News

A Forum for Aging, Disability, and Long-Term Care Reform August 14, 2026 "Every person deserves the opportunity to live with dignity, independence and agency in the community they call home. That's exactly what the Community Living Initiative is about. By working across state government and alongside advocates, providers and families, ...

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A Forum for Aging, Disability, and Long-Term Care Reform August 14, 2026 "Every person deserves the opportunity to live with dignity, independence and agency in the community they call home. That's exactly what the Community Living Initiative is about. By working across state government and alongside advocates, providers and families, ...

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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 ...

JAMA Health Forum, July 31, 2026 By Joohyun Chung, PhD, MStat, RN; Michael Lepore, PhD; Tingzhong Xue, PhD; Rachel Broudy, MD; Hyeyoung Park, PhD, RN; Raeanne LeBlanc, PhD, DNP, AGPCNP-BC, CHPN; David L. Chin, PhD Editor’s note: Joohyun Chung and Michael Lepore are currently collaborating with Dignity Alliance Massachusetts and ...

The New Bedford Light
by Grace Ferguson
July 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:

• Half of ...
  
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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 ...

The Social Model of Disability National Library of Medicine

The 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 Landscape of Elder Care in the United States: Part 1—Where Older Americans Live and Why It Matters By Kelli Marquardt, Aryan Safi, and Anthony Lo Sasso In the first installment of a three-part research series, economists from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago analyze the macroeconomic impacts of the ...

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 ...

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 ...

Family caregivers are now slackers and crooks
McKnights Home Care
By 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 ...

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 control
CT Mirror
By Michael A. D’Amico, May 11, 2026 Nursing homes, dementia, and chemical restraints ...

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When: Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Register: https://tinyurl.com/DignityMA-StudySessionMay13

Presenter:  Wynn Gerhard, Esq, Guardian Community Trust and the Massachusetts Guardianship Policy Institute

Topics covered:

• What is Guardianship
• History of Guardianship and Guardianship Reform in Massachusetts
• Obligations of Guardians
• Guardianship as Last Resort
• Rights of adults impacted by Guardianship
• Alternatives to Guardianship
...

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The Boomers Are Turning 80. Now They Want to Change Old Age.
*Wall Street Journal
By Clare Ansberry
April 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 ...

Interviewer: Dignity Digest
Guest: 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 ...

Issue Nursing home ownership changes and facility closures are often carried out with limited transparency and minimal opportunity for public input, despite their profound impact on residents, families, and staff. Greater transparency and oversight are essential to protect residents, families, and staff. Urge lawmakers to strengthen disclosure, review, and transition ...

Issue Another explanation of this issue and proposal is a DignityMA Interview with Pete Tiernan: Unlocking Federal Funding to Eliminate Home Care Waitlists. In February 2025, the Healey-Driscoll Administration critically impacted a vital program that provides home care services to low-income seniors with complex care needs. The Executive Office of ...

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 ...

Sent to the Joint Ways and Means on March 1, 2026 Download the FY2027 Budget Amendment Justification Recommendation (docx) or the FY2027 Budget Amendment Justification Recommendation (pdf). Introduction Re: Aligning the Impacts of Aging and Caregiving with the FY 2027 General Appropriations Bill (H.2) Thank you for the opportunity to ...

April 10, 2026 Presented by Pat Baker, Senior Economic Justice Advocate, Mass Law Reform Institute This 1 hour webinar covered the July 2025 cuts to SNAP benefits as a result of the GOP''s "Big Beautiful Bill" - including eligibility cuts to legal immigrants, imposition of work rules on persons age ...