Recently the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Health News published an in-depth report on nursing home violence which has been a continuing problem in many nursing homes for years. You read it here. We note that on July 19, 2026 NPR also published an article on the investigation titled “Violence repeatedly erupts in dementia care despite warnings, inspections show.” You can read it here.
Two years ago KFF examined the same problem, “‘Scared to Death’ Nurses and Residents Confront Rampant Violence in Dementia Care Facilities” That article may be read here. Both investigations found that calling the the police about an assault on a resident was pointless since they took no action.
In 2016 researchers from Cornell University did an in-depth study of 14 “assisted living facilities” in New York. Their research estimated that 1 in 7 residents experienced aggression within a month, including verbal, physical, or sexual acts. Researchers have found that these assailants are disproportionately likely to have dementia.
What can a family do if they experience poor care in a “dementia care” facility? In Michigan there are two types of dementia care residences. Licensed and unlicensed.
There are two types of licensed facilities in Michigan. These are the nursing home, which is a licensed medical facility and the nonmedical residence “adult foster care” and “home for the aged.” If your family member is in a licensed facility you may file a complaint online here
In our experience there are very few licensed dementia care facilities. That is to say most “assisted living” facilities are not licensed. If the facility is not licensed your only option is to hire an attorney.
If you have a complaint about the quality of care in a nursing home your best option is to immediately contact the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman. They have local representatives who are very familiar with nursing homes in the area and will work with you without the need to file a formal complaint. You may learn about their office here. And they will help you if you want to make a formal complaint if you so wish.
The moral of this post is that good care is best assured by vigilant advocacy.