Letters The arc of care: Honoring mothers as givers and receivers

To the editor:

For generations, mothers have served as the backbone of our care economy. As primary managers of our homes and first responders to illness, they provide unpaid labor valued at over $22 billion annually in Massachusetts alone. Yet, as the “longevity revolution” continues, these lifelong caregivers are becoming care receivers, often entering a system that prioritizes corporate profit over human dignity.

Dignity Alliance Massachusetts advocates for a fundamental transformation of this landscape. Many mothers in the “club-sandwich generation” sacrifice their own health and retirement savings to care for others. While the Caregiver Tax Credit (H.3159 / S.1938) is a necessary step, we must also eliminate waiting lists for home care services and shift funding toward Home and Community-Based Services to allow mothers to age in place.

The transition to needing assistance should not mean losing autonomy. Currently, 30,000 women in Massachusetts nursing homes — most of them mothers — must surrender their income to facilities, keeping a Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) of only $72.80 per month. This meager $2.40 per day for clothing and essentials has remained stagnant for 20 years. DignityMA supports legislation sponsored by Sen. Joan Lovely, D-Salem, (S.887 / H.1411) to increase the PNA and establ ish an annual cost-of-living adjustment.

True long- term care reform requires prioritizing empathy over institutional efficiency. We must enforce strict staffing ratios, ensure ownership transparency, and integrate behavioral health support along with medical care.

“Do what you can to show you care about others, and you will make our world a better place” — Rosalyn Carter Honoring mothers means ensuring the care they gave so freely is returned with respect and empathy. We urge everyone to contact their legislators to advance these reforms before the session concludes in July. We owe our mothers a future defined by dignity and compassion, not just survival.

Paul Lanzikos, Coordinator, Dignity Alliance Massachusetts, Beverly

The Salem News welcomes letters from its readers. Letters can be sent via regular mail (Letters to the Editor, Salem News, 300 Rosewood Drive, Suite 107, Danvers MA 01923) or email (jcastelluccio@salemnews. com). Correspondence intended for publication must be signed, and should include a home address and telephone number. The latter is for verification purposes only.

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