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“The feedback that we’re hearing from residents is that the care they’re receiving [in their new facilities] and the food they’re being served and the activities are so much better,” said Salli Pung, Michigan’s long-term care ombudsman, whose office assisted in the relocation. “I think it’s telling that this home really wasn’t able to provide that minimum standards that are required by [the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services]. I don’t think that it’s a bad thing that this home closed.”

"In four Michigan counties, the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative is operating a pilot program aimed at offering courts and community organizations alternate tools to help solve problems without fully stripping away adults’ rights.

Alison Hirschel, an attorney with the advocacy organization, said that in one county they saw a 42% reduction in guardianship filings in the program’s first year."

“Across several states, evictions have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. In California, nursing home eviction notices rose from 195 in 2022 to 273 in 2024. In Michigan, there were 317 nursing home eviction cases in 2024, up from 143 in 2022.
What those figures don’t capture are the countless quiet discharges that happen every day. An example is when a resident’s Medicare-funded rehabilitation ends and a nursing home insists it’s ‘time to go home,’ even though federal law offers broad protections against such forced removals, says Alison Hirschel, program director and managing attorney of the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative, which supports the legal needs of older adults and adults with disabilities.”

Michigan Elder Justice Initiative honors the more than 441,000 Michigan veterans. Thank you so much for your military service and for the sacrifices you and your families made. MEJI is proud to serve many of Michigan’s older veterans and veterans with disabilities.

Michigan Elder Justice Initiative wants to thank everyone who is working hard to provide care to family and loved ones. Around 1.7 million Michiganders spend 1.12 billion unpaid hours every year serving as a caregiver (1).

MEJI staff attended the National Consumer Voice Conference held in Arlington, VA from November 3-6. Consumer Voice, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, is the leading national advocacy organization for long-term care residents on issues related to resident rights, adequate staffing, and quality of care and life.

On November 5, MEJI was delighted to receive a $500,000 grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to establish a statewide center to address systemic flaws in Michigan's adult guardianship system. The grant will launch the Michigan Advancing Guardianship Innovation Center (MAGIC). MAGIC will serve as a hub for education, collaboration, and innovation, ensuring that reforms are embedded in practice.

On November 4, Alison Hirschel, MEJI's Program Director and Managing Attorney, testified in support of Senate Bills 585 and 586. Senate Bill 585 offers protection from an all-too-common scenario: sale of a property for what appears to be less than market value.

Sarah Slocum has received the Exceptional Service Award from the ELDRS section of the State Bar.

The Michigan Elder Justice Initiative is excited to announce our new Instagram page, @mielderjusticeinitiative as well as our new Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581948240860