Michigan's dementia care disclosure rule

Does Michigan license memory care?

No. Michigan has no memory care license or certification. Instead, MCL 333.20178 requires a nursing home, home for the aged or county medical care facility that advertises or markets specialized Alzheimer's or dementia care to give each prospective resident or decision maker a written description of those services.

In our five counties, LARA's file marks 172 homes as serving residents with Alzheimer's disease: 43 homes for the aged, which the disclosure statute covers, and 129 adult foster care homes, which it does not. Nursing homes are covered by the statute as well.

Source: Michigan Legislature, MCL 333.20178

What must the written dementia care description include?

The statute lists seven required items: the program's philosophy and mission; the process and criteria for placement, transfer or discharge; how residents are assessed and care plans are set; staff training and continuing education; physical environment and design features; the frequency and types of activities; and any supplemental fees.

• Philosophy and mission -- tells you whether dementia care is the core program or an add-on.
• Placement, transfer and discharge criteria -- the most important page: what would make the home ask a resident to leave.
• Assessment and care planning -- who assesses, how often, and whether the family is at the table.
• Staff training -- hours of dementia training and how often it is refreshed.
• Environment and design -- secured exits, outdoor space, wayfinding.
• Activities -- how often, and for which stages of dementia.
• Supplemental fees -- compare these against the monthly quote you were given.

What does 'represents to the public' mean under the Michigan dementia law?

The statute defines it as advertising or marketing the facility as providing specialized Alzheimer's or dementia care services, so the duty to disclose is triggered by marketing, not by the residents a home happens to serve.

A home for the aged that quietly admits residents with memory loss but never markets a dementia program has no duty under this section to hand over the written description. That is one more reason to ask every home -- whatever its brochure says -- how it cares for residents whose memory declines after move-in, and what that care costs.

How do families use the disclosure when touring West Michigan memory care?

Ask for the written description before the tour, read the discharge criteria and fee sections first, and compare them between homes -- the documents are required to cover the same seven topics, which makes them easy to line up.

For adult foster care homes, which the statute does not reach, ask for the same seven items anyway. A home that can answer in writing is a home that has thought about it. Then check the home's LARA reports for allegations about supervision, wandering or medication, which are the complaints that most often follow dementia care. Our memory care directory lists every Alzheimer's-designated home in the region.