Detroit Area Agency on Aging: Home Care Resources and Referrals

If your family is trying to figure out how to get home care for a loved one in the Detroit area, there’s one organization that connects more dots than any other: the Detroit Area Agency on Aging. DAAA is the local gateway to Michigan’s home care system, and knowing how to use it can save your family weeks of confusion.

Here’s what DAAA does, what they can help your family access, and how to make the most of the call.

What the Detroit Area Agency on Aging Is

DAAA is one of Michigan’s 16 regional Area Agencies on Aging — local organizations designated by the state to plan and coordinate aging services in their geographic areas. DAAA serves the city of Detroit and is the primary connection point between Detroit families and state-funded homecare programs.

DAAA is not a home care agency. They don’t send caregivers to your home. What they do is help you navigate the system: identifying which programs your loved one may qualify for, making referrals to the right offices, and in some cases directly administering waiver programs like MI Choice.

Think of DAAA as the intake and referral hub for everything aging-related in Detroit. They know the system, they know the offices, and they know how to get things moving.

What DAAA Can Help Your Family Access

Michigan Home Help Program

DAAA can explain how the Home Help Program works, help you understand whether your loved one might qualify, and direct you to the right MDHHS office to request an assessment. While DAAA doesn’t administer Home Help directly (that’s MDHHS), they serve as a knowledgeable guide through the process — particularly useful for families who are starting from zero and don’t know which office to call first.

MI Choice Waiver

This is where DAAA plays a more direct role. DAAA administers the MI Choice Waiver in the Detroit service area. If your loved one has complex care needs that exceed what the Home Help Program covers — requiring skilled nursing visits, adult day services, home modifications, or a broader range of community-based supports — MI Choice may be the right program, and DAAA is the point of entry.

Information and Referral Services

Even if your family isn’t sure which program fits, DAAA’s information and referral line can help you sort it out. They field calls from families in every situation: a daughter whose mother just had a fall and needs help at home, a son who’s been caring for his father alone and is reaching a breaking point, a spouse who’s heard about paid caregiving but doesn’t know where to start.

DAAA can connect you with Medicaid enrollment assistance, Medicare counseling (through the Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program), legal services for elder law issues, transportation services for medical appointments, nutrition programs including home-delivered meals, caregiver support programs, and protective services for vulnerable adults.

Caregiver Support Services

DAAA offers programs specifically for family caregivers, including support groups, respite care referrals, educational workshops, and counseling. If you’re providing care and feeling the weight of it, these services exist to help you sustain the work — or to connect you with programs that provide financial relief, like the Home Help Program or MI Choice’s self-determination option.

How to Contact DAAA

Phone: (313) 446-4444 — This is the main number for information, referrals, and program inquiries.
Address: 1333 Brewery Park Blvd., Suite 200, Detroit, MI 48207
Website: https://www.detroitseniorsolution.org/

When you call, you’ll speak with an intake specialist who will ask about your loved one’s situation — their age, living arrangement, medical conditions, current level of care, and what kind of help the family is looking for. Based on that conversation, they’ll direct you to the appropriate program or office.

Making the Most of the Call

A few things to have ready before you call DAAA to make the conversation more productive.

Know your loved one’s Medicaid status.  Are they currently enrolled? Have they applied? Are they on SSI? This determines which programs are immediately accessible and which require an application first.

Be specific about care needs.  Rather than saying “my mom needs help,” describe the specific activities she struggles with: “She can’t bathe without someone in the room. She forgets her medications. She fell twice last month.” Specificity helps the intake specialist direct you to the right program.

Ask about both Home Help and MI Choice.  Many families only know about one program.  Asking about both ensures you hear about the full range of options. Home Help is simpler and faster to access; MI Choice is more comprehensive. Your loved one may qualify for one or both.

Ask about self-determination and paid family caregiving.  If your goal is to get a family member hired and paid as the caregiver, say so upfront. The specialist can steer the conversation toward the programs and pathways that support family-directed care.

Take notes.  The intake specialist will likely give you names, phone numbers, and next steps.  Write them down. The aging services system involves multiple agencies and offices, and having a clear record of who to call and what to do next prevents the runaround.

How DAAA and CareChoice Work Together

DAAA is the system navigator. CareChoice is the agency that helps your family execute. After DAAA points you toward the right program and gets the referral process started, CareChoice helps with the hands-on work: preparing for the assessment, completing the caregiver enrollment, managing the Agency with Choice or fiscal intermediary relationship, and making sure the paid family caregiver is onboarded and receiving paychecks on schedule.

Many Detroit families first learn about paid caregiving options through DAAA, then partner with CareChoice to make it happen. The two organizations serve complementary roles in getting your family from “where do I start?” to “my family member is getting paid.”

Contact CareChoice in Detroit →Get started

Related reading: How to Get Paid to Care for a Family Member in Michigan →|Michigan HomeHelp Program →|MI Choice Waiver for Detroit Families →|How to Apply for Michigan HomeHelp →