Notice to Class April: The Notice to Class is being distributed to all residents of nursing homes in Massachusetts. If you object to the Settlement Agreement you must send your objections in writing to the Court and Plaintiffs’ counsel by May 31, 2024. Marsters Lawsuit Settlement Agreement Reached April 16, 2024 Today, the Settlement Agreement […]
Category: Home and Community Based
Joint Legislative Committee on Bonding, Capital Debt and State AssetsApril 2, 2024 Download (docx) Testimony in Support of H. 4138 – The Affordable Homes Act Dignity Alliance Massachusetts applauds the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their leadership in addressing the issue of housing as proposed in House Bill No. 4138 – the Affordable Homes Act. The legislation […]
Governor Healey’s budget proposal threatens 50 years of disability rights *Boston Globe, March 28, 2024By Alex Green Her proposal to slash fundamental personal care services for the disabled is baffling. Every day, more than 40,000 Massachusetts residents wake up in their own beds and go about their lives thanks to a personal care attendant. These […]
By Richard MooreDignityMA’s poet laureate (aka, Chair, DignityMA’s Legislative Workgroup), with an AI assist Humpty Dumpty, policy bold,Sat on a wall, so we’re told.A vision of streamlining, a central core,For long-term care, they’d have us explore. All the Governor’s horses, men and women,Would centralize forms, again and again.No more local helpers, with faces so kind,Just […]
The news below, on Benjamin Healthcare Center’s announced closing, is listed most recent first. DignityMA Offers Help to Attorney Feaster Below are excerpts from an April 5 email sent to Attorney Feaster as he begins to navigate the conditions and options at Benjamin Health Care Center. Best case is for the Center to remain open, […]
*Boston Globe, January 17, 2024By 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 to an event at the […]
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 northern England, despite her mobility […]
*The Boston Globe, By The Editorial Board, October 27, 2023 (updated) Unnecessary segregation in nursing homes ‘has been linked to accelerated mental, emotional, and physical decline’ when residents have little autonomy and little ability to engage in outside activities, a lawsuit says. For many people with disabilities, living in a nursing home is a last […]
EOHHS (Executive Office of Health and Human Services) held a public hearing on October 20, 2023 to hear comments on proposed amendments to 101 CMR 206.00 implement Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget requirements. Both Dignity Alliance Massachusetts and Pete Tiernan of HCBS Solutions responded. DignityMA and HCBS agree with each other’s testimony. The DignityMA comments […]
New York Times (free access)By Tammy LaGorce, September 15, 2023 On Wednesday afternoon, 20 couples gathered in front of a stage at the National Mall in Washington to recite their commitment vows. Some brides had on white gowns while grooms wore top hats. Others donned orange T-shirts printed with the words “Disability Rights Are Human […]