News

Lansing, MI – The Michigan Elder Justice Initiative (MEJI) announces the launch of the Michigan Advancing Guardianship Innovations Center (MAGIC), a new program aimed at maximizing autonomy and dignity in Michigan’s adult guardianship system. This work is supported by a generous two-year grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.

Approximately 60,000 older adults and adults with disabilities in Michigan are subject to guardianships that strip them of the ability to make basic decisions about their lives, including where they live, what medical treatment they receive, and whom they interact with. While guardianship can be an important safety tool when used properly, guardianship is often overly restrictive or—in some cases—unnecessary. This can be devastating to the physical and mental health of the person under guardianship, leaving them dependent and without the authority to make simple decisions on their own.

MAGIC’s mission is to champion individuals’ rights and voices in all decisions, challenge the status quo of Michigan’s adult guardianship and conservatorship systems by preventing unnecessary guardianships, advance alternatives, and promote practices that maximize autonomy, independence, and dignity. MAGIC envisions a Michigan where due process is meaningful, less restrictive alternatives are the norm, pathways out of guardianship are clear and accessible, and best practices shared across disciplines to honor each person’s strengths, autonomy, and humanity.

“MEJI has spent many years leading efforts in Michigan and nationally to empower, educate, and protect older adults and adults with disabilities,” said Alison Hirschel, Director of the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative. “MAGIC represents a new opportunity for that work—advancing innovative, person-centered approaches designed to maximize independence, autonomy, and dignity for tens of thousands of Michiganders in the adult guardianship system.”

MAGIC is designed as a systems-change hub—bridging courts, healthcare, human services, and community partners to align practice, policy, and outcomes statewide. MAGIC will begin its work through three interconnected pilot initiatives: innovative training for guardians ad litem; the use of functional assessments in guardianship and conservatorship cases; and interdisciplinary education that unites medical, legal, human services, and community partners. These pilots are designed to generate replicable models, data, and best practices that can be expanded statewide and beyond Michigan—ensuring courts have meaningful tools to honor individual abilities, expand less restrictive alternatives, and promote a shared, person-centered understanding of capacity, autonomy, and support across systems. MAGIC is currently planning its next phase of initiatives.

The project is being launched by Nicole Shannon and Rachel Richards, two leaders with deep and complementary expertise in guardianship and adult services systems. Nicole Shannon brings more than 15 years of experience litigating complex guardianship cases and is widely recognized in Michigan and nationally as a leading expert on guardianship law, policy, and reform. Rachel Richards is one of Michigan’s foremost experts in the adult services system, with more than 30 years of experience, including 28 years at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services where she held high level roles with Adult Protective Services. Together, their combined legal, policy, and systems leadership ensures MAGIC is grounded in both rigorous advocacy and practical, statewide implementation.

MEJI is a program of Michigan Statewide Advocacy Services (MSAS). MEJI seeks to empower, educate, and protect low-income older adults and adults with disabilities on issues that have the greatest impact on their independence, health, dignity, and security. We marshal our legal and advocacy skills to support these at-risk populations in overcoming injustice and inequity, enforcing rights, and achieving quality of life and care. https://meji.org/