News

For many years, the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative (MEJI) has advocated for reforms of the state’s guardianship and conservatorship systems. MEJI seeks  to both better protect the rights of and empower vulnerable individuals who are at the heart of these probate court proceedings. Since 2019, MEJI staff have worked closely with the Attorney General’s Elder Abuse Task Force to develop and advance a comprehensive package of legislation that would address the most urgent concerns in guardianship and conservatorship. Last week, we celebrated the passage by unanimous votes in both the Michigan House and the Michigan Senate of SB 585 and SB 586. These bills will provide crucial protections to individuals with guardians and conservators.

Michigan's Olmstead Coalition Condemns Department of Justice Memo Calling for Institutionalization of Older Adults and People with Disabilities.

On June 1, MEJI Director Alison Hirschel was pleased to join a small group of national advocates for nursing home residents in a meeting with Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Representation means listening, accommodating, and advocating for the client’s goals.

Bloomberg Law recently covered changes to ABA Model Rule 1.14, the model ethics rule that addresses how lawyers work with clients who may need support communicating or making decisions.

Michigan has now taken the first steps toward adopting those changes.

How do medical professionals evaluate decision-making capacity—and what does that mean for legal practice? Join Kahli Zietlow, MD, and Leslie Dubin, LMSW, ACSW, of the University of Michigan for an interdisciplinary discussion bridging medicine, social work, and law.

MAGIC is recruiting adults with experience of guardianship to help shape reform in Michigan.

The Michigan Advancing Guardianship Innovations Center (MAGIC) is establishing a Lived Experience Advisory Group to help improve the guardianship system in Michigan. MAGIC believes that meaningful reform must be led by the people most affected by it.

Michigan Elder Justice Initiative (MEJI) and Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program (MLTCOP) staff members have been featured in new articles in MLive and the Detroit Free Press regarding nursing homes.

The Michigan Elder Justice Initiative and Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman presented in front of the Michigan Senate Oversight Committee. The hearing was sparked by MEJI's June 2025 report, "Public Funds into Private Pockets: How Nursing Homes May Be Hiding Profits and Depriving Residents of Care and Quality." MEJI and MLTCOP staff discussed the poor quality of care and life that many Michigan nursing home residents experience as well as the need for more financial transparency and accountability in nursing home financing.

MEJI is pleased to be presenting on April 29th to the Michigan Senate Oversight Committee about Michigan nursing homes' financial practices and the impact on nursing home residents' quality of life and care.

MEJI congratulates MLive reporter Matt Miller for his recent national and state awards for investigative reports on Michigan nursing homes. Matt's careful, thorough, and dogged research and reporting have illuminated the dark side of some of the state's worst nursing homes where MLive observed residents are being used as "pawns for profits."