Massachusetts needs a system to pay guardians for indigent adults.Boston Globe, August 31, 2026By The Editorial Board Massachusetts should establish a public guardian program through which qualified people are paid to be guardians for indigent clients. The heartbreaking scenario occurs daily: A patient is ready to leave the hospital for a nursing home or rehabilitation […]
Category: Advocacy
The “$72.80 Project” is an advocacy campaign conceived and produced by Noah Daube-Valois, a 20 year old Vassar College student who lives in Northampton, MA. He has spent this summer working with residents at Rockridge Retirement Home, many of whom he says, “now feel like family”. Only a month ago did he realize that most […]
By James A. Lomastro, PhD James A. Lomastro, PhD, is a freelance, international surveyor, and advocate with Dignity Alliance Massachusetts. He holds a doctorate in Social Welfare Administration from Brandeis University’s Heller School and has spent more than four decades working in healthcare administration. Most non-disabled think of a wheelchair as a piece of medical […]
Interviewer: Dignity DigestGuest: Peter Tiernan Note: For more details on this issue, visit DignityMA Campaign to Restore Elder Care Services. Dignity Digest: Peter, let’s start with the problem. What’s happening with the Enhanced Community Options Program (ECOP) in Massachusetts right now? Peter Tiernan: The situation is deeply concerning. Over the past year, ECOP—Massachusetts’ enhanced home […]
Issue Another explanation of this issue and proposal is a DignityMA Interview with Pete Tiernan: Unlocking Federal Funding to Eliminate Home Care Waitlists. In February 2025, the Healey-Driscoll Administration critically impacted a vital program that provides home care services to low-income seniors with complex care needs. The Executive Office of Aging & Independence (AGE) imposed […]
Providing Long-Term Supports and Services at Home for Our Nation’s Elders March 2026, By Richard Frank, Sherry Glied, Jonathan Gruber, Vani Agarwal, and Wendell Primus This twenty-page report proposes a fundamental shift in how the United States finances and delivers long-term supports and services (LTSS). Scroll down to see responses by DignityMA participants. The Crisis […]
Sent to the Joint Ways and Means on March 1, 2026 Download the FY2027 Budget Amendment Justification Recommendation (docx) or the FY2027 Budget Amendment Justification Recommendation (pdf). Introduction Re: Aligning the Impacts of Aging and Caregiving with the FY 2027 General Appropriations Bill (H.2) Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony on the FY […]
April 1, 2026: A Tutorial in the Use of Artificial Intelligence Applications by Advocates Presented: James Lomastro, PhD, Chair , DignityMA FacilitiesWorkgroup and Coordinating Committee Member What AI does for advocates: This session will review basic concepts and techniques appropriate for any skill level. Download the slide deck: Using AI as an Advocacy Tool (pptx) […]
Problem Last June, Governor Healey capped the ECOP ( Enhanced Community Options Program) at 7,322 from 9,000. Once the cap is reached, new enrollees are put on a waiting list. Requiring frail elders to wait months for home care will inevitably lead to many developing worse health problems and ending up in nursing homes, said […]
To make cuts, state asks those affected *Boston GlobeMarch 8, 2026, By Jason Laughlin Summary: Facing a significant fiscal cliff driven by federal Medicaid spending reductions, Massachusetts is implementing $32 million in cuts to its 50-year-old Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program, which currently supports approximately 56,000 seniors and people with disabilities. In a unique move […]