What is the difference between a home for the aged and adult foster care in Michigan?
A home for the aged is licensed under Part 213 of the Public Health Code for 21 or more residents age 55 and older who need supervised personal care; an adult foster care home is licensed under the Adult Foster Care Facility Licensing Act for adults who need supervision but not continuous nursing care, in homes as small as three residents. LARA's Bureau of Community and Health Systems licenses both.
Last verified: October 2026Neither license is called assisted living, and Michigan has no assisted living license at all. When a West Michigan community calls itself assisted living, it is almost always one of these two, sometimes both on one campus (an HFA building next to a cluster of 20-bed AFC houses, for example). The license on the wall decides which rulebook inspectors use and which reports you can read.
| Home for the Aged | Adult foster care | |
|---|---|---|
| Statute | Public Health Code, 1978 PA 368, Part 213 (MCL 333.21301 to 333.21335) | Adult Foster Care Facility Licensing Act, 1979 PA 218 (MCL 400.701 et seq.) |
| Size | 21 or more residents (or 20 or fewer as a distinct part of a nursing home) | 3-6 (family home) up to more than 20 (congregate) |
| Age | 55 and older | Adults; also serves people with mental illness or developmental disabilities |
| Isn't | Not a nursing home; no continuous nursing care | Not for residents who need continuous nursing care |
How does Michigan law define a home for the aged?
MCL 333.20106 defines it as a supervised personal care facility at a single address, other than a hotel, adult foster care facility, hospital, nursing home or county medical care facility, that provides room, board and supervised personal care to 21 or more unrelated, nontransient individuals 55 years of age or older.
The same definition pulls in smaller supervised personal care units of 20 or fewer people age 55+ when they are run as a distinct part of a licensed nursing home, and it carves out areas excluded under the Continuing Care Community Disclosure Act. In practice, a home for the aged around Grand Rapids is usually a purpose-built building of 40 to 150 apartments with a dining room, an activity program and staff who help with bathing, dressing and medications.
What sizes of adult foster care home does Michigan license?
The act defines a family home as a private residence for three to six adults where the licensee lives, a small group home as 12 or fewer, a large group home as 13 to 20 and a congregate facility as more than 20; LARA's data file splits small group homes into 1-6 and 7-12.
Counts below are homes licensed to serve the aged in Kent, Ottawa, Allegan, Montcalm and Ionia counties:
| License (LARA code) | Capacity | Homes in our five counties |
|---|---|---|
| Family home (AF) | 3-6; licensee lives in the home | 49 |
| Small group (AS) | up to 6 | 98 |
| Medium group (AM) | 7-12 | 50 |
| Large group (AL) | 13-20 | 91 |
| Congregate (AG) | more than 20 | 0 |
| Home for the Aged (AH) | 21+ (Public Health Code) | 55 |
Can a home for the aged or adult foster care home provide nursing care?
Neither is a nursing home. Adult foster care is defined by statute for people who do not require continuous nursing care, and a home for the aged provides supervised personal care; skilled nursing needs are met by visiting home health or hospice nurses, or by moving to a nursing home.
Families get caught here at the worst moment: after a hospital stay, when a parent needs wound care, a feeding tube or two-person transfers, a home may decide it can no longer meet those needs. Ask every home, in writing, what care needs would lead it to issue a discharge notice, and whether it works with outside home health and hospice agencies so a resident can stay through a temporary decline or at the end of life.
How should a family choose between an HFA and an AFC home?
Choose on the person, not the license: someone who wants activities, a dining room and on-site nursing oversight usually fits a home for the aged; someone overwhelmed by crowds, or who needs the same few caregivers every day, often does better in a small adult foster care home.
Three practical differences matter. AFC homes often serve mixed populations, so check the populations served on the home's LARA profile. The dementia disclosure law covers homes for the aged but not AFC homes. And staffing on a small home's overnight shift may be a single awake caregiver. Our small home vs. large community comparison goes deeper.
