health Care Didn’t Get Fixed. Americans Pay the Price. (Milwaukee Courier, January 3, 2026)
And my mom is still going strong at 92. She still has her sense of humor and her political engagement but no “diseases that will kill her,” as she puts it.
Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, the Co-Director of the Healthcare Transformation Institute and the Diane S. Levy and Robert M. Levy University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, My Parents’ Secret for Living Well Into Their 90s: Embracing Strangers (*Wall Street Journal, December 31, 2025)
“[T]he people who were happiest, stayed healthiest as they grew old, and who lived the longest were the people who had the warmest connections with other people.” By contrast, social isolation is as dangerous to longevity and cognitive decline as being obese.
Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, the Co-Director of the Healthcare Transformation Institute and the Diane S. Levy and Robert M. Levy University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, My Parents’ Secret for Living Well Into Their 90s: Embracing Strangers (*Wall Street Journal, December 31, 2025)
Although senior citizens make up about 17 percent of the state’s population, they accounted for nearly 55 percent of the fire deaths, Davine said. Two dozen people who were 65 or older lost their lives in fires in 2025.
Despite deadly Gabriel House blaze, fewer people died in fires in 2025, state officials say (*Boston Globe, January 2, 2026)
Death and dying aren’t the same—the process of dying is still something to be lived.
Former U. S. Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), Sasse Raises the Bar—Again (*Wall Street Journal, December 29, 2025
Health care costs too much in Massachusetts, leaving residents increasingly unable to afford it. The situation is likely to worsen as baby boomers age. At a recent state hearing on health care costs, hospital CEOs warned that reducing health care costs will mean cutting services.
Can health providers save money while improving care? (*Boston Globe, January 5, 2026)
The most important reason for older adults to be vaccinated against the respiratory infection R.S.V. is that their risk of being hospitalized with it declines by almost 70 percent in the year they get the shot, and by nearly 60 percent over two years.
Vaccines Are Helping Older People More Than We Knew (*New York Times, January 3, 2026)
At least 1 in 10 community-dwelling older adults experience abuse annually, with rates significantly higher among those with cognitive concerns such as dementia or mild cognitive impairment. The true prevalence of elder abuse is underestimated, with research suggesting only 1 in 24 cases comes to the attention of authorities, making elder abuse one of the most underreported public health concerns affecting individuals in later life.
Intimate Partner Violence and Elder Abuse in Later Life: Educational Brief (National Center for Equitable Care for Elders, December 9, 2025)