Despite consistently being ranked among the top states in national health surveys, Massachusetts experienced some of the highest nursing home death rates throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

While this might seem perplexing, it was no surprise to Newton resident and Brandeis University researcher Dr. Margaret Gullette, whose new Pulitzer Prize nominated book “American Eldercide” seeks to uncover how pervasive ageism led to countless avoidable deaths, most of which went unnoticed by the public.

Gullette is a pioneer in the field of age studies, having previously published titles such as “Ending Ageism” and “How Not to Shoot Old People.” Her newest release shines a light on how nursing home residents were abandoned by the institutions designed to safeguard their health.

She characterizes “eldercide” as the mass indifference toward the conditions of older adults by those who were entrusted with keeping them safe. While she thinks this attitude was already present within the healthcare system, the pandemic served as a testament to the devastating consequences it can have for older Americans when put into practice.

With “American Eldercide,” she brings up the infamous case of the state-funded Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke as a prime example of the lack of resources and attention allocated to residential nursing facilities; “leadership ordered staff to merge two ‘dementia’ units, cramming residents with COVID in with uninfected people. At least seventy-eight residents died.”

While discussing the shortcomings of the response to the pandemic within nursing homes, she highlights the isolation many residents experienced in their final days.

“Most were never able to say goodbye to their families,” she said. “Sometimes the only comfort they had was a kind word from a health aid.”

She believes that these restrictive policies, though designed to curb transmission rates, may have only exacerbated the already dire conditions. Gullette also pointed out that nonprofit nursing homes tended to have far fewer COVID-19 deaths when compared to their for-profit counterparts.

Mary’s Meadow, a retirement community operated by the Sisters of Providence in Holyoke, ranked near the top percentile within the state when it came to COVID-19 transmission rates. This trend indicates to Gullette that the for-profit model could fall short when compared to more community-centered nonprofit and faith-based institutions.

In response to the high death rates within nursing homes throughout the pandemic, The Massachusetts State house has begun taking steps to prevent the neglect that proved so detrimental. Governor Healey recently signed H.5033 into law. This legislation mandates greater oversight of for-profit nursing facilities, along with mandating legal disclosures from the companies that operate them. Gullette stressed the importance of paying attention to developments within the state legislature and placing pressure on local leaders.

While Gullette remains uncertain regarding the future of age discrimination within healthcare, she hopes “American Eldercide” will serve as a tribute to those lost and a warning to the public about the consequences of apathy.

“Call your legislators, send emails,” she said. “Even just a few people can really get their attention.”