Michigan Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Laws
Michigan's elderly and vulnerable residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities deserve safe, dignified care. When facilities fail to provide it, Michigan law provides powerful legal remedies. Koussan Law represents families whose loved ones have been harmed by nursing home abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
Michigan's Nursing Home Regulatory Framework
Michigan nursing homes are regulated under both federal Medicare/Medicaid standards and state law. The Michigan Public Health Code (MCL § 333.21799a) establishes a patient's bill of rights that includes the right to adequate and appropriate care, freedom from abuse and neglect, and dignified treatment. Violations of these standards create both regulatory consequences and civil liability for the facility.
Types of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
The cases Koussan Law handles include physical abuse (hitting, rough handling, improper restraints), neglect (failure to provide adequate nutrition, hydration, or medical care), medication errors (wrong medications or dosages), bedsore development from failure to reposition immobile residents, falls due to inadequate supervision or unsafe facility conditions, emotional abuse and isolation, and financial exploitation by staff or facility administrators.
Proving Nursing Home Liability
Nursing home cases require evidence of the standard of care, the facility's deviation from that standard, and the resulting harm. Medical records, staffing logs, state inspection reports (available through Michigan LARA), and expert medical testimony all play critical roles. Understaffing is the root cause of most neglect cases — when facilities cut staff to increase profits, residents suffer.
Damages and Remedies
Families can recover medical expenses, pain and suffering endured by the resident, emotional distress damages, and in cases of egregious misconduct, punitive damages. Wrongful death claims are pursued when neglect or abuse causes death.
Concerned about a loved one? Call Koussan Law at (313) 800-0000 or use our case calculator.
