Getting ready for a Michigan Home Help assessment can be harder than it sounds. You may know your loved one’s routine by heart, yet find it difficult to explain all the help that fits into a normal day.
A little preparation can make that conversation easier: gather the paperwork you already have, jot down a few examples of everyday help, and bring the questions you don’t want to forget. A few notes can save you from having to remember everything on the spot.
An adult services worker from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, or MDHHS, assesses the person’s needs at home. The visit helps the department decide whether Home Help services are appropriate. MDHHS describes the process on its Home Help page.
The useful starting point is what your loved one can do and where help is needed. A diagnosis alone doesn’t describe a morning routine. Two people with the same condition may need very different assistance.
If you’re still getting familiar with the program, our guide to how Michigan Home Help works explains the broader steps.
Start with the letter or instructions from your adult services worker, then keep these useful details together:
The current MDHHS forms page lists the DHS-390 Adult Services Application and MDHHS-6200 Adult Services Medical Needs Certification. The medical certification is completed by an eligible Medicaid medical provider, rather than by a family caregiver.
If you already have a different medical-needs form, ask your worker whether it can be used before arranging replacement paperwork. MDHHS policy recognizes more than one medical-needs form. Bring questions about anything that’s missing or unclear.
“I help with everything” may feel accurate, but a specific example is easier to discuss. Think through the routine from getting up to going to bed. Where does someone step in? What does that person actually do?
For example, a family’s note might say, “I help pull the shirt over their head and fasten the buttons.” That explains the assistance more clearly than “needs help getting dressed.” The point is to describe the help accurately, in your own words.
Describe both what your loved one does independently and what they cannot manage without assistance. If needs vary, explain that variation rather than choosing only the easiest or hardest day. A few notes made during your usual routine can help you remember the details without turning the visit into a long report.
Be clear about reminders, hands-on assistance and equipment. Michigan’s assessment policy considers functional abilities and needs, including assistive technology. Don’t leave out a walker, bath bench or other equipment because it has become such a familiar part of daily life.
Leave the assessment scoring to the worker. Ask how to describe anything that doesn’t fit neatly into your examples, and don’t attempt an unsafe task just to demonstrate it.
If a caregiver has already been chosen, MDHHS recommends that they attend the home visit when possible. They may be able to explain details of the help they provide.
Talk beforehand about what your loved one wants to say and what help they want with the conversation. Give them room to describe their own preferences. Add your observations while making room for their preferences and questions.
Personal-care questions can feel private. If there’s something your loved one would rather discuss directly with the worker, ask how to make space for that conversation.
Before the visit ends, check who to contact with follow-up questions, whether anything else is needed, and how the decision will reach you. It can help to repeat the next step in your own words so everyone leaves with the same understanding.
MDHHS decides which Home Help services and hours are authorized. Your worker is the right person to ask about that decision.
Keep the decision and service information somewhere you can find it. If needs later change, contact your worker rather than assuming the existing arrangement has changed too. The Home Help Client Handbook explains the importance of reporting changes.
To talk through your family’s enrollment questions with Panda Care, visit our Michigan page and contact the team.
Panda Care Homecare is the brand of Panda Care LLC in Michigan and Gentler Homecare LLC in Colorado. Panda Care is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency or Medicaid.
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