Report Elder Abuse in Michigan
Notify the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) Adult Protective Services at 855-444-3911, if you suspect elder or vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation occurred in:
- A private residence,
- An unlicensed setting such as an assisted living facility,
- An adult foster care home,
- A home for the aged, or
- A nursing home where the suspected perpetrator is not an employee of the facility or the resident is on leave from the nursing home.
If you are a mandated reporter, you must report any suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult to Adult Protective Services by calling 855-444-3911. A mandated reporter is a person who is employed, licensed, registered, or certified to provide health care, educational, social welfare, mental health, or other human services; an employee of an agency licensed to provide health care, educational, social welfare, mental health, or other human services; a law enforcement officer; or an employee of the office of the county medical examiner.
For anyone who is not a mandated reporter, you may still report suspected elder or vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation to Adult Protective Services by calling 855-444-3911. To report abuse in a nursing facility, call the Attorney General's Health Care Fraud Division on their statewide hotline, 800-24-ABUSE (800-242-2873).
Health Care Fraud Division
P.O. Box 30218
Lansing, MI 48909
Email
Abuse, Neglect or Exploitation
To ensure patient rights are protected, the Health Care Fraud Division reviews, investigates and criminally prosecutes those facilities, employees and individuals who recklessly or intentionally harm citizens entrusted to their care.
Elder and vulnerable adult abuse, neglect and exploitation are behaviors committed against an elder or vulnerable adult who is unable to protect himself or herself due to a mental or physical impairment or due to advanced age.
- Abuse is harm or threatened harm to an adult's health or welfare caused by another person.
- Neglect is the inability or failure to provide adequate food, shelter, clothing, medical care, etc.
- Exploitation is the misuse of an adult's funds, property or personal dignity (e.g., humiliation, objectification, degradation, dehumanization) by another person.
The perpetrators are often trusted family, friends, neighbors or caregivers. This can occur in the person's home, in the home of another person or in licensed settings such as adult foster care, homes for the aged or nursing homes.
Nursing Home Abuse, Neglect or Exploitation
If you suspect abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a resident of a nursing home by another resident or by a nursing home employee notify the following agencies:
- Attorney General Health Care Fraud Hotline:
800-24-ABUSE (800-242-2873) - Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) Bureau of Community and Health Systems Abuse Hotline:
800-882-6006 - Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc.:
- Developmental Disabilities: 800-288-5923
- Mental Illness: 800-288-5923
Nursing Home Staff, if you know or have reason to believe that someone is using a nursing home resident's assets or benefits for purposes other than the care, needs and wishes of the resident, you may report suspected elder or vulnerable adult exploitation to the Attorney General's Health Care Fraud Division using this online complaint system. If you have any questions surrounding the complaint process please call, 517-241-6500.
