The New Bedford Lightby Grace FergusonJuly 28, 2026 Five years after the state introduced staffing standards to improve care in nursing homes, 51% of facilities are out of compliance, a New Bedford Light investigation found. Resident advocates say state penalties are too low.Summary:The Light’s monthslong investigation uncovered: A monthslong investigation by The New Bedford Light […]
Category: News
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 […]
The Social Model of Disability National Library of MedicineThe medical model views disability as a problem that exists within an individual and focuses on diagnosis, treatment, or cure. The social model offers a different perspective. It suggests that people are often disabled not by their bodies or minds, but by the inaccessible environments around them, […]
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 […]
June 2025: Dignity Alliance Massachusetts welcomes ongoing discussions led by the Executive Office of Aging and Independence (AGE) regarding the future of Prescription Advantage and the best use of available resources to support older adults and people with disabilities. The Current State of Prescription Advantage in Massachusetts Federal reforms to Medicare prescription drug coverage have […]
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 […]
Editor’s Note: While the focus of this opinion piece is about nursing homes in Connecticut, the scope of the issue and the recommended policy and practice solutions are fully relevant to Massachusetts. When ‘care’ becomes controlCT Mirror By Michael A. D’Amico, May 11, 2026 Nursing homes, dementia, and chemical restraints we can’t ignore Families place […]
The Boomers Are Turning 80. Now They Want to Change Old Age.*Wall Street JournalBy Clare AnsberryApril 13, 2026 The Wall Street Journal report, “The Boomers Are Turning 80: Now They Want to Change Old Age,” explores the significant cultural and economic shift occurring as the first wave of the 76 million baby boomers—those born in […]
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 […]
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 […]