Northampton college student launches podcast to advocate for nursing home residents on frozen allowance

NORTHAMPTON — Noah Daube-Valois, a 20-year-old Northampton resident and Vassar College junior, has launched the "$72.80 Project," a podcast series aimed at drawing attention to the meager monthly allowance that Massachusetts seniors in nursing homes and assisted living facilities must live on. After working summers at Rockridge Retirement Community in Northampton, Daube-Valois decided to amplify the stories of residents he has come to know.

The personal needs allowance of $72.80 is what residents on MassHealth living in long-term care facilities are permitted to keep each month; the remainder of their income goes toward care costs. The money covers expenses not provided by facilities, including clothing, outside meals, and recreational activities. The critical issue, Daube-Valois noted, is that this amount has not increased since 2008, when adjusted for inflation it would equal roughly $115 today.

Daube-Valois, a Northampton High School graduate who began volunteering to play piano at Rockridge while in high school, witnessed firsthand how residents must weigh every purchase carefully. In his first podcast episode released in August, he interviews a Rockridge resident named Patrick, who describes buying clothes at Goodwill and using a bandage to repair broken glasses. Patrick reflects, "In the last years of our lives some of us are walking around in somebody else's shoes."

Massachusetts lags behind other states in this allowance. Alaska provides $200 monthly, Nevada $163, and Florida $160, according to Daube-Valois's research.

Former state Sen. Richard Moore, interviewed in the first episode, discussed potential solutions. Moore urged listeners to contact local legislators about a Senate bill in the Committee on Ways and Means that would raise the allowance to approximately $113 monthly. The bill has support from Sens. Jo Comerford and Paul Mark, both Democrats, as well as Sen. Jacob Oliveira, D-Ludlow. Alternatively, Daube-Valois noted that indexing the allowance to inflation would require approximately $15 million annually from the state budget.

State Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, has visited Rockridge to hear directly from residents about their struggles, Daube-Valois said. Daube-Valois is partnering with Dignity Alliance Massachusetts, a nonprofit advocating for older and disabled residents. Paul Lanzikos, the alliance's coordinator, previously served as secretary of the state Executive Office of Elder Affairs and brings 50 years of experience in aging and disability services. Lanzikos stated that without active advocacy, nursing home residents remain easy to overlook: "Unfortunately, older people in nursing homes are not considered priorities so unless there's advocacy it's easy to ignore them." The alliance formed following the COVID-19 pandemic, when conditions in elder care facilities received heightened attention.

Daube-Valois plans to release additional episodes featuring other residents and legislators. The first episode is available on Apple Podcasts and other streaming platforms.