CMS created the “Special Focus Facility” (SFF) initiative to address the problem of nursing homes that have a repeated cycles of serious deficiencies. CMS identifies nursing homes that have had had a history of serious quality issues and places those…

Despite being added to the Special Focus Facility (SFF) initiative over one year ago due to noted deficiencies in safety and quality of care, a Michigan Nursing Home has not shown any improvement. The Special Focus Facility initiative was introduced…

Meet some of Detroit’s fast growing population, the “New Elderly”, people who are 50-59 years old but more like 60-74 in terms of their health. Based on a 3-year study of illness and death rates in Detroit and surrounding communities by the…

On Monday, April 16, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced the creation of the Administration for Community Living (ACL) which combines the Administration on Aging, Office on Disability and the Administration on Developmental Disabilities into a single agency that advocates community support and in home care for specialized groups of people, such as seniors with dementia or children with disabilities.

Many nursing homes and extended care facilities include a garden on their grounds. Gardening has long been recognized as a healthy activity for persons of all ages. Tending and nurturing plants from seedling to maturity is good for the body,…

Facilities that describe themselves as “Independent Living” or “Senior Living” are for the most part unlicensed and completely unregulated by the State of Michigan. As far as they are concerned, they are nothing more than an apartment complex for seniors,…

Almost every long-term care facility has an admission contract, which is usually called a Residency Agreement.  These agreements cover a wide range of topics ranging from the care to be provided, the amounts charged, who is going to pay for the care,…