Read two articles from the Boston Globe. The first is by the Globe Editorial Board, Holyoke veterans deserve more than a new building, from April 8. The second is the published letter (April 14) in response, In pushing old-style approach for a new soldiers’ home, Mass. abandons key blueprint for care, from Paul Lanzikos. Both […]
Category: Facilities
Honor Our Aging Veterans, but let Holyoke’s Soldiers Home Fade Away. Honor Our Aging Veterans, but let Holyoke’s Soldiers Home Fade Away. By Richard T. Moore In his famous address to the United States Congress on April 19, 1951, exactly seventy years ago, General Douglas MacArthur ended his valiant military career with the words of […]
Dignity Alliance Massachusetts urges the Commonwealth to put aside the current proposal to construct a 235-bed, congregate care facility and, instead, follow the Veterans Administration’s Small House Model Design Guide to create resident-centered communities focused on the needs and preferences of veterans. The Small House Model provides exceptional rehabilitative and hospice care and chronic disease […]
Long Term Care – John Oliver
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver – April 12, 2021 – John Oliver explains the industry behind nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and why long-term care needs fixing. Penny Shaw, nursing home resident and advocate and member of Dignity Alliance Massachusetts, has a cameo appearance.
Call for Compassionate Care Visitation Policy for Nursing Home Residents Download the full resolution which includes references: Nursing Home Compassionate Care Visitation for Nursing Home Residents Dignity Alliance Massachusetts.docx. March 13th marks the tragic one-year anniversary of banning visitations for nursing home residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dignity Alliance Massachusetts is writing for your help […]
Download the testimony: Testimony 105CMR150.000 Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities DPH Hearing 2021.docx or scroll down. (Download includes extensive references, references are omitted below) Testimony submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Regarding Proposed Amendments to 105 CMR 150.000 Standards for Long Term Care Facilities March 1, 2021 With the purposes to improve the […]
Download Dignity Alliance’s comments on the renewal of the Commonwealth’s 1115 Renewal: 1115 Waiver Renewal DAM.docx. Comments regarding the Renewal of the 1115 Waiver Dignity Alliance Massachusetts, a grass-roots coalition of aging and disability service and advocacy organizations and supporters, is dedicated to securing fundamental changes in the provision of long-term services, support, and care. […]
The hearing was held on October 13. For more information, including video testimony, visit: https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/3580. Paul Lanzikos can be seen and heard around the 30 minute mark in the first video. Unfortunately, closed captions are not included. From State Senator Becca Rausch: “As the Senate Vice-Chair of the Elder Affairs Committee, on Tuesday I participated […]
We urge the immediate creation of an initiative to demonstrate the efficacy of nursing facilities operating primarily with single-occupancy rooms. This addresses consumer demand and expectations for privacy, dignity, and choice as well as optimizes infection control protocols. While Governor Baker’s proposal to eliminate three and four bedded rooms is a positive step, we strongly […]
We call for further legislative inquiry to determine why and how residents and workers disproportionately incurred the worst impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and to identify and develop strategies, policies, and procedures to address any resurgence of Covid-19 or the spread of influenza and other infectious diseases in nursing homes and other congregate living settings.