News

DLC Report Finds Harmful Lack of Proper Care for Patients at Bear Mountain Nursing Facility in Worcester Disability Law Center, January 31, 2024 Understaffing, overmedicating, and isolating practices plague facility’s long-term patients; Weak state standards; lackluster enforcement contribute to woeful conditions The Disability Law Center, Inc. (DLC), the Commonwealth’s Protection ...

*Boston Globe, January 29, 2024
By The Editorial Board

The city bought the 190-acre property in part using money from the state and promised to preserve the site. But it has let the buildings fall into disrepair.

The shameful state of records left behind at the shuttered Walter E. Fernald School is a ...

The toxic effects that Private Equity investments have had on healthcare, caregiving, durable medical equipment and nursing homes is a hot topic at DignityMA. We have compiled several opinions and resources on this issue. Updates will be added. March 1, 2024: DignityMA (Senator Richard Moore and the Legislative Workgroup) has ...

On June 15, 2022, Dignity Alliance MA presented awards to state legislators who have demonstrated exceptional work on long term services and supports. Outstanding Dignity Legislators 2021-2022 Senator Patricia Jehlen Senator Patricia Jehlen is, without doubt, the “GO TO” senator on all issues concerning nursing home transformative reform and elder ...

Neal is a former chair, and current ranking member, of the US House Committee on Ways and Means which deals with Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other issues affecting older adults and people with disabilities. “Ranking Member Neal has been a strong champion for nursing home residents and individuals needing ...

Testimony by DignityMA members Listen to Brianna Zimmerman (STAVROS) at approximately 7 hours 15 minutes, and Sandy Novak at 9 hours and 39 minutes. View 10+ hours of testimony. DignityMA written TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF H. 4138 Dignity Alliance Massachusetts applauds the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their leadership in addressing the ...

*Boston Globe, January 17, 2024
By The Editorial Board Higher prices, worse outcomes don’t serve patients or providers. When Pamela Daly got new wheelchair brakes, they rattled and didn’t work. She complained to the manufacturer but after a month was still waiting for replacements. Daly, a disability rights advocate, was late ...

In a British Town, a New Way of Caring for Older People Is Bringing Hope New York Times (free access)
By Megan Specia, December 29, 2023 For 12 years after her husband died, Norma Fitzgerald tried to maintain her independence, living alone in an apartment on the outskirts of Hull, in ...

PACT Act 3.0 - Senate Bill 2492 Presenter: Senator Cindy Friedman January 17, 2024 View the Slide Presentation on S2482 An Act Relative to Pharmaceutical Access, Costs and Transparency The captions have been edited ...

This study, United States' Nursing Home Finances: Spending, Profitability, and Capital Structure, was issued by the Long Term Care Community Coalition.  The entire text, including footnotes, can be accessed at the above link.

By Charlene Harrington, Richard Mollot, and Dunc Williams, Jr.
Sage Journals, December 19, 2023

Abstract
Little is known about nursing home ...

The Washington Post (free access), December 17, 2023
By Douglas MacMillan and Christopher Rowland Surveillance video captured a 97-year-old woman’s death outside the locked doors of a high-end Colorado home, a symptom of deeper problems in the $34 billion industry. . . Conceived about 40 years ago to give seniors more freedom ...

Documenting Our Disability History My name is Sandy Novack, and I have served on the Disability Policy Consortium Board of Directors since 2018.  I am also the Chair of the Board's Advocacy Committee. Last month, at the DPC annual awards event, I announced a history project that DPC plans to ...

The December 20, 2023 study session detailed provisions of the comprehensive long-term care reform bill passed by the MA House of Representatives on November 15, 2023 and pending before the MA Senate. Read the Slides accompanying the study session

• LTC Briefing PowerPoint
• LTC Briefing PDF

The video is ...

The New York Times (free access)
December 9, 2023 By Nicholas Kristof Homelessness is an American tragedy, but it’s not hopeless. In a recent column, I explored how Houston has become a national model by reducing homelessness by more than 60 percent. One takeaway is that homelessness, above all, reflects a ...

The study session on December 15, 2023, provided details on the housing bond bill proposed by Governor Maura Healey.

• Legislative text of H4138: The Affordable Homes Act
• Governor's media release on the Affordable Homes Act

The video captions have been edited for clarity. Content begins around 10:30. Presenter: ...

Presenter: Dr. Lisa Iezzoni, Board Member, Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors, representing the disability community. She is a professor at Harvard Medical School as well as the director of the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is a Dignity Alliance Massachusetts participant. Review the ...

How Protection and Advocacy under Federal Authority Impacts Litigation, Oversight and Systemic Work The December 13, 2023 study session covered the role and current priorities of the Disability Law Center. The Disability Law Center (DLC) is the designated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) agency for Massachusetts. It is a private, non-profit ...

By Penny Shaw
November 21, 2023             I have Guillain-Barre syndrome - a neuromuscular disorder - in my case with quadriparesis: paralysis of the legs and weakness of my upper extremities.            I have no control over my legs. I cannot stand or walk. I cannot bend or straighten them. When ...

Assisted Living has become a popular option for older adults. These facilities are not Nursing Homes, have few requirements and protections for residents, vary significantly from one another and can be expensive. The information and links below may help to demystify Assisted Living. The New York Times published "What to ...

New York Times (free access), November 14, 2023
By Jordan Rau Around the world, wealthy countries are struggling to afford long-term care for rapidly aging populations. Most spend more than the United States through government funding or insurance that individuals are legally required to obtain. Some protect individuals from exhausting all ...