News

In addition to concerns on staffing and finances at nursing homes, which has led directly to neglect of residents, DignityMA is also perplexed at the seeming lack of oversight and enforcement from the state. Download, or scroll to read, a letter to the Commissioner of the MA Dept of Public ...

The Connecticut Mirror
By Jenna Carlesso and Dave Altimari, July 21, 2024 Athena nursing home workers say medical bills still going unpaid [Jamie] Iszczak, 45, said the problems started after Athena Health Care Systems — one of the largest nursing home chains in the state and the company where she has ...

Mass Live, By Greta Jochem, July 14, 2024 ‘A dog pound would be better.’ Inside one of the most-fined nursing homes in Mass. This article details the poor living conditions and care provided at Highview of Northampton, a nursing home in Massachusetts. Here are the key takeaways:

• Deficiencies and ...
  
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The MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs envisions a state in which every person has the tools, resources, and support they need to fully embrace the aging experience. Together, we support aging adults to live and thrive, safely and independently— how and where they want. July, 2024: Seven former Secretaries ...

Report to Congress, May 2024 AGING IN THE UNITED STATES: A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK
FOR A NATIONAL PLAN ON AGING by the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Health Aging and Age-friendly Communities, chaired by the Administration for Community Living The four domains of the strategic framework are: Age-Friendly Communities; Coordinated Housing and Support ...

The Healey-Driscoll Administration filed legislation Senate Bill 2797 to rename the Executive Office of Elder Affairs to the Executive Office of Aging & Independence to better represent and reflect the values of older adults in Massachusetts. Hearing on Legislation, June 26, 2024 The Statehouse News reported on the hearing: Mixed ...

Supreme Court outlawed segregation of disabled people 25 years ago. But change has come slowly STAT, June 21, 2024
By Timmy Broderick As a toddler, Veronica Ayala loved Fridays. At 5 o’clock sharp, her mom whisked her away from the grim Moody State School for Cerebral Palsied Children for a 48-hour ...

Self-Determination and Self-Directed Services Download the letter on Self-Determination and Self-Directed Services (pdf) Download the Facts Sheet from MA Alliance for 21st Century Disability Policy (MA21) on Self-Directed Services (pdf) Letter to DDS June 18, 2024
Department of Disability Services
Office of the General Counsel,
1000 Washington Street,
 Boston, MA 02118
 dds.regs.comments@mass.gov.  SUBJECT: Self-Determination and ...

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The Beauty of Embracing Aging By Charles M. Blow, New York Times (free access)
June 6, 2024

As Evelyn Couch said to Ninny Threadgoode in Fannie Flagg’s “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe”: “I’m too young to be old and too old to be young. I just don’t fit anywhere.”

I ...

On May 10, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule implementing a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes.  The rule will require that nursing homes have a registered nurse on-site 24 hours per day, seven days per week, meet modest minimum staffing requirements, use ...

Please support this amendment by contacting your Senator via the Dignity Alliance MA Take Action Page. Senator Lydia Edwards moves to amend Senate Bill 2817, by inserting after section 123, the following new section: Veterans Small Homes Plan SECTION XX.

• The secretary of veterans’ services, in coordination with the ...
  
  Read More on Amendment 60

Is long-term care evolving or devolving? McKnight’s Long-Term Care News
By John O'Connor, editorial director for McKnight’s Long-Term Care News
June 9, 2024 With the midyear mark rapidly approaching, this might be a good time to consider the current state of long-term care.  But rather than make an argument whether conditions for ...

AG Campbell Announces $4 Million Settlement With Nursing Home Chain For Significant Staffing And Care Failures Resulting In Resident Neglect Office of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell
June 10, 2024  As part of the AG’s largest ever nursing home settlement, Next Step Healthcare will pay $4 million to resolve allegations, improve ...

Read More about AG Settlement with NH

“So Much to Do, So Little Time” Download the 2024 End of Session Legislative Priorities (pdf) or read it all below. Dignity Alliance Massachusetts has endorsed various bills during the current legislative session. As the Legislature approaches its formal conclusion on July 31, we are highlighting eighteen bills which deserve ...

Read More about end of year state legislation

Caring for your loved ones is their business, not their concern
By John and Terri Hale, John and Terri Hale own The Hale Group, an Iowa-based firm advocating for high-quality nursing home care for everyone, all the time.  Contact: terriandjohnhale@gmail.com
*The Gazette, June 2, 2024 The Biden Administration recently finalized a ...

May 29, 2024: A webinar explaining the Marsters v. Healey Settlement Agreement, was prepared especially for guardians, supporters in supported decision-making arrangements, and other advocates. The objectives of the webinar are to review basic provisions of the Agreement and review rights available for residents. The agreement has been finalized. For ...

May 29, 2024: The Center for Public Representation (CPR) and Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) have prepared a webinar especially for attorneys, paralegals, and legal advocates explaining the Marsters v. Healey Settlement Agreement.. The objectives of the webinar are to review basic provisions of the Agreement and describe avenues for ...

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
By Riley Sullivan, May 14, 2024 Nursing Home Closures in New England: Impact on Long-term Care, Labor Markets Editors note: See online text for the following charts and graphs:

• Table 1: Population Aging, United States and New England states 2010-2021
• Figure 1: Number of Nursing ...
  
  Read More about NH closures in NE

May 2024 You can read more about the settlement at the Marsters Overview post. Attorneys (Steven Schwartz and Kathy Walker from the Center for Public Representation) for the plaintiffs have prepared a webinar presentation, Bringing People Home - Understanding the Settlement Agreement in Marsters v. Healey. The presentation targets individuals ...

By Jason Laughlin
*Boston Globe, May 12, 2024 In more than four decades of fighting for the rights of people with disabilities, Joe Tringali never got angry. But he sure was persistent. He called, emailed, called again, relentlessly, until he got legislators to listen. Most recently, Tringali’s steady but forceful activism ...