If you were to go to the home page of the website for the Michigan state government department that regulates group homes you will find these words: “State of Michigan does not license assisted or independent living facilities. Please note, however, that a Home for the Aged or Adult Foster Care Home license may be required if the level of care provided at the facility meets the licensing requirements of one of these license types.”
The obvious point: Whether or not licensing is required has much to do with whom you plan to serve and their care needs.
You have to wonder if some use this as an excuse to bypass or side-step regulatory processes and open unlicensed homes. Many call these are called “room and board” facilities, which resemble a licensed home in so many ways. Does not seem to work out for many including the proprietor noted in this news story of December 12, 2017. Click Here to read. In this horrible recent instance in the City of Ypsilanti, Michigan, the owner of an unlicensed home is accused of moving the body of a deceased resident to a different nearby home. Who knows why? Surely this will make its way out through the news. Click Here to read about how widespread a problem this is with guardians placing wards of the Probate Court in unregulated facilities.
The problem with the unlicensed home is the absence of operational governance. This may explain why many are owned and managed by convicted felons who would not qualify to own and operate a group home if licensing were pursued.
For the most part in these unlicensed facilities, there are often no policies that govern what type of incident to report, when or to whom by staff. The same applies for food handling, arranging needed services, vehicle maintenance, medication administration and employee backgrounds. As a result, it is not uncommon for residents in these homes to face dangers.
We will likely always have them, but families and others need to ask the right questions. In the wrong hands, unregulated could mean real trouble.
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Another Blog Post from the minds of Direct Care Training & Resource Center, Inc. and its Chief Executive, Bruce W. McCollum. Join us for a monthly podcast, Direct Care Training & Resource Center on ITunes.
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