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 […]
Category: Aging
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 […]
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 […]
America’s Home-care Crisis: Will vulnerable elders be forced into nursing homes? Op-ed By Margaret Morganroth Gullette, February 10, 2026 in American Society on Aging – Generations Home care is what people want when they are offered a choice. You remain in a familiar neighborhood with people who respect you. Friends, neighbors, and other people are […]
Submitted by James Lamastro This report examined and assessed efforts through community stakeholders and other sources to determine how better pantries fulfill their mission and the extent to which they serve the needs of older and disabled people with issues related to food security. The purpose was to examine different ways to address these unmet […]
Australia’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs updated its Aged Care Act and has issued new supporting information. There may be some ideas we could glean and put to use in Massachusetts. Summary of The Aged Care Act 2024 from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs The Aged Care Act 2024, effective from 1 November 2025, introduces a rights-based […]
Non Profit Quarterly, October 7, 2025By James A. Lomastro, PhDJames A. Lomastro, PhD, is a member of the Coordinating Committee for Dignity Alliance Massachusetts and a surveyor for CARF International. He writes frequently on issues concerning nursing homes, home- and community-based services, private equity, artificial and augmented intelligence, and caregiving. He had an extensive career in […]
Massachusetts is on a collision course with a predictable long-term care crisis, and we are flying blind. DignityMA offers a path forward for MA officials and legislators. Download Massachusetts at a Crossroads Report (pdf). Executive Summary: Facing a Predictable Crisis Massachusetts is on a collision course with a predictable long-term care crisis, and we are […]
By James A. Lomastro, PhDJames Lomastro is Chair of DignityMA’s Facilities Workgroup and a member of the Coordinating Committee. The senior housing and care industry is trying to reinvent itself. Leaders are moving away from “end-stage living” language and pushing “next-stage living” instead — a more aspirational model centered on engagement, autonomy, and health span. […]
MGL Chapter 197 of 2024 (also known as the Long Term Care Act) established a number of commissions and task forces. The final reports from several of them have recently been released which are listed below along with commentary by DignityMA participants. Long Term Care Task Force Final Report (pdf) Massachusetts General Law Chapter 197 […]