What types of senior care are available around Grand Rapids?
Seven: independent living (housing without care), assisted living (licensed as homes for the aged or larger AFC homes), memory care (homes serving residents with Alzheimer's), small adult foster care homes, nursing homes, in-home care and hospice.
Assisted Living
Licensed in Michigan as a Home for the Aged or a larger adult foster care home -- there is no 'assisted living' license.
Learn more →Memory Care
Homes LARA lists as serving residents with Alzheimer's; HFAs that market it must disclose their dementia program in writing.
Learn more →Adult Foster Care
Michigan's small-home option: family homes and group homes of 12 or fewer, licensed under 1979 PA 218.
Learn more →Nursing Homes
24-hour licensed nursing and rehab, licensed under Public Health Code Part 217 and rated on Medicare Care Compare.
Learn more →In-Home Care
Medicare home health, MI Choice, Medicaid Home Help and private-pay caregivers, sorted out.
Learn more →Hospice Care
Comfort-focused care wherever a person lives, from Medicare-certified West Michigan hospices.
Learn more →Independent Living
Senior apartments and campuses without daily care -- not licensed by LARA unless care is provided.
Learn more →How do you know which type of care a parent needs?
Start with what help is needed and when: a few hours of help a week points to in-home care; daily help with personal care points to assisted living or an AFC home; round-the-clock skilled nursing points to a nursing home.
Two things change the answer. Dementia that causes wandering or nighttime distress usually needs a setting designed for it. And money: Medicaid pays for nursing homes and, through MI Choice or PACE, for care at home, but not for room and board in an AFC home or home for the aged. A hospital social worker or a doctor's functional assessment is a good starting point; so is a free call with an advisor.
Are the care types licensed differently in Michigan?
Yes. LARA licenses homes for the aged under the Public Health Code and adult foster care under 1979 PA 218; nursing homes are licensed under Part 217 and certified by CMS; hospices and home health agencies are Medicare-certified; independent living is not licensed as care.
The details: Michigan senior care rules.
How many licensed providers does West Michigan have in each category?
55 homes for the aged, 91 large and 197 small adult foster care homes serving older adults, 49 certified nursing homes, 14 hospices and 36 home health agencies across our five counties.
All of them are in the directory.
