Hundreds of Michigan’s direct care professionals, employers, educators, and advocates recently gathered to the state’s Capitol city for the inaugural Direct Care Worker Conference, hosted by IMPART Alliance in partnership with Easterseals MORC. The three-day event marked a defining moment in the state’s long-term care movement, a celebration of the people who provide essential support to older adults, people with disabilities, and families across Michigan.
“This conference represents decades of collective hard work and a milestone in our shared efforts to recognize, uplift, and invest in the direct care workforce,” said Clare Luz, founder and director of IMPART Alliance at Michigan State University.
For Luz, Ph.D., the gathering fulfilled a vision to unite the state’s estimated 165,000 direct care workers and those who champion them.
“Your presence here matters,” she told attendees. “The voices and ideas shared here will guide the future of direct care as a career and contribute to reshaping Michigan’s direct care workforce in ways that will benefit all of us.”
Strengthening the profession together
Throughout the conference, participants explored how to strengthen the direct care profession, through better wages, standardized training, professional recognition, and emotional support for workers who often face “low pay, long hours and little recognition.”
Sessions and panels focused on workforce development, caregiving best practices, leadership, and wellness. Keynotes emphasized compassion, dignity, and the everyday impact of caregivers’ work, with speakers reminding attendees that even simple acts of love can transform lives.
The event also highlighted statewide progress. IMPART Alliance and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) have partnered to establish 15 core Direct Care Worker Competency Guidelines, setting the foundation for new statewide credentials. With state grant funding, IMPART has trained hundreds of caregivers, launched a Direct Care Career Success Program, and awarded 25 mini-grants to employers piloting innovative recruitment and retention strategies.
Those mini-grants, featured during the conference, showcased creativity from across the state, technology-based caregiver training, community mentorship models, and programs addressing mental-health resilience. Organizations from Wayne County to the Upper Peninsula shared lessons from their projects, offering practical solutions for expanding the caregiving pipeline and improving job satisfaction.
Professional pride
“I have all of my certificates from IMPART Alliance for Michigan State University displayed in my office,” said Kelly Pumfrey, branch manager at Purpose Care. “I’m proud that I completed these courses and that I’ve made a difference in someone else’s life because I have this knowledge in my pocket.”
Art and storytelling also played a central role in the event. Resident artist Zahra Resh introduced A Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden, an interactive art installation inviting attendees to create paper butterflies bearing messages of hope and remembrance.
“Art is about people,” Resh said. “And art can serve so many people in so many things.”
The butterflies, symbolizing growth and connection, will later be displayed in Healing Gardens around Michigan as a lasting tribute to caregivers.
From panels on policy and advocacy to reflective sessions on grief and self-care, the tone of the conference balanced celebration with urgency. Many attendees spoke candidly about the challenges of burnout and the importance of building systems that sustain workers as well as those they support. The event closed with a collective “World Café” conversation, where participants shared ideas for the future of Michigan’s care workforce, from expanding credentials to ensuring livable wages and consistent mental-health supports.
First of its kind
As the first statewide gathering of its kind, the IMPART Alliance Direct Care Worker Conference embodied both progress and promise. It underscored the essential truth that the wellbeing of Michigan’s communities depends on the people who provide care every day.
“Together, we can continue building a system that respects, sustains, and uplifts all who give and receive care,” Luz said in closing. “It is an exciting time for all of us.”
The inaugural conference concluded with renewed momentum, a shared commitment to ensure every Michigan caregiver is valued, supported, and recognized as a professional vital to the state’s future. A second conference is planned for 2026.
