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 […]
Category: Aging
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 […]
By Richard T. Moore, Chair, DignityMA Legislative WorkgroupCommonwealth Beacon, July 19, 2025 The smell of smoke should never be the last thing a person experiences in their own home. Yet for residents of the Gabriel House assisted living facility in Fall River, that nightmare became a reality this week. The fire that tore through their […]
The Great Hall in the State House was awash in a sea of blue Tuesday, May 13, 2025 when more than 600 older adults and their supporters, most wearing vivid blue tee shirts, held their annual “Older Adult Lobby Day”. State Representative Thomas Stanley (D-Waltham), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Aging and Independence, […]
The next AGE Committee public hearing will be on June 24th, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM in B-1 Sign Up to testify using this form. The form is primarily for those testifying virtually, but we are also using it to gather information for those testifying in person to both gauge attendance and make the […]
“ReiMAgine Aging 2030: The Massachusetts Plan” The Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging and Independence has issued a draft of a five-year plan regarding aging in Massachusetts. The plan defines Aging & Independence’s role as the statewide leader in addressing the needs of older adults and their caregivers across Massachusetts. This Massachusetts Draft State Plan on […]