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 […]
Category: Long Term Services and Support
The National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) published a new NORC website (www.ltcombudsman.org) which now offers a modern design, improved navigation, and easier access to the information and resources that support the work of Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs across the country. Whether you’re an Ombudsman representative looking for resources or a resident, family member, […]
Forbes, July 31, 2026 By Peter Ubel, a physician and behavioral scientist at Duke University Community hospitals and nursing homes face an insidious threat: “related-party earnings,” where owners deliberately bankrupt facilities for profit. This involves private equity firms buying a hospital, then selling its land to a related company at a discount, only to rent […]
Below are some key sections from the report. Download the complete Study and Report on the Need and Feasibility of Qualified Professional Guardians (pdf). Executive Summary The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality contracted with Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG) to conduct a study to evaluate the need […]
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 […]
Family caregivers are now slackers and crooksMcKnights Home CareBy Liza Berger, Editor (liza.berger@mcknights.com)May 1, 2026 Among the more unconventional and perplexing statements of the second Trump administration was one that surfaced in recent weeks when the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services pointed a finger at paid family caregivers in the Medicaid […]
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 […]
Are Nursing Homes Lying About Their Patients To Increase Profits? You DecideForbes, March 27, 2026By Peter Ubel The Forbes article by Peter Ubel, titled “Are Nursing Homes Lying About Their Patients To Increase Profits? You Decide,” explores a contentious trend in the skilled nursing facility (SNF) industry following major shifts in federal reimbursement policies. With […]
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 […]